The dawn of a new era, perhaps a bit over the top of a statement, but if you're an Amazon seller in 2021 or if you're in E-Commerce in any fashion, you likely experienced a skyrocketing digital revelation that brought about record numbers alongside new and unpredictable challenges.
These are not downward trends, and since we've entered the new year with new gusto, we wanted to provide some trending insights into some of our E-commerce forecasts for 2021 and beyond.
Mobile Matters
During the global pandemic, shoppers flocked to online shopping to solve everyday problems and also uplift spirits in a time of uncertainty. The trends of mobile shoppers have changed over the years, and we suspect 2021 will be no different.
With more users accessing online shopping, more payment options, and more robust mobile platforms alone, it makes sense that mobile possibilities are becoming more mainstream. That's right, we said shopping, not merely browsing or saving to cart for a later date.
The numbers are substantial; in 2021, mobile E-commerce could rake in some $3.5 trillion and then make up almost three quarters (72.9 percent) of E-commerce sales. Mind-blowing. If you aren't racing to fix your mobile platform after reading this, you could be missing out on a potentially massive chunk of change.
If you’re an Amazon seller with a website that links to your Amazon products, you should be optimizing your mobile view to make the purchase experience fluid. Optimize your Amazon listing to provide the best possible offer so that even viewed by mobile, customers are compelled to action.
Optimize Your Amazon Title
- Place your most vital keywords at the start of the title.
- Don't use all 200 characters IF you're selling a variation. Allow space for Amazon to add variations at the end of your title, so these are viewed more easily on mobile.
- Add the package quantity at the start of the title so that once again, mobile viewers can see the amount of the offer they are purchasing.
Listen Up, Podcasts Are Here To Stay
About 55% or 155 million Americans listen to podcasts. The term podcast has become a household staple in conversation amongst friends. However, expansion may look slightly different as significant changes in acquisitions taking place beyond the scenes in 2020. The larger companies sweeping up the podcast realm makes us wonder what's really in store for 2021.
Market research and stats show that general acceptance of podcast ads is becoming mainstream, and while the stats show a slight dip in user participation last March, there is a significant rebound taking shape. The rise of smaller podcasters with cult followings may take form, alongside the vital players acquiring one another's landscape.
SmartScout jumped on the podcast trend in 2021, and with a growing community, we see podcasting as a part of our normal conversation and engagement with our audience. - Scott Needham
Social Commerce Spikes
Social shopping is making purchases over a social media channel such as Facebook or Instagram. About 70% of shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram for product discovery. About 55 percent of people have made a purchase through a social media channel, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, solidifying an upward trend in social shopping for 2021.
Instagram offers a user-friendly and visually appealing experience in which potential buyers can buy directly in the app. Similarly, Facebook navigates social shopping through its shop's features, allowing brands to navigate entire stores from the purchase experience, to customer interactions and shipping.
With customer experience becoming the key focus, social shopping will aim to make the buying experience more personal, and more user friendly, therefore increasing their hold over the social shopping space.
If you’re an Amazon seller, social shopping should be a top of mind thought as brands dominate the social space. Creating a social strategy, opening social stores, and providing high-quality visual and video content for consumers will assist your brand growth, and trust in 2021.
The Competition Is Fierce
The growth in E-Commerce created stiff competition across all online platforms, Amazon is no exception. While this rapid growth was an eye-opening experience, the influx of competition affected bottom lines. New ways to optimize online business must be considered in order for survival, and especially in terms of selling on Amazon. Key areas to target across all platforms are:
- Customer Experience
- Differentiation
- Expansion on and off of Amazon (A more robust offer, and a variety of channels for your buyer to purchase from)
- Technology to assist in providing a consistent and simplified experiences
To compete, online businesses and, in particular, Amazon brands will have to level up the customer experience, invest in a technology-supported framework, and lastly optimize and expand across all channels, not just Amazon.
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Don’t Ignore That Voice
Voice technology is trending in 2021 but not new to the online landscape by any means. Voice technology provides a great user-friendly experience by utilizing voice recognition and voice commands to find products online.
The premise is simplicity for consumers by making products more accessible. In previous years the comfort level with voice recognition was less, but more and more consumers look for a more personalized and faster experience. E-Commerce businesses need to adapt to level up the customer experience.
If you’re selling on Amazon, you may be wondering how this would apply to you. Users can use voice recognition to google products that address specific pain points through voice technology. Often search results, as you know, correlate to products selling on Amazon.
A highlight for 2021 is the customer experience. Finding AI technologies to make your customer experience more personal and streamlined will be essential to your growth. Whether on Amazon or off, paying attention to trends will be crucial to your ability to scale. Stay in tune with whatever online industry you are in, and be sure to ride trends as they come and go.
