Click, click, buy: e-commerce trends driven by DTC, mobile, social
E-commerce trends reflect a society that's forever changed. Brands must focus on DTC, mobile, social as a search tool, and data.
By the end of 2021, it’s predicted that mobile devices will make up almost 73% of total e-commerce sales globally. This means assessing your brand mobile experience is crucial to remaining competitive and delivering the CX needed to meet the top 5 mobile commerce trends of 2021.
Assuring that your sites are mobile friendly is more important than ever, as the pandemic has catapulted mobile e-commerce and expectations of these avenues in the eyes of the consumer.
If you don’t meet those needs, expect results – just not the ones you’d hoped for: About 30% of consumers will abandon their carts in the middle of shopping if they run into issues with a brand’s mobile site.
Mobile commerce trends in 2021: The top five drivers for online sales
Items that were suggested for mobile optimization in Q4 of 2019 became key differentiators for brands thriving in 2020 and 2021.
2020 holiday e-commerce stats: Online + mobile deliver stunning results
2020 holiday e-commerce stats show one thing is certain after this year: Online sales and mobile commerce are the future for retailers, with mobile driving up to 50% of total sales for the biggest Cyber Week ever.
Let’s check out the mobile commerce trends for 2021 that will have a high impact in the new year:
- Progressive web apps: One of the key trends in the e-commerce industry is the use of PWA or Progressive Web Apps. Online businesses are always trying to improve their sales and enhance the customer experience in their online storefronts, and for the last few years brands have been encouraged to think mobile first when setting up their websites. A progressive web app is a website that has the form of a mobile application. Instead of launching native mobile apps, which can be expensive to develop, we’ll see more brands taking advantage of PWAs to provide a better, faster mobile experience while still leveraging a browser.
- Augmented Reality: 2020 has forced brands to find new ways to bridge the online and in-store experiences. Adopting Augmented Reality (AR) has increased in popularity as brands work to give consumers a look into how a product would fit into their lives. Amazon has the “See how it looks” option on many of their products which gives consumers the ability to scan their mobile devices over an area in their home, and with the use of AR, see how an item would fit into their space. As we enter into 2021 and further adoption of online, personalizing experiences are becoming more important than ever.
- Voice commerce: What starts as a quick voice search from a user on a virtual assistant like Alexa, Google Home, or Siri, looking for advice on “the best new products of 2021”, can lead them to reading your brand’s blog post, and entering into your website. A continuous problem is that most sites don’t offer voice-based navigation on their websites or apps, so prospects have to switch channels after they start on voice to actually browse or complete a purchase. In 2021, we’ll see investments rising around optimizing content for voice searches, as well as ensuring products can be purchased through voice commands without forcing consumers to switch channels.
- Social Commerce: With consumers online more than ever and scrolling social to bridge the gap with some of the personal connections they’re lacking, social commerce has been on the rise. In 2021, more brands will be partnering with social sites for advertising as well as building e-commerce transactions into social sites so consumers can scroll, shop, and connect with their friends and favorite brands at the same time. More investments will be made to fully perform e-commerce transactions within a social app.
- Mobile Payments/Wallets: For the late adoptors of mobile purchasing, one of the hesitations is the fear of mobile security. Many websites and purchasing apps have eased concerns by integrating with mobile wallets and intermediaries like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal, so consumers don’t have to continuously risk entering their credit card information for every purchase. In 2021, investments in mobile wallets, as well as one-touch purchasing will be on the rise, allowing customers to shop on the channels of their choice without worrying about security.
