The Future of Ecommerce: 10 Predictions from Hara Partners
Hello, Magentians, ecommerceheads… Whatever it is you kids like to be called these days.
Since ecommerce is an ever-changing field, it’s tough to predict its future.
However, we’ve listed ten of our predictions for the future of ecommerce below… And if you disagree with any of them, you’re always free to drop one of your au contraire messages below.
1. More Custom Design
With more and more companies these days now allowing customers to represent themselves through customer designs, it’s likely that the trend will continue…
NikeiD lets customers design their own shoes, and customers can buy an interchangeable face and strap at Modify Watches. This trend of custom designs and interchangeability will let customers truly express themselves through their clothing, leading for a more powerful trend in the near future.
2. More Custom… Everything
Clothes, shoes, glasses and just about everything we thought would never move fully online will all be online. The reason is simple: why leave the comfort of your own when you can get something custom-made to your exact size for less? This is certainly the way of the future.
3. Virtual Sizing
The hassle of trying on various sizes will decrease as video quality improves and we’re able to measure snad size clothes from the comfort home.
Because brands vary widely in size charts, it will be even more important for profit margins to avoid returns and exchanges for color, style, design, and fit.
As a bonus, this same technology will be a boost to the fitness industry as consumers can see their bodies change (For better or worse) from one fitting to the next.
4. Personalized Brands
With so much data available now about customers, the e-commerce companies that care enough about their clients to personalize their communication will win the day.
That means every element of the messaging will be personalized, from the on-site experience to social targeting and especially email. In five years, the communication you receive around shopping will all be rooted in your behavior, demographic and psychographic data.
5. 3D Printing for Clothing
Sooner or later, 3D printing will be mainstream—and when it is, we will be able to print our own clothes. How cool would that be? We can even print clothes according to our sizes. You’ll be able to walk into any clothing store you want and pick out the fabric of your choosing, then have the machine print out your shirts for you.
6. Adding Human Elements That Sell
Although many websites do remember your name (Hi “insert username”, welcome back!), the last item you purchased, or suggest additional items you may want, the experience as a whole is still somewhat predictable, cold and calculated. Despite all the bells and whistles, most ecommerce websites are still not much more than electronic catalogs. Completely lacking is the human element; the element that sells to you, or convinces you to change your mind.
7. Virtual Sizing
The hassle of trying on various sizes will decrease as video quality improves and we’re able to measure and size clothes from the comfort home.
Because brands vary widely in size charts, it will be even more important for profit margins to avoid returns and exchanges for color, style, design, and fit.
As a bonus, this same technology will be a boost to the fitness industry as consumers can see their bodies change (for better or worse) from one fitting to the next.
8. Shopping Experience Convergence
As Internet shopping became prominent in the ’90s, there was a distinct line drawn between brick-and-mortar and Internet retailers. As brick-and-mortar stores started seeing sales slip, they plunged headfirst into the Internet, thus creating click-and-mortar operations. This blurred the lines between physical and virtual retailers.
9. Algorithmic Recommendations
Amazon’s product suggestions are great because they have so much aggregate data. But they don’t have enough data about me from other services and products I own. If they did, I could get an amazing aggregate view of what’s relevant to me based on a more complete profile.
10. 360-Degree Customer Engagement
It takes six to ten “touches” before consumers buy from a brand. Today’s customers are experiencing your product or service across platforms — from mobile, Web, physical, media and referral sources. We can expect to engage consumers where they are and carry that experience across platforms for each of those first half-dozen touches. A customer may first experience your brand from a personal referral, but then may explore on mobile or a tablet before doing a deep dive on the Web.
