About the Author: Amit Bhaiya
eCommerce revenues are expected to eclipse $400 billion by the close of 2017. This surge happened by leaps in social media, omnichannel strategies, and mar-tech (marketing technology). Now, new technologies and strategies are on the horizon, and 2018 expects to see eCommerce revenues of $460 billion or more. The eCommerce environment also promises to be more competitive than ever. “In 2018,” says Amit Bhaiya, CEO of DotcomWeavers, “customers will be harder to win, easier to lose, and more concerned with price and user experience than ever before.” It’s time to ask: Is my online store equipped to earn a slice of that $460 billion pie? In this article, we present 7 of the top 2018 eCommerce trends you should watch for, and capitalize on. It’s going to be a cutthroat place to do business, but there are ways to win.
Smartphones and home smart speakers like Amazon Echo allow users to search and act online with a word. Approximately 40% of millennials (the group you should focus on most) have used a voice assistant prior to making a purchase. By 2020, this number will pass 50%.
Currently, most voice searches have local intent or seek answers to simple questions. Users aren’t performing heavy Internet browsing actions. Rather, they are looking to order pizza, answer a question, or find the closest ATM.
To capitalize on this usage, experts recommend optimizing your Google My Business listings, to ensure that your local pages have unique URLs and are indexed. This includes your name, address, phone numbers, and other relevant data in your on-page content.
Remember to think like the customer. For example, if you sell pizza, make your content is relevant to queries people use for pizza delivery. Try adopting a long tail/conversational approach to your content.
To discover the rest of the hottest eCommerce trends of 2018, check out our latest article published on The Huffington Post.
