As we enter the New Year and our 5th year in business, Williams Commerce turns its attention to the trends that we expect to see in the e-commerce industry throughout 2015.
In our latest blog, we look at the trends that we anticipate will shape the market this year as we aim to stay ahead of the game in an ever-changing and expanding industry.
It is now the case more than ever that computers can be found everywhere. As more people gain access to computers in the form of home and business desktops, laptops, phones and tablets, and with a greater number of businesses going digital, for a modern business that offers services or products to succeed it is vital that it has an online presence. For this reason, the ecommerce industry shows no signs of stalling as we move into 2015.
In our latest blog, we look at the trends that we anticipate will shape the market this year as we aim to stay ahead of the game in an ever-changing industry.
Computers, Computers, Computers!
As we highlighted earlier, computers are everywhere; on your desk, in your home, in your bag and in your pocket. Customers and consumers now have access to the web everywhere they go, so it is vital for a business to be online. Even businesses that have traditionally been reluctant to go digital, such as wholesalers, are starting to realise the benefits of having an online store.
The key trend in 2015 will be to expect an accelerated growth in the number of businesses going digital, while also seeing businesses optimising their website for mobiles and tablets to make the most of the traffic they receive from these sources.
Authentic Shopping Experience
Much like the book and the e-book, many consumers still prefer the traditional experience of walking into a store, and viewing their purchases first hand. Websites will begin to start becoming more personal to users, recreating the shopping experience as authentically as they can.
Online shops will become an experience, with visitors being guided through the store, as they would be in a physical one. Website developers will begin to tailor website’s content to be more personal for the user. Users will soon be able to shape the website around themselves, with websites presenting content based on a users past shopping behaviour.
Click and Collect
With customers and consumers wanting to be able to see their products first hand before having them delivered, click and collect will become more commonplace, giving shoppers the option to purchase online and then come to a physical location to inspect and collect their goods.
With the large supermarket chains, and many other retail businesses using this system, we expect to see B2B businesses being to start using click and collect for their businesses as well. A key benefit is that it allows businesses to track purchases through the website without the added delivery costs that are involved in distribution
Omni-Channel
Click and Collect does require a physical location however, which ties in with another trend we expect to see, where customers and consumers shop more confidently when they know that a physical location exists.
Ecommerce businesses that also have a physical location are expected to succeed over those who don’t. By giving customers the choice of shopping through two channels (online and in-store), businesses give their customers the option of shopping either online, or physically interacting with the products they are purchasing.
Data, Data and more Data
2015 will see businesses analyse and scrutinise the data they receive through their analytics more closely than ever before. In order to personalise a service, a business must first understand the behaviour of their customers, and to do this, data is required. Data is also vital for a business to be in a position to provide the right offers at the right time.
Globalisation
The Internet has no bounds. As more people gain access to the World Wide Web, the rest of the world begins to feel more accessible to customers. If they can’t find what they are looking for in their own country, they are likely to look online at what international businesses have to offer. Businesses need to be ready if they wish to make the most of overseas opportunities, and in order to do so, their website must be optimised, offering different languages for example.
Security:
2015 will see more online security awareness than ever before, with recent events proving that even the largest corporations are not immune to online attacks. While the web can never be 100% secure, businesses will be making sure that their digital assets are as secure as possible, while also ensuring that their customers and consumers are secure when making purchases through their websites.
Magento
Finally, as a greater number of businesses make the move to digital, having a high-functioning website sales is absolutely vital. Currently, the most popular ecommerce platform is Magento Ecommerce, which powers 30% of all ecommerce businesses. This statistic is only expected to increase, and we expect to see Magento continue to be chosen by the biggest names in the e-commerce industry.
When speaking about what is to be expected from 2015, Robert Williams, Managing Director of Williams Commerce, said “With the expected arrival of Magento 2.0 in 2015 we expect to see growth and adoption of this great ecommerce platform accelerate further.”
With a busy year ahead, Williams Commerce is looking forward to the exciting challenges that these trends will pose. To see our portfolio of work, please visit our portfolio page, and if you’re looking to upgrade to Magento and would like to have a chat, just give the Williams Commerce team a call on 0116 326 1116, or email [email protected]
For further reading, this blog post sees three E-commerce experts say what they think 2015 holds for the E-commerce industry: ecommercenews.eu/key-e-commerce-trends-in-2015
