1. Online purchasing becomes more real thanks to augmented reality.
For e-commerce, augmented reality (AR) has completely changed the game. With this kind of technology, customers can actually see the item they’re buying, which aids in the purchasing process. Because the client may obtain a better sense of the item without really seeing it, augmented reality (AR) has a significant impact on the purchasing experience in some sectors, such as fashion and home décor.
It will be fascinating to see how it plays out next year given that Gartner forecasted in 2019 that 100 million people would shop using augmented reality (AR) by 2020.
This forecast is supported by Michael Prusich, 1Digital Agency’s director of business development:
For example, 35% of respondents said they would shop online more if they could virtually try on items before making a purchase, and 22% would be less likely to visit a brick-and-mortar store if AR was offered through their preferred e-commerce site. AR enables users to perceive a product’s appearance as if they were wearing it, rather than just viewing a 3D model of it. Traditional shopping methods work well for some products and businesses, but AR is going to change things sooner rather than later.
Tessa Wuertz, director of marketing & partnerships at efelle.com, predicts that even more small- to medium-sized companies could follow the trend:
We anticipate that many more companies will use augmented reality (AR) for their goods and operations, to the point where social media and e-commerce platforms will adopt it more widely. Although it is already being used by larger firms, I believe it will soon become commonplace for enterprises of all sizes.
2. Voice search will increase in frequency.
More people use voice assistants to carry out regular tasks in addition to owning smart speakers. By 2025, 75% of American households, according to Loop Ventures, will have a smart speaker.
More people will use voice search to conduct online shopping, place restaurant orders, and manage their daily lives as more houses embrace smart speakers. In terms of keywords and content, the rise of voice search presents an opportunity for ecommerce businesses.
On his list of 2020 trends to watch out for, David Zimmerman, Director of eCommerce Solutions at Kensium, ranked “greater participation of voice-enabled solutions in the commerce arena with Amazon Alexa and Google Home” highly.
3. AI helps stores understand their customers.
Customer-centric, automated purchasing experiences are made feasible by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. AI is always gathering information on a customer’s shopping habits, the timing of their transactions, and the qualities they want in a good or service.
The intricacy of AI and the potential to make it more human-like are both becoming increasingly significant, as Ron Smith, Editor in Chief of The Digital Outdoor, emphasises:
“People want to feel cared for by businesses, and they will use AI to do just that. Consumers will certainly seek the effect, despite the fact that we have currently observed the opposite behaviour on social media, where AIs learn from humans’ more critical remarks. Companies will soon be able to train bots to provide comfort and products based on customer moods if they can learn how to construct phrases to communicate emotion.
4. On-site personalization builds individualised experiences using these findings.
Online shoppers of all stripes, including B2C and B2B customers, want individualised, tailored shopping experiences. The information gathered by AI is what enables a consumer to receive tailored product suggestions and thorough customer service.
Implementing tailored experiences online or in marketing campaigns has a significant impact on sales, with one study revealing that retailers leveraging advanced customization capabilities saw a 25% increase in sales.
In addition, merchants that were “developing basic personalisation capabilities” saw “a revenue increase of 10% or more; the retailers in this tier account for 40% of the participating companies.” This accounted for 19% of the participating companies.
According to freelance writer and ecommerce expert Kaleigh Moore, AI-driven personalisation will be more important in 2020:
“As brands harness and utilise more data, they’ll be able to develop very relevant, tailor-made experiences for customers.”
5. Big data aid the personalization of experiences.
Many people are now more conscious of the risk that comes from e-commerce sites gathering their personal information. Due to this, experts’ opinions on the advantages of big data and they divide how it influences the personalised shopping experience.
The expert in conversion rate optimization at Kensium Solutions, Luis Catter, has his own forecasts for how customization will proceed in tandem with data issues:
Personalization will eventually reach the internet of things as the digital companies keep growing and bringing more services in-house. We’ll see suggestions on our thermostats and doorbell cameras in addition to search engines and e-commerce sites. We will have the option to reject some of the legislation though. People who have highly customised experiences and those who do not will emerge as an intriguing dichotomy as a result. This will have intriguing effects on our ability as marketers to connect with potential customers.
Source: online selling platform , ecommerce platforms
