It’s 2016 and you haven’t figured out which e-commerce moves to make. Stop scrambling. Here are some actions many e-commerce sites are taking to start the year right:
Commit to the right platform
Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all e-commerce platform, but there’s certainly one that is the best fit for your vertical space and e-commerce goals. Make sure, however, to leave room for growth. The shift to mobile has birthed many of the most innovative eCommerce strategies. Keeping up with e-tail best will require selecting a platform that can survive the test of time.
Take a second look at site design
In the e-tail world, being fashionable and “in-season” is as important to your site design as it is to your inventory. Don’t find yourself left behind this year’s site design trends. As the cosmic consumer shift to mobile continues to reshape the user experience, companies whose sites are designed to complement the customer journey will continue to come out on top.
Make peace with the multi-channel
Time is up for those not already addressing their customers’ expectations for personalization by device and channel. Mapping the customer journey to engage shoppers at every possible touchpoint is essential for early success in 2016.
Get social
Social networks are at the frontier of e-commerce innovation. These watering holes are fresh places to engage with existing customers and those you hope to win. In addition to reaching social audiences through well-crafted sales and marketing efforts, 2016 will see a rise in social e-commerce activity. Those who have (or are) integrating social media into their 2016 marketing strategy have a promising year ahead of them.
Go mobile
The huge impact mobile is having on e-commerce strategies always bears repeating. Gartner predicts that “by 2017, U.S. customers’ mobile engagement behavior will drive mobile commerce revenue in the U.S. to 50% of U.S. digital commerce revenue.” Not only is mobile a channel on fire, customer expectation for companies to already be there is very high.
Address mobile security concerns
The move to mobile by customers and companies is on. It follows then, of course, that mobile security concerns are on the rise. How secure is the technology you deploy to engage with and sell to your customers? Don’t forget this all-important detail.
Make buying easier across platforms
Customers want the buying experience to be easy at every turn—desktop, in-store and mobile. This month, check out new mobile payment options and what they might have to offer your customers and your business strategy. Kudos to you if you’re ahead of the curve on this one!
Embrace the world of analytics
A lot of ground has been gained by experts on a quest to make sense of customer data through analytics. Real-time, actionable analytics has finally arrived. Assessing whether you are correctly equipped with technologies and strategies that will allow you to make use of these analytics innovations should be at the top of this month’s to-do list.
Improve delivery
If delivery issues are on your must-fix list, 2016 is already shaping up to be a year of several delivery breakthroughs. In particular, on-demand delivery options like Amazon Flex and UberRush are feeding both customer expectations for increasingly faster delivery and e-tail concerns around efficiency and cost.
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