5 Ecommerce Trends to Expect in 2021

For consumers, 2020 has meant a huge shift in spending patterns. For many businesses, gravitating to online sales has become a matter of survival. Let's take a look at five of the most prominent ecommerce trends for the coming year.

Environmental-friendly ecommerce brands will dominate the market

Over 60% of consumers admit to wanting to buy products from companies that champion sustainability. Amazon, the world's leading ecommerce company, is leading the way by guaranteeing to bring their carbon emissions to 0% by 2040 and brands that fail to compete in this domain will lose market share.

Customers are actively looking for brands that advocate sustainability.

Mobile phones will dominate ecommerce

As things stand, over 30% of online shoppers currently abandon their shopping cart the minute they discover the site they are attempting to buy from is not mobile friendly. 

With conservative estimates suggesting that over 75% of all ecommerce sales will be made via mobile devices by the end of 2021, it is imperative for all online sellers to focus on improving their purchasing options for mobile consumers. 

Shoppable TV adverts

NBC recently launched shoppable TV ads that connect a mobile app directly to a program that enables viewers to purchase what they see and like on their screen.

Readers of NBC articles and viewers of NBCUniversal simply need to click on a featured product to be taken to a partner merchant and make their purchase. 

Executive vice president of NBC Josh Feldman recently said that “The key is that with NBCUniversal checkout, you can complete the entire transaction without actually leaving the article or video.”

Shoppers and retailers alike are enthusiastic at the prospect of the seamless transition between viewing and shopping.

Businesses will start accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment

Any ecommerce firm that fails to accept a consumer’s preferred payment method is likely to lose business. One of the primary reasons customers choose a brand is the payment options on offer. 

Most businesses currently accept Apple or Samsung Pay, PayPal and Google Pay along with credit and debit card but the future also involves crypto. With no reverse transactions and low fees, bitcoin especially offers many perks for online sellers and shoppers alike.

Voice search will take over ecommerce

You may still be in the camp that thinks Alexa and Google Home are there to play your favourite songs, wake you up in the morning and turn your lights off as you’re leaving home, but they have also been in the background slyly taking over ecommerce.

22% of Alexa owners use the smart speaker for shopping-related actions ranging from tracking deliveries to product research to creating reminders along with actually purchasing products. That figure is expected to triple to just under 70% in the next five years.

It is imperative for businesses to be augmenting their ecommerce and fulfilment processes for smart devices or they risk being left behind. Optimizing your online sales and marketing strategies is imperative if your business is to remain competitive and future-proofed. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is to prepare for tomorrow today.