As most retail businesses focus on e-commerce as their main revenue stream, we look at the emerging technologies which will help develop positive customer experiences and boost sales in 2019.
Chatbots
A successful e-commerce business may struggle to keep up with the vast amounts of enquiry e-mails and DMs that arrive every day. Chatbots blur the online/offline experience by providing customers with a simulated two-way conversation, based around common answers to frequently asked questions, detailed product information, and known customer preferences (referenced from an individual’s browsing and shopping profile). Personalised shopping experiences are key in establishing brand loyalty.
Augmented Reality
Online shopping can have its limits. Shoppers frequently take a leap of faith in purchasing items where sizes and colours listed turn out to be inconsistent or poorly represented. Augmented reality apps are reducing those risks by allowing customers to ‘try on’ or view products in situ before completing a transaction and having a delivery driver knock at the door. Providing an immersive online shopping experience gives the consumer a greater sense of empowerment in their decision making.
Social Media – In App Purchases
Imagine being able to purchase a promoted product, from a favourite brand, directly from a post on a Social Media app? Instagram have recently announced its move into the digital market place by allowing users to ‘Checkout on Instagram’. This allows followers to purchase directly from the brand without leaving the Instagram app. Providing a direct link between the post and the product allows brands to establish direct lines of communication with their customers and further develops brand awareness.
Dynamic Sites and Personalisation
Customising content based on customer data and known behaviours is nothing new, however we are now starting to see the development of personalised ‘dynamic’ websites. Dynamic sites allow the content, layout, and structure to be fluid and to change to a specific individual’s tastes and purchase history. Providing a landing page which focuses on a customer’s favourite items or brands, provide a greater opportunity to increase sales and develop brand loyalty.