2021 has arrived! There are always new trends that appear with the new year. Today, we are going to go over some of the top trends that you should be aware of for this year.
Social Commerce
COVID-19 has sparked a huge surge in online shopping. Social commerce is the native shopping experience on a social media platform like Facebook or Tik Tok. Instead of needing to click on a post to get sent to another site to purchase the product, this technique allows the consumer to purchase the item directly from the social media site or app.
With everyone staying at home and being more involved in social media, we have seen social commerce on platforms like Tik Tok, Spotify, Snapchat and the new feature Facebook Shops.
Facebook Shops are custom storefronts for businesses on Facebook and Instagram. This allows businesses to create an online storefront where the business can edit banners, images, items, buttons and colors. This Shop can be accessed on both Facebook and Instagram once it is set up which is great because you can now get an audience on both platforms. It is a two for one.
Augmented Reality to Increase the Shopping Experience
When purchasing bigger items like a treadmill or a bicycle, most people want to go to the store to see how it looks to compare d products and make the best possible decision. Most of the world is in a situation where people are unable to physically experience a product and must compare using images instead. This is where AR or augmented reality comes into play.
Augmented reality will fill the gap of purchasing online, but still provide the physical feel people want in order to purchase a product. Some bigger companies like IKEA and Target are already using AR shopping experiences. If you're a small business don’t worry, some platforms are helping make this possible for you.
Last year Shopify pushed out Shopify AR which is a toolkit to help businesses create their own AR experience and showcase their products. Expect to see more AR based experiences in 2021 and don’t be shy to hop on this trend. It can really give you a leg up on the competition.
Retail Trend on Delivery Times
We all know that Amazon was dominating shipping speed when they released the possibility of one day and same day delivery. The original norm was five to seven days, then two day shipping arrived and now we have next day and same day shipping. Big companies like Walmart are now replicating the fast shipping process that Amazon, the trend setter, has set. However they are even going further and giving the option of two hours express delivery.
Getting your package as fast as possible gives customers a sense of satisfaction like none other. Some customers will even check multiple sites to find the fastest shipping just to receive their products more quickly. Same day shipping isn’t a new concept. It has been around for two years, but is now becoming the norm.
Smart Speaker Shopping Trend
Smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home have skyrocketed in the last couple years. There was a spike of 70% increase of homes with smart speakers from 2018 to 2019 and we expect these numbers to continue to grow. Around 87 million adults in the US own a smart speaker today, so the trend of smart speakers has already started. However there is a unique feature that makes this incredibly viable for you.
These smart speakers have become a tool for people to shop online, especially during the pandemic. Twenty percent of smart speaker owners are currently utilizing the shopping feature. You can purchase items, do product research, and even track deliveries using this feature.
As an ecommerce company you should look into voice-optimized SEO to help boost your traffic and make it easy for smart speakers to find your products.
These four trends are likely to dominate this year and will more than likely further grow and expand throughout the years. Being able to apply these trends to your company's strategy would greatly benefit your chances to increase your sales and revenue throughout 2021. If you want some more digital marketing trends for 2021 check out our other blog post.