As we move from the offline to the online, as our civilisation rapidly charges towards a constant state of connectivity, more and more of our purchasing is taking place on desktop and mobile. More exciting and engaging ways to shop are being offered to users, to enhance their shopping experiences. There are some great trends out there in desktop and mobile shopping. Let’s take a look at some.
Mobile
There are so many Mobile shopping trends out there right now, that are grabbing all of our attentions. Here is the lowdown on some of the coolest and quirkiest ways to shop via your mobile.
1) Wearables
The newest faze of mobile shopping is about to be bestowed upon us, in the form of wearables. Google Glass and Apple Watch are just some of the wearable technologies out there that will allow users to purchase products in-store and online, with the items of clothing they have on. Apple being on board with the technology means that it is only a matter of time, before Androids start clambering over one another, to adopt a similar approach.
2) Mobile payments set to grow
Mobile payments such as Apple Pay are likely to become far more widespread in the coming months. In the US alone, Apple Pay already supports 90% of the credit card purchase volume in the US. Consumers will soon be more inclined to use their phones to purchase low-value, daily items as a starting point.
3) Cut backs on data requests.
Purchasing items will more readily be carried out via Apps. At present, many apps seek permission to access a user’s geolocation, their camera and their calendars, before they go on to load up and present users with shopping options. Enterprises and users alike, are beginning to demand more transparency and stronger reasoning from developers, they are less inclined to allow large amounts of their personal data to be accessed, due to privacy reasons and the general time constraints.
4) Broader platform integration and a growth in screen agnostic experiences.
Apps are increasingly becoming experiences that live across multiple platforms — from wearables to phones, to tablets, and web applications. The pressure is on for developers to offer a seamless transfer between these platforms as you move from one to the next.
5) Changes to the travel industry
The Travel industry is set to embrace the power of the app ten-fold. Travel companies such as Trip Adviser, Trivago etc, intend to make it increasingly easier to book flights and hotels right within their official apps, instead of sending consumers to airlines or hotel websites. These sorts of companies are also embracing the omnichannel approach, whereby consumers can research a product on their mobile, continue on a tablet and finally complete their booking on a desktop PC, with each device loading up and displaying the last information the consumer had entered or searched for, right before they finished their session.
Desktop
Regardless of what happens concerning the rise of mobile/tablet technology, the traditional PC will always be capable of maintaining a steady stream of dedicated followers. Supporters of the PC, would argue that tablets and smartphones lack the raw computing power you would find in a typical desktop computer and that PCs are capable of storing far more information than is currently possible on mobile devices. Consider a scenario where you are booking a holiday, you need to have access to all your relevant documentation. You may have saved family passport details in password protected documents, stored only on your PC and would need access to them while you book your holiday. Something you wouldn’t be able to do if you were just using your mobile.
Here are some of the desktop shopping trends out there:
1) Predictive personalisation set to rise
When eCommerce sites remember your personal details, they offer you an increased level of engagement. Currently, sites remember your previous orders and can even automatically add items to your basket that you have bought regularly in the past, grocery items for example. With predictive personalisation things go one step further, systems will actually start recognising and encouraging sales in relation to your likes and dislikes, generating an affinity between you and the brand. The desktop in this sense acts as the manager, guiding you through the shopping experience.
2) The omnichannel approach shows no signs of stopping
Customers can expect a seamless journey across different platforms, to become a common facet of their shopping experiences. Online stores are now expected to provide consumers with a consistent experience. Services, product descriptions and prices, will all become consistent over multiple channels and bricks and mortar stores. This will further strengthen a brands identity and present a more reliable image, which in turn fosters trust between brands and consumers.
3) Social shopping will gather momentum
With around 2 billion social network users, brands can no longer ignore platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as potential sales channels. Brands now use Social Media to showcase new products, build loyalty, and make merchandising decisions. With Social Media being so image driven, brands are able to showcase the best of their products. The new in-built buy buttons on Facebook and Twitter, allow in-feed sales. Brands can now instantaneously direct consumers right to their checkout pages.
4) Content still remains key
eCommerce websites are becoming more and more savvy at presenting their content in creative and innovative ways. Soon awkward, poorly placed keywords and clunky About Us pages, will be gone in favour of innovative, informative, useful and creative content. This will of course enhance the shopping experience, as it becomes more and more easy for shoppers to extract immediately the kinds of information they need about products and how to purchase them.
5) Make or break for crypto-currencies.
This could be the year that crypto-currencies such as Bit-coin, either sink or swim when it comes to carving out a permanent place in the currency landscape. They may well become legitimate global currencies, changing the face of eCommerce forever, or fade away under tougher new legislation.
