In this ever changing industry you need to be one step ahead, so as we’re halfway through the year we’ve compiled a list of our top three ecommerce trends to follow for the rest of 2015.

Mobile Ecommerce

Every year it seems that analysts are predicting that the ecommerce industry will grow significantly due to mobile technology, and every year it doesn’t.

Until now.

Mobile commerce was originally just an add-on, however nowadays it’s another important channel which links your customers overall shopping and brand experience from their smartphone to your store.

Those customers who are using smartphones are able to browse your website, look at products, search for products reviews and even ask their social networks whether they should by a certain item. They will then use the same smartphone to buy said product. This is becoming more common place as customers are becoming more trusting of buying things using their smartphones. Google forecasts that over the Christmas season 50% of UK related search queries will be from a smartphone, can your company really afford not to be optimising your website for mobile ecommerce?

Same day Service/Speed and Free/Fast Returns

Solid shops have always had the upper hand on online shopping; they offer immediate gratification. You can literally walk in, buy a product and then it’s yours to take home with you- it’s always been a strategic advantage. Thanks to faster, easier and cheaper shipping, waiting for weeks for packages to come is now a thing of the past. Most online retailers offer next day delivery if items have been ordered before 9pm, customers have none of the hassle of getting to the shops, finding things they like and fighting that one determined woman who tries to steal the last pair of suede boots that you clearly saw first. Three clicks and you know that somewhere in the country they’re being packed up soon to arrive at your door, perfect! Amazon is currently trialing delivery within one hour with a select number of their products in central London. Imagine a world where you feel slightly chilly at work, you go online and buy a jumper at the start of your lunch hour, then by the time lunch finishes you’re snuggly and warm in your new purchase!

Returns are also a problem with buying products online, what if it doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t fit? What if it falls apart after one use? This is another reason that some customers are wary about buying online; returns used to be extremely expensive. And who wants to spend £7 returning a £20 camera? Nobody, that’s who. Most online retailers offer free returns and/or exchanges, this builds brand image and trust between the retailer and the customer. If a retailer clearly offers free returns as a potential customer you’re more likely to trust in the product, why would a vender offer free returns on a product which is rubbish?

Wearable Technology – Apple Watches

Wearable technology allows you to passively access the internet, basically in 2015 the year of wearable technology we all became Robocop. Well not quite, but we can hope. Apples iWatch is a fashionable alternative to Google glasses; it delivers all the convenience of effortless internet access but without making you look like an extra from x-men. For ecommerce the emergence of this kind of technology means greater access to consumers, people will literally be wearing marketing and advertising campaigns.

Apps are currently being developed by many big brands which engage customers on a very personal level, for example “Degree Deodorant” has just launched it “Sweat this” campaign in which it challenges people to complete its personalised 30 day workout routine. Wearable technology also allows companies to offer time and geographically limited offers, imagine a customer walks past your shop and suddenly gets a 20% discount offer for the next 24 hours flash up on their watch.

Ascensor can provide a wealth of advice and help on all your Digital Marketing needs. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

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