- Search is moving from text to voice.
When search activity moves from text to voice it becomes request ( not a pure search) . users don’t get a list of options . they get one result. Smart voice search solutions such as and Google Home, Siri and Cortana, are now used more and more to complete tasks. 27-37% of all searches are being done by using voice capabilities.. Smart speakers can be used to create shopping lists, order items and food, complete other home organization tasks and conduct web searches. Businesses should update their websites and stores according to the keywords and content fit to to voice searches. Top, Where, Best, Near, How, Cheap, Recommended – are the top words that people use when using voice search. It means that you should include these words in your online stores content area and shelfs.
- Payments method
Don’t be too creative here – your customers look for the known brands of digital payment services such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Square. customers have come to trust these more convenient, faster, secure checkout methods. Allowing flexibility with payment options at checkout is a great way to protect against canceled sales and increase conversion rates. Customers look for a quick, secure and convenient checkout experience. The more ways to pay, the more value to your business.
- Visualization of the commercial dialog
As the world of e-commerce evolves, the importance of providing engaging product representation only grows. Static photos of products aren’t enough anymore. Before committing to a purchase, consumers increasingly seem to want to explore a product in-depth. Providing videos, reviews and interactive content about a product can make it more marketable in the online world.
- Customers value light technologies
Add existing , easy to implement technologies to your online store . we are refer to technologies such as Augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR, respectively) that can provide a previously impossible level of engagement with the online consumer and allow the users to “touch” the products . It called – in-person shopping experience .
- The rise of Vertical Social Networks
Facebook group / Meta is a giant that leads the market and shows superb business performance but looking forward few years from now the market will be different.
I anticipate that the phenomena of niche social networks will dominant the Industry. Vertical/ theme social network, is a platform with a specific focus for people with a particular interest or area. Online stores should look for ways to work with these vertical social networks . As far as users concern this type of social media has significant advantages comparing to Facebook:
- It’s a unique zone that fits user’s passion or profession
- These niche and focused zones make less distractions
- These zones cause less negativity
- Vertical social media is much more relevant to user’s life
It looks like those vertical players are already very successful in terms of usage, users and revenues. here are few examples with good usage numbers:
Behance — this is a vertical social network for creative people (graphic artists, designers etc.)
Website visits — 40M/ Instagram followers — 1.8 M/ Mobile app installs — 5 M/
https://www.behance.net/
Meetup — this network enables you to connect with other people who love the same things you do
website Visits — 17M/ FB followers — 350K/ Instagram followers — 70K/ Mobile app — 10M
https://www.meetup.com/
Letterboxd — Track films you’ve watched. Save those you want to see. Tell your friends what’s good
The ultimate social network for film lovers, It lets you track movies you’ve watched, provide your ratings and reviews, create movie lists, etc.
Website Visits — 28M/Instagram followers — 150K/Mobile app install -1M
https://letterboxd.com/
Goodreaders — excellent social media for books lovers — here you can track the books you’ve read, share ratings and reviews, and discover new books . here you can also be part of discussion forum in which you can share opinions and discuss the latest reads
Site Visits — 143M/Mobile app — 10M/Instagram — 900K/FB — 1.3 M/https://www.goodreads.com/
Houzz — the main zone for architectures or interior designers with around $1 B revenues
You can browse design works , connect with professionals and get support
Website Visits — 20M/Instagram followers — 655K/Mobile app Installs — 10M
https://www.houzz.com/
Instructables — this community zone is built around do-it-yourself projects. Users can collaborate projects, watch video tutorials on how to do things, and also post a tutorial of their own. There’s also a community forum where you can get support.
Website Visits — 15M/Instagram Followers — 188K/Pinterest Followers — 2.8 M/FB Followers — 818 K
https://www.instructables.com/
- First Party Data become super important for e commerce businesses — Control of data and the ability to use data for product strategy , price strategy and marketing strategy
7. SPOQ Index — Social Proof Of Quality is also becoming more important for stores owners — it is an umbrella term of total experiences, recommendations, customer reviews, etc. This figure consists of volume (quantity of recommendations) and the sentiment (consumers approach)