The year of 2017 seems just expected. If you are to develop a winning marketing strategy for eCommerce then you are browsing the right piece of writing. eCommerce is constantly growing at a fast pace and a huge market. The small and large businesses will have to ramp up quicker than they expected earlier. This means customers will be remaining hard to win but easy to lose for businesses.
Well, to refresh your knowledge here is a fun fact:
According to several sources, almost 92% of holiday shoppers will go online to either research or purchase gifts this season.
This implies how important it is for the e-commerce industry to step up its game during the holidays. It is high time that companies started working on new marketing campaigns and strategies.
In fact, almost 49% of e-commerce marketers have already created and launched a holiday marketing campaign a little before Halloween.
So, if you were a little skeptical about launching your campaign early, then think no more!
To help you get started, we have some tips for you to follow, which we will get into shortly.
Marketing Trends in E-commerce
Now, however, good or bad your year went, if you are in business, then your end goal for the next year is most likely to do better, right?
In order to plan a better and more effective future marketing strategy for e-commerce it would be worthwhile to go through some important trends to look out for in e-commerce marketing in the year 2017:
Major growth in e-commerce shifts to Asia
While it has always been the US that has reigned as the major driver of growth in the e-commerce sector, this year it is likely to take a shift towards China – an Asian country. The growth rates in the US are still going strong, though, but they are likely to hit saturation point pretty soon. The e-commerce sales growth in China is going so rapidly that it is expected to double by the year 2019, which adds about $1 trillion dollars’ worth of extra sales in just a matter of three years.
New heights in e-commerce competition
It is an established fact that customers are now increasingly moving online and most commonly through a mobile device. This is exactly why retailers are scrambling to go up the ladders of online shopping as well as their online presence in general. This trend is likely to continue, along with a number of new startups entering the market, which makes the online competition for winning over consumers, even tougher.
Chatbots
Chatbots are by far the most important breakthrough developments in the field of online marketing in the year 2016. They are likely to further reinforce their role in marketing on their own in the next year. Now, currently, many chatbots are capable of performing only a few rudimentary tasks but they are rapidly growing in terms of capabilities as well as popularity largely because they can actually act as a human assistant.
Shoppable videos
Shoppable videos are not exactly a brand new trend of 2016. They were launched in 2015, but they have not been the most mind-blowing and effective technologies since their launch. They’ve gone to the extent of simple cards popping up on videos to let customers buy some of the items shown in the video.
In the next year, though, this is likely to change and shoppable videos are likely to take the next level with personalized videos.
Those were some of the massive trends that can literally change the e-commerce sector altogether. Apart from these, there are also some continuing trends like increased use of smartphones to shop, the growth of artificial intelligence for smart predictions and the growth of subscription-based business models in retail.
SSL Everywhere
SSL security is an inevitable parameter that an eCommerce cannot ignore. SSL secure online information that travels between the server and the user’s browser. SSL certificate bestows strong encryption and avoids third party interception when a customer is entering login details or payment data to your website. Google is also encouraging an SSL certificate for better website ranking. It is necessary to take care of your customers if you are running an online business. There are many types of SSL certificates available as per business requirements.
Tips for effective e-commerce marketing
Now that we have discussed what the near future of e-commerce marketing looks like, you probably have a fair idea of where your company stands in terms of technology, meeting customer needs, and overall retail business.
Now let’s go through some tips for you to get started on planning your new marketing strategy for the upcoming holidays as well as for the next year.
Personalization
We cannot stress this enough! As we just saw how big a role personalization plays in online business, it would only make sense to invest in the personalization of all kinds, including the new shoppable videos. With more customers going online, mobile and online shopping are going to reach an all-time high, and the competition among online retailers is only going to tighten up. To stay in the game, you need to attract more customers and for that, you need to give them a memorable shopping experience and a reason to stay. What better way to do that than by making them feel like you know them well.
Mobile advertising
This is already something that retailers use, but you can combine it with customer purchase information and history online along with geolocation to provide engaging ads to your customers while they are traveling and connect them to your physical store.
Email marketing
An old-fashioned marketing technique yet again, but there are more fun ways to use it now. Emails should not be limited to just order confirmations and delivery confirmations. You can send out interesting and personalized emails, with fun facts, suggestions based on purchase history and exclusive discounts and offers as well. This will make your customers feel valued too.
GIFs and videos
It is the era of cinema graphs and GIFs now and there is nothing wrong with cashing in on them for your business. With Facebook Live, Instagram stories, etc. you can share interesting and again personalized short videos with your customers. The advantage here is that you can actually convey an important message in just one short video, eliminating the risk of “TLDR” completely unlike long emails and messages.
Last but not least; go all-in on your favorite social media channels with fun and engaging content to show what your company can offer.
Keeping the above pointers in your mind while creating a marketing strategy for 2017 can be quite useful. Be ready to spend on some necessary technology as well.
That said, it is time to start working and get ready to win over more customers in 2017.