More and more people are turning to the eCommerce industry nowadays. This is no surprise considering how big the eCommerce ‘cake’ is. Even if you manage to get a small slice of it, you will most likely have enough to live the life you always wanted to live. If you are not so sure about this, have a look at these three amazing eCommerce statistics:

1. By the year 2040, almost 95% of all purchases will be made through eCommerce stores.
2. A whopping 93.5% of global internet users have purchased products online.
3. The eCommerce industry is growing 23% year-over-year.

All of this looks fine and dandy; however, these stats also imply that the world of eCommerce is a dog-eat-dog world. To be precise, if you fail to stay ahead of your competition, the chances are that you will fail. That’s why today you have a chance to learn about some trends that you should implement if you want to shine in 2020. Do you want a bigger slice of the eCommerce cake? Keep reading.

Personal service translates to greater success

So many business owners that have been around for some time forget all the major changes that have happened in the world of retail. No one can really blame them because there are dozens of trends popping up every now and then, but the major ones should not go unnoticed. One major trend, one big change, during the retail revolution needs to be your priority for the next year. And, that is customer engagement. To be precise, if you want to be better than the rest, you have to engage your customers better than the rest. Do not think for a second that you can’t build a relationship with a customer just because your business is an online business. Consider the benefits of having access to or having your own CRM system. A good CRM system working for you can be one of the most beneficial customer management tools you will ever get your hands on. When you have access to personal data, when you start making use of it, all the personal data and customer history data turns into gold. This will enable you to offer every returning customer a more personal service. And, that is the key benefit of this essential piece of eCommerce software that you should strongly consider. So, try to get more personal. Take advantage of technology, allow users to leave reviews, and treat them well. Understanding what CRM is will be vital to your success as a business and you can leverage a good CRM system to help provide the personal service your customers expect.

Do not ignore your rivals

This one is pretty straightforward. The eCommerce industry is constantly growing and this means that your competition is growing too. That is a tricky thing about every fruitful industry. Once you start reaping the benefits, you see that more and more people have started following into your footsteps. And that is exactly the time to start observing. That is, you always need to keep an eye on your rivals, track their activities, monitor their marketing efforts, and see how you can benefit from that. This is perfectly reasonable because you can’t always make all the right decisions, you can’t always think of something that could change your business for the better. After all, no one is a genius 24/7. So, figure out who your competitors are, what they are offering, how they are offering their products, and how they are different from you. Once you have a list of 5 to 10 rivals, use everything you have at your disposal to monitor them. Yes, it may sound wild, but you should do that if you want to be better. Fortunately, you don’t actually have to stalk someone to get the vital pieces of information. For instance, you can rely on software solutions. There is a software solution that is literally called Competitors App. You can probably guess from the app’s name what it is about. This kind of software solution will make it easy for you to monitor your rivals’ marketing efforts such as social media, email, website changes, and all the important bits of business they do.

Interactive is the new black

We are living in a time of huge technological advances. Gone are the days when shoppers only visited brick-and-mortar stores, gone are the times when they bought only what they could touch and see before purchasing. Today, you have to offer a customer that golden chance to view a product from the comfort of their own homes. To be precise, you need to do everything you can to help them view your products from all angles, examine whatever they want to examine, and learn all the details about your products. One big problem in the eCommerce industry is cart abandonment. It happens way too often that people abandon their carts because they start doubting their purchases. For instance, this doubt often emerges when a customer is only able to view a standard image of a certain product. Therefore, provide options for customers to see the entire product, have video demos, great high-resolution photos, and implement 360-degree images if possible. This will really do wonders for your conversion rates and lower abandonment rates.

Guest blogging is still a must

When your business has a blog, a blog that is run by a good content manager that publishes quality content, everyone is happy. Your business becomes an authority, you gather an audience that is easy to convert, and you earn a chance to take a shot at guest blogging. Guest blogging has a platter of benefits too, especially when you are guest blogging for eCommerce. When you indulge in guest blogging, you can increase the number of backlinks to your website. This helps Google improve your search engine ranking, which means that you become more visible for your audience. Additionally, you reveal yourself to a wider audience. Publishing on someone else’s website means that their audiences will get to see what you have to say and offer. And, that can only be good for you. Of course, pitching this idea to a blogger or another company within the industry is sometimes a dull and tiresome process. First, you have to do the outreach, then you have to agree on terms, and some will even request compensation to feature you on their websites. Besides providing quality posts, being honest, and giving additional value, you need to take care of yourself too. That is, you should help yourself if you can. And, technology has a way of helping you with this one too. Use plug-ins for better SEO, use spell-checking tools, and definitely hire a writer if possible. Everything should be top-notch. When contacting a prospect for a potential guest blogging business venture, use an outreach automation tool. You may want to contact dozens of bloggers, but writing everything manually and personalizing each message yourself can be a burden. So, utilize technology to automate what you can and start guest blogging.

Be eco-friendly

Becoming more environmentally mindful is something that you shouldn’t ignore in the upcoming year. If you do ignore that, rest assured that your consumers won’t feel good about it. Caring about our planet should have always been a priority. Unfortunately, throughout history, one could see that not many people really cared about saving our planet. But, it turns out that these days more and more consumers are becoming conscious about their environmental impact. That is why they want to support businesses that are trying their best to reduce carbon footprints. An average consumer is more likely to buy a product from an eco-friendly company that offers a social or environmental benefit. So, for instance, you could do your best to try and reduce shipping waste by using recycled or biodegradable materials. Some companies even send their products wrapped in branded socks. For a start, you don’t have to go that far. Just be aware of this issue and think of the ways you can contribute to saving the planet.

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