2020 was a breakthrough year for e-commerce – in its first half, the number of online stores grew by as much as 39%, and this trend is expected to continue. According to PrestaShop experts, the coming year will see growth in, among others, specialized small and medium-sized online stores.
The subscription shopping model and eco-friendly delivery methods will also gain greater popularity. Meanwhile, personalization of customer relationships and the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence will become the standard – regardless of the type of offering or the size of the e-business.
In-store or online?
In-store or online?
The traditional division between online and brick-and-mortar stores will continue to blur in the spirit of the omnichannel approach (omnichannel). Physical locations will increasingly serve as showrooms and pickup and return points for online purchases rather than primary sales venues. This does not mean, however, a complete withdrawal from physical space. Marketers will bet on new interactive forms of outdoor advertising, using techniques such as augmented reality (AR). These will guide customers from a poster at a bus stop or a billboard directly to an online store on their smartphone.
Shopping by subscription
Shopping by subscription
E-commerce trends for the coming months
The subscription sales model is mainly associated with telecommunications or magazine subscriptions. In the coming years, however, it will gain popularity in e-commerce as well. Consumers will increasingly subscribe to goods and services, such as household chemicals or children's products. In Poland, boxes with samples of cosmetics and healthy food are already conquering the internet, allowing customers to test market novelties. There are also subscriptions for access to books online instead of buying physical copies. This sales model will continue to develop and expand into more industries, along with the growing share of consumers from the 18-24 generation.
Algorithms in the foreground
Algorithms in the foreground
Innovative sales techniques are entering retail not only in the form of automated checkouts, but above all artificial intelligence and machine learning. Customer visits to an online store generate amounts of data that a human would not be able to process. In the coming years, algorithms will therefore take over the task of compiling information from mobile apps, websites, and social media. Programs will help create interest profiles and analyze consumer behavior. They will also forecast demand for goods and adjust prices to changing product popularity or competitors' offerings. In the coming year, chatbots will become increasingly popular in the e-commerce market, including in Poland. They will help customers make decisions, handle returns and complaints, and track the progress of deliveries in real time.
Ecology is the key to the e-customer's heart
Ecology is the key to the e-customer's heart
In 2021, e-commerce will follow the zero-waste trend and enable more eco-friendly shopping. Deliveries to pickup points, custom-sized packaging, eco-friendly fillers instead of bubble wrap, reusable returnable packages, and features for searching and filtering products by their environmental friendliness will all become popular. According to research, as many as 87% of online shoppers already notice non-eco-friendly practices by stores and suppliers. Consumer awareness is growing. Increasingly, in the name of reducing environmental impact, they will be willing to accept longer delivery times or higher fees for eco-friendly packaging.
Personalization on the path to becoming standard
Personalization on the path to becoming standard
Companies can no longer compete on price or product alone, which is why personalized service will become increasingly crucial. Sending an email saying "Thank you for your purchase" or "Come back again" will not be enough for a customer to feel valued. Online stores will need to build an individual relationship with them and attract attention with tailored messages. Standards have long been set by companies like Netflix, which adapts movie suggestions and video thumbnails to user interests. The role of communication using creative content in building competitive advantage will also grow in e-commerce, and shopping will become an experience that responds to the needs and expectations of a specific person.
