If there’s one thing that the recent ecommerce trends share in common, it’s this: a focus on making consumers happier. Whether it’s through personalized content, competitive online offers, or augmented reality, web trends revolve around the consumer and pleasing their every need.

As we prepare for the second month of a new year, here are four ecommerce trends to consider for your online store. They could be game changers!

1. Highly Personalized Experiences

Personalization continues to be more precise thanks to artificial intelligence and marketing automation. Today’s consumers expect their brand experiences to be customized from start to finish. As the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon sets a good example for how ecommerce sites can provide intuitive, personalized experiences.

On the homepage, customers are greeted with items to consider based on their shopping trends and browsing history. Amazon has a ton of great content that ranges from recommendations on books and music to the new Dash buttons that allow you to find and buy your favorite items.

Even though your company isn’t Amazon, customers still expect similar features. Use tools like artificial intelligence and augmented reality to deliver highly relevant content based on shopping and browsing habits. Be prepared to send emails with special promotions, reminders about items left in the cart and feedback on customer service interactions.

2. Pop-Up Retail Shops

Pop-up shops are temporary retail stores that are designed to create a positive, lasting impression on potential customers. Some brands are already seeing success with pop-up stores, including Target, Nordstrom, and Sephora. It may seem like a lot of work to open a short-term store for the purpose of gaining exposure, but the payoffs can be huge. Consider that pop-up shops can:

  • Educate new customers on your products and services

  • Create a sense of urgency to boost sales (your store won’t be there for long)

  • Take advantage of holidays, seasonal sales, and other events

  • Engage customers offline

  • Test a new method for generating revenue

  • Generate brand awareness

  • Be where your customers are

3. Voice Shopping

With voice-assistant products growing more popular by the day, it’s no surprise that voice shopping is gaining attention. As people become more comfortable with Alexa, Google and Siri, they’ll learn to rely on voice technology to carry out everyday tasks, including shopping. Not everyone is convinced that voice shopping will take over this soon, but things are still moving in this direction. Start thinking about how voice search will fit into your overall SEO and ecommerce strategy.

4. Augmented Reality

Shopping doesn’t have to be boring or tedious. With augmented reality, it can be enjoyable and exciting – like a hobby! Brands are finding new ways to incorporate AR into their shopping experiences, whether it’s experimenting with paint colors or testing out new hairstyles. The goal is to let consumers interact with the products on various levels before buying. This will hopefully lead to more sales and higher customer satisfaction rates.

It looks like 2018 will be a busy year for ecommerce brands! With the tools and technology available, you can deliver a highly relevant and personalized shopping experience for each individual customer!