The ecommerce marketing pie is one that every business should aim to get a piece of in the coming year. In 2018, e-commerce marketing channels were responsible for over three trillion dollars' worth of transactions worldwide. Coupled with year-over-year growth of almost 15%, it’s the single biggest investment that your business should make in 2020 – if it isn’t already.
Like any other industry, e-commerce is constantly evolving. For that reason, e-commerce marketing tools that were effective last year, or even last month, may not keep up. To stay ahead of the competition, take a look at some of the e-commerce marketing trends that will help you succeed in 2020.
Trend #1 – Interactivity
Consumers are no longer happy with a flat, one-sided shopping experience. They want an all-around experience rather than just buying a product. This is driving e commerce marketing techniques to focus on tailoring the whole buying experience for shoppers.
To reach consumers in 2020, you’ll have to offer them customisation options. Allowing customers to go through the design process of their product gives them the feedback they crave and helps contribute a feeling of personalisation, making them feel as if that particular product has been designed with them exclusively in mind. Choosing furniture colours, t-shirt designs, and even building their own wedding ring, are examples of how interactivity can be injected into just about any product.
Trend #2 – Clickbait Is Dead
The noughties were characterised by an aggressive approach to sensationalist marketing strategies that leveraged on an individual’s emotional impulses. E commerce marketing examples of this approach were the infamous “Singles in your area” email blasts and countdown timers on ad space. This kind of marketing is partially attributed for the development of ad-blocking software.
The e-commerce trend 2020 will probably be defined by a departure from that type of marketing. Short-term marketing tactics have resulted in the failure of enough businesses to be deemed radioactive. Therefore, companies are opting for producing valuable content, focusing on their broader message, and building a brand voice.
Going into 2020, make sure you have a well-developed brand image and work on ways to convey that image effectively to audiences. Sales funnels are getting longer and longer, so your only choice is to make sure you keep feeding them from the top.
Trend #3 – Transparency
Events in the last five years have caused a major rift in trust between big internet corporations and the people they serve. The alleged unsavoury practices of big names in internet services and key players in social media have drawn more wary and reserved uses.
As a result, people are demanding more transparency. They want to be able to trust the company they’re doing business with. All of which is at odds with another trend that’s gaining steam involving personalisation. Consumers want, paradoxically, to give up very little information and yet like it when companies know what they want.
Balancing those two things will be a big challenge in 2020 and beyond. It all starts with building trust, being open with data usage and creating a rapport with audiences.
Trend #4 – B2B Ecommerce
While most businesses see e-commerce marketing trends in a B2C context, the growth of business to business e-commerce marketing is a trend to look out for in 2020. In fact, B2B e-commerce is growing much more rapidly than its counterpart.
Businesses are realising the importance of reaching non-transactional partners in efforts to direct traffic among likely purchasers and e-commerce is proving a great way to do that. Additionally, tech providers are increasingly starting to tailor their offerings to the B2B segments. When all it is said and done, it seems that buyers are buyers, and similar techniques can work whether you’re selling sweaters or deep-sea drilling equipment.
Trend #5 – Voice
While the competition for pole position among voice assistants rages on, one segment that’s profiting regardless of the outcome is e-commerce. It may be making people lazier, but voice technology is certainly driving sales and leaving e-commerce email marketing behind.
In 2020, a big area to focus on is voice functionality for your e-commerce stores. Letting people search and purchase by voice is likely to appeal to busier individuals who are more motivated to purchase than those with time to browse and compare.
Get Ready for the Future
Knowing what to expect is only half the battle. The real work is in implementing that knowledge to make these e commerce marketing tips work for you. To keep things simple, remember these three things when designing your e-commerce marketing campaign. Transparency, interactivity, and value. Get those in place and you’ll be on the right track.