Shopping in 2021: Know How Technology is Giving a Spin-off to Ecommerce Industry

Technology is transforming everything that it touches or gets into, and shopping is no exception. The way it is re-shaping the eCommerce industry is absolutely impressive, and we cannot wait for the next. So, how is shopping in 2021 going to be like? Let us get into the details.

Gone are the days when going out for shopping was a fun-filled affair. All the planning to go out shopping, deciding places to shop, roaming on streets exploring products, window shopping, all of these were the biggest stress busters, especially for women. No one ever imagined that the same fun of going out will turn into a nightmare because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, all the pleasure and planning has been replaced by fear and safety precautions and the safest option for people is to stay at home and “SHOP AT HOME” which is trending such that online shopping is becoming the new normal.

The COVID Effect on Shopping 

COVID-19 has totally changed the buying habits of the people. Today, groceries, dairy, medicines, people are buying their daily essentials online rather than risking their lives out in the crowd. Although it is a good change and much needed right now to curb the spread of the virus, unfortunately; this drastic change is badly hampering the brick-and-mortar shops who highly rely on the local customers visiting their shops to buy products. While the sales of offline retailers began dropping, eCommerce giants like Amazon, Flipkart etc., witnessed a sharp rise as people took a paradigm shift to online shopping at the convenience of their homes.

So, is it time for every business to go online? Are the eCommerce website and online app becoming a mandatory solution for improving businesses, to survive the current crisis, and to beat the competition? These are the questions every small business is struggling and brooding over, and the answer is yes as to serve the tech-savvy customers, retailers must embrace technology because online shopping seems to be the future.

How is Technology Transforming eCommerce? 

Going digital, digital payment etc. were the terms used commonly but no one actually faced the need of digitization before COVID-19. The deadly pandemic proved that it’s high time for everyone to adopt the technology and come at par with peers.

There’s no limit to what technology can do to anyone and anything. Implementing technologies in an eCommerce industry can bring huge waves of change that is necessary in the present times. Since technology keeps evolving; it is important to walk with trends as people are becoming tech-savvy and to meet up their expectations and requirements, becoming digitally sound is the only option to sail through.

E-commerce has come way forward with the introduction of the latest technologies in online shopping like chatbots, voice assistants, social media presence etc. But, with so many online things happening it is quite natural to question “how to make use of technology and stay ahead in the cut-throat competition?” and “how to make people trust online services?” The answer is not simple but neither impossible. Most of the online shoppers, many-a-times, come across problems concerning product delivery timelines and customer support services. Cybersecurity is the next biggest concern due to the inferior IT set-up used by several e-tailers that are allowing hackers to easily extract the personal information of customers. If these concerns are taken care of; then eCommerce business and mobile apps can boost your sales with wide customer reach like a piece of cake.

Since thinking innovative is the key to surviving in this online saga, let’s see how you can leverage the power of the latest technologies in online retail and provide the best to the customers in the safest and fastest way.

Product Visualization, AR, and VR

Technology now has a solution to the only drawback of online shopping that the customers cannot experience the product before buying. From product visualization where customers can zoom in to the minute details of the product to getting a real-like feeling via Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, many retailers are building eCommerce apps with AR and VR to give the user the actual feel of the product. Mostly retailers in furniture, fashion, and home decor are using such apps to allow users to imagine how a product will look on them, in their home or office.

PWAs and Mobile Apps

Shopping via mobile devices is expected to make up about 73% of total eCommerce sales in the coming years. Mobile shopping is on the rise, and customers need things to happen so fast that more than mobile apps they are preferring progressive web apps today as they are faster, can be browsed offline, and need not be downloaded.

Also Read:Progressive Web Apps: Shaping the Future of mCommerce

Shoppable Video Ads

With the increased usage of Social Media apps like Facebook and Instagram and YouTube, the trend of creating a small video about product awareness is topping charts. As it gives a real feel of the products; it can thus give more of a personal shopping experience to the customers.

Voice Commands

From shopping offline; people have shifted to online and are now getting even more advanced by shopping simply using their voice. Voice commands are becoming the harbinger of eCommerce transformation. With social distancing and contactless activities becoming the new normal, the use of digital assistants and voice-activated payments is growing at rocket-speed than any other connected commerce.

Autonomous Deliveries and Fulfilment

With customers expecting same-day delivery or delivery within 2 hours, big e-commerce players in the market are putting technology into use as much as possible in order to provide the right customer service. Therefore, automation in delivery/logistic and warehousing/fulfilment chains is now hitting a high note leading to the use of mobile robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles to fulfil orders safely, speedily and timely.

Product Personalization & Customization

A personalised shopping experience and the ability to customize products, what more does a customer want? Thanks to technology now it is easy to understand and predict what each of your customers wants by analyzing data, customer reviews, and their online behaviour and provide them with a personalized shopping experience accordingly. With customization, you can win more customers as nothing can entice them more than getting the product as they want.

The Future Ahead

Already, there is so much more happening in the eCommerce industry due to the implementation of the latest technologies, and since technology keeps evolving; we can surely see much more exciting advancements in the near future. The COVID-19 is a warning to stay prepared for any such unfortunate events and hence adapting to the latest trends at the earliest is the smart move to make. Approach the best eCommerce app builder today who are well-versed in such technologies to stay alive and ahead.

Rakesh Jain

Rakesh Jain is the co-founder and CEO of MobiCommerce. When he is not busy taking the company to newer heights, he authors detailed blog posts for leading publications, teaching eCommerce store owners different ways to manage, grow and scale their business. As a seasoned entrepreneur, he is passionate about proactively finding the “next big thing.”