Unsurprisingly, ecommerce will remain a key part of retail sales in 2023. However, there are ways that retailers can leverage upcoming trends on their websites to enhance their ecommerce success. Retailers should shift their focus from establishing their ecommerce presence to fine-tuning their platform and ensuring that they are ready for trends that may arise.
According to a prediction by eMarketer, the total number of online buyers in 2023 will reach 218.8 million. Meanwhile, retail ecommerce sales are predicted to increase by 12.1% in 2023.
Ecommerce businesses must keep up with the latest website technology and marketing trends to capture and convert customers in 2023. We compiled 10 ways to prepare your website for ecommerce trends that will help you gain an advantage over your competitors in 2023.
Customer Loyalty Programs
Over time, online shoppers have found themselves with hundreds of buying options. Therefore, decreasing brand loyalty with endless new options available. New customers are great, however, the inability to retain loyal shoppers results in a net loss when calculating marketing and customer retention costs.
In 2023, focus on building a loyal customer base. Acquia concluded in a survey that 59% of Americans become loyal customers of a brand for life.
6 Ways to Establish Loyal Ecommerce Customers
- Offer discounts.
- Reward your customers with a loyalty program with exclusive offers to regular shoppers.
- Create an incentive for customer referrals.
- Establish a point system that allows customers to shop for items with points.
- Ask for customer feedback and use the information to improve your website and business strategy.
- Set up a subscription model that benefits your customers.
Subscription Models
Explore subscription models for your business. Many companies, such as Dollar Shave Club, quickly gained popularity by offering subscriptions and high-quality products. PR Newswire expects the global subscription ecommerce market to reach $904.2B USD by 2026.
3 Reasons Why Subscription Models Should Be a Focal Point for Retailers in 2023
- The marketing costs of retaining subscribers are much less than the cost of capturing new customers.
- The incoming revenue from subscriptions remains predictable, allowing businesses to manage their finances easier.
- Inventory management becomes a breeze; the total number of customers and inventory needed will be clear every renewal period.
Learn more about subscription models in our blog ‘Why You Should Implement a Subscription Model’.
User Generated Content (UGC)
User generated content (UGC) includes photographs, videos, reviews, and other content customers create to discuss products. UGC can be found on ecommerce websites, social media, blogs, and other marketing channels. Consumers are drawn to UGC due to its personable nature, giving it a trustworthy feel versus content created by the brand itself. UGC is the key to marketing in 2023.
According to a report by Deloitte Insights, 4 in 10 survey respondents spend more time watching UGC than movies and TV Shows. Create a marketing strategy to capture product reviews and experience feedback to gather content and accurate customer data.
How to Create a UGC Strategy in 2023
- Develop a contest and giveaway to collect reviews of products.
- Create a hashtag that unifies the UGC campaign across all channels.
- Incentivize customers to create content while reviewing the products.
- Share the reviews across social channels.
- Display the reviews on your ecommerce website.
Modern Software and Technology
Constantly look into different software technology that can enhance website performance. Easy navigation and fast load times on ecommerce websites and mobile apps are sure ways to win loyal customers. According to a report by IBM, 35% of ecommerce organizations employ the services of microservices and this number is only bound to increase.
Ways to Future Proof Ecommerce Website Technology for Trends in 2023
Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
According to Think Mobiles, 47% of customers use some form of AR while shopping. Meanwhile, 72% of AR users said they purchased products they didn’t plan to buy, because of AR.
Giving customers the ability to inspect the products better with a three-dimensional view using AR increases conversions. AR can let customers visualize furniture in their homes, view shoes from every angle, or test out new hair colors.
Artificial intelligence (AI) improves the search process and returns accurate results. Implementing smart search on your online store can improve conversion rates as well.
4 Benefits of Using Artificial Intelligence on an Ecommerce Website
- Reduce customer search time and effort when looking for a product.
- Filter out the irrelevant search results.
- Track customer buying patterns.
- Upsell and recommend related products with accuracy.
Read more on the topic in our blog ‘5 Ways Smart Search Technology Maximizes Profit’.
Mobile Commerce (Mcommerce)
People spend more time on their mobile devices than ever. This increases the chance of people mankind purchases through a mobile phone. Tech Jury stated that 79% of all mobile device owners have made online purchases on their devices in the past.
It is vital to embrace the mobile mentality to leverage ecommerce trends.
4 Tips for Incorporating Mobile Commerce in Retail
- Design logos, content, and digital assets with the mobile-first approach.
- Keep all content unified across the website, social, and mobile channels.
- Include mobile-friendly payment options on the mobile site.
- Ensure the website is responsive and works on multiple mobile browsers without losing functionality.
Trend Forecasting Tools
Gather consumer and industry insights to see what predicted ecommerce trends would improve the customer’s buying experience on websites. Study strategies that other ecommerce platforms are implementing and identify trends that are worth adopting. Then, A/B test the trends and changes to measure the success before making permanent changes.
- Reduce the risk of losing products to waste, especially perishable products.
- Decrease expenses by accurately managing inventory.
- Forecast the need for stocking and restocking.
Multiple Payment Options
According to Oberlo, by 2025 more than half (53%) of all ecommerce spending is expected to be carried out with digital and mobile wallets.
Giving customers the option to choose from multiple payment methods increases the chance of customer conversion and lowers abandoned cart rates.
Popular Payment Options in 2023:
- Buy Now, Pay Later: This option provides flexibility to customers. They can make payments at a later date, but receive their purchase on time. BNPL is great for customers looking to make large purchases.
- PayPal: A digital wallet allows customers to make payments anywhere on the internet in a few clicks. PayPal provides excellent customer protection and simplifies the checkout process, making it a popular choice.
- Credit Cards: Many online shoppers prefer to use credit cards as their primary source of payment. Credit cards often give their customers rewards such as travel points or cash back. Browsers also easily allow customers to enter their credit card information by safely storing their data.
Omnichannel Shopping Experiences
Shopping journeys rarely start on a website. Customers normally interact with a brand on social media or Google Ads first. According to Intelligence Node, 86% of online shoppers will use at least two different channels before making a purchase.
Implementing an omnichannel strategy is crucial for the success of an ecommerce website in 2023.
- Study the buyer persona, learn where they spend their time online, and the social media platforms that are likely to convince them to purchase.
- Create a map for the customer buying journey.
- Design all platforms to create a unified look to strengthen brand recall.
- Build a marketing stack to deploy unified campaigns across all relevant channels.
Read our blog “What is Unified Commerce? And Why is it a Necessity in 2022?” to understand the importance of unified commerce and omnichannel platforms.
A/B Testing
Groove, a sales productivity platform, went on a journey to find the right landing page for their website. According to HubSpot, the landing page Groove designed initially was only converting at a 2.3% rate. Then, they tested a new landing page with different messaging. To their surprise, the conversion rate improved drastically.
By performing A/B testing, ecommerce organizations can save a lot of time and money.
Steps to For Successful A/B Testing
- Create two versions of the same content.
- Make changes to the new version, focusing on colors, imaging, or copy.
- Test each version for the same length of time and track KPIs.
- Compare results to determine the best-performing content.
According to a report by Statista, revenue from retail ecommerce in the United States was estimated at roughly $905B in 2022. This number will continue to grow in 2023. Following ecommerce website trends in 2023 can keep you one step ahead of your competitors. Keep an eye out on the latest trends in the industry to ensure maximum customer conversion and an increase in total revenue.
Interested in making the transition to headless, API-first architecture in 2023? Start your free UpStart Commerce trial today.
