Like a traditional brick-and-mortar business, some aspects of ecommerce never change. For instance, good customer service and quality products or services are important no matter what. Similarly, there are a number of other eCommerce trends that are always in vogue.
Social Media Marketing
Social media has become an irreplaceable tool for businesses of all stripes. It allows for fast response times to customers, while keeping shoppers up to date on sales and deals. Being adept with social media is essential for an ecommerce business. Among other advantages, It remains the top way online businesses expand and gain customers. Sites like Facebook and Twitter lead the pack in popularity among ecommerce business owners. Anyone who remembers MySpace will tell you the platforms of choice may change over time, but social media marketing is here for the long run.
In 2015, the number of people shopping on mobile devices surpassed those using desktop machines for the first time and the trend shows no signs of abating. If a business owner wants to stay competitive, having a solid mobile platform is vital.
In the past, most mobile platforms were buggy, had complicated checkouts and didn’t seem secure. That has changed. Today’s consumers expect mobile sites to be reliable, safe and fast. In fact, 57 percent of mobile users will leave a page that doesn’t load in under three seconds. That may be frustrating to hear, but what’s important to the customer needs to be important to your business. Having a subpar mobile platform will cost you a solid client base for your cloud ecommerce store.
Good Customer Service
The smart rule of thumb for most businesses is the customer is always right. While that dictum is morphing a bit with the times, it remains true for many cases. A loyal customer coming to a business with a complaint is worth the time and effort to keep happy. An ecommerce business needs positive testimonials out there to help with growth. Word of mouth in the digital age extends to customer reviews and social media interaction.
Having good customer service means responding quickly and working to solve problems. Shoppers can tell when a business is just blowing smoke instead of delivering results. Don’t just apologize and throw freebies at a problem, hoping that will make it better. If a customer has an issue that can be fixed, fix it. This bolsters the business’s public image and prevents future headaches.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing requires focusing on a few people rather than a demographic. An influencer is someone who is active on social media or has a blog with lots of followers. A pre-internet version of an influencer is someone like Oprah: a trusted voice who would make recommendations. In the post-broadcast TV world, there are a lot more influencers out here.
There’s also a lot more skepticism. Consumers are now aware that people get paid to sell things. Influencers now need to disclose whether a post or blog is being sponsored in some way. These new rules haven’t stopped this type of marketing from being effective though. In fact, the transparency has helped build trust between customers, influencers, and the businesses involved.
In the world of ecommerce, it can seem like things are always changing. Some aspects may shift, but others become mainstays. Good customer service and innovative marketing have always been important. These eCommerce trends are always in vogue. Even with a few digital age tweaks, the foundation of a good business remains the same. The truth is, some things just never go out of style.
