E-commerce 2.0: What do Shoppers Expect from You?

E-commerce has revolutionized the way people shop, providing customers with more convenience, flexibility, and options than ever before.

In the past, customers would visit online stores, browse through product catalogs, and make purchases through a digital shopping cart. Over the years, the shopping journey in e-commerce has continued to evolve, with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning playing an increasingly important role.

However, today’s e-commerce landscape is much more complex and dynamic. Let’s take a look at what the Industry looks like today.

The Shopping Journey

The old shopping journey in e-commerce typically involved a customer visiting an online store, browsing through product catalogs, and making purchases through a digital shopping cart.

Customers may have relied on search engines or email marketing to discover new products or promotions. Once they found products they were interested in, they may have clicked through to individual product pages to read more details and view images.

The New Shopping Model

Now, customers benefit from personalized recommendations based on their browsing and purchase history, as well as data analysis of similar customers. Social proof through ratings and reviews, influencer marketing, and user-generated content has also become increasingly important in the new shopping model. Additionally, many retailers now offer chatbots, virtual assistants, or live chat support to provide assistance to customers throughout their shopping journey.

Another key difference in the new shopping model is the rise of omnichannel retail. This means that retailers are now offering multiple channels for customers to make purchases, including online, mobile, and in-store. This allows customers to seamlessly switch between channels, such as starting their shopping journey on a mobile device, continuing on a laptop, and completing the purchase in-store. This provides customers with more flexibility and convenience, and allows retailers to reach customers in a variety of different ways.

The future of online shopping is set to be characterized by even more advanced technology, a greater focus on sustainability and ethical practices, and a continued emphasis on omnichannel retail. Customers can look forward to a more personalized, engaging, and convenient shopping experience, while retailers will be able to better understand and serve their customers’ needs and preferences.