Advantec’s Campaign Delivery Manager Andy Stovold takes you through his pick of five emerging trends in the world of ecommerce and how they could impact on your digital strategy…

The ever-increasing competition in the world of online retailing means it’s more important than ever to set your brand apart from the rest, so I want to explore some of the innovations we might see in 2017 that you could apply to your own organisation to help you do so…

Rise of the chatbots

Chatbots have actually been around since the 1960s. The earliest recognised form of ‘Artificial Conversational Entity’ was known as ELIZA, named after the popular fictional character, Eliza Doolittle.

Whilst for many years these chatbots were only capable of responding to input with a range of predetermined responses, they certainly paved the way for the complicated artificial intelligence (AI) driven systems that we are seeing now.

For ecommerce retailers, chatbots represent all the benefits of a live chat agent, without the need for an actual employee manning the helm. Large retailers such as Pizza Hut and Evernote have embraced this technology more over the past few years, but 2017 may finally be the year that chatbots become more readily accessible for smaller ecommerce businesses, as social media creates new ways for this technology to be adapted.

Facebook currently runs around 11,000 chatbots, which provide uses ranging from checking the weather, managing your daily workouts, or even telling horrendous dad jokes on cue. The underlying technology behind these bots is run by Facebook’s wit.ai team. Once this technology becomes openly available to retailers, we could see the end of live chat completely, with customer service and delivery enquiries being handled automatically on Facebook Messenger.

Another interesting twist on traditional customer services comes from Twitter’s Direct Messages (DMs) chatbot offering. Retailers are often having to deal with questions and complaints on the platform and Twitter recognised this requirement, designing a new bot-based system that allows retailers and brands to use AI to respond within DMs on the platform.

This offers a fantastic opportunity for ecommerce brands, as it allows them to remove potentially negative tweets and conversations from their feeds and move the situation to resolve any issues in private. Twitter’s DM chatbot will easily answer all basic enquiries, including delivery times, returns policy and product pricing, deferring to a ‘real’ customer service agent if the need arises.

@OctoberJones really sorry it wasn’t up to scratch. We will replace Mr. Hogan with Ultimate Warrior on our production line immediately.

— Sainsbury’s News (@SainsburysNews) 29 May 2012

Hello, computer

The last quarter of 2016 saw the appearance of one of the newest members of the consumer home automation family, the smart assistant. Devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home act as an important link between many of your electronic devices, but also connect consumers to the world of online commerce in brand new ways.

Chances are, you will have had some personal experience with these kinds of assistants through your devices. Personal assistants such as Siri and Cortana are now being extended into the home to create a ‘smart home’ environment with ease of use for everyday situations.

Currently, neither of the two mainstream home automation products offer a viable solution for online retailers to reach potential customers. As you’d expect, Amazon Echo pushes as many product enquiries as possible to its own marketplace, while Google Home seems more interested in selling digital products and software such as apps, music and movies via its own Google Play platform.

For online retailers, these products will become truly useful for driving sales once they’re capable of showcasing ranges of products via search results following a voice query. At present, the closest we have to this is the Google Home which responds to commands such as ‘send that to my mobile’. This is currently limited to devices which are also capable of running Google Assistant (Pixel and Pixel XL), but I fully expect to see this available on other Android smartphones later in 2017.

While the current ‘out of the box’ products from Amazon and Google are obviously biased towards their own products and services, the rise of open-source AI software will see the potential launch of hundreds of alternatives in 2017. Expect to see the majority of these new devices making use of Google’s search engine, meaning users will need to use their mobile phones to complete their purchase.

It’s still all about mobile

We’ve been hearing a lot recently about the rise of mobile use in search, with Google announcing that mobile searches finally overtook desktop as far back as May 2015. It has also been reported that 36% of all online purchases are made with a mobile phone or tablet, presenting a fresh set of challenges for online retailers.

I’ve noticed a marked increase in mobile traffic across all of our client websites over the course of 2016, as well as a number of interesting user engagement statistics. What’s been most interesting with all of this data, is how this increase in mobile traffic fits into the customer journey, and specifically how it leads to online purchases.

Statistics from some online retailers are suggesting that more than three quarters of these ‘mobile’ purchases are being made from tablets, rather than smartphones. While there is a temptation to reduce the traditional three-way device split from mobile/tablet/desktop to simply mobile vs. desktop, it’s important to remember that mobile and tablet uses are very different.

If you think about how you use your different devices, it’s true to say that you tend to use your mobile while you’re on the move, and have less time on your hands. Remember this when looking at your website traffic stats, as the mobile users on your website may well be researching products on their lunch break, and following up with a tablet or desktop purchase later that evening.

They want it all, and they want it now

With the rise of services such as Amazon Prime, consumers are become more used to rapid delivery times from online retailers. Whilst I’m not suggesting that same day delivery will become the standard for all ecommerce stores, it’s well worth noting that customers expect speed, as well as a range of delivery options when ordering online.

To meet this need for immediacy, many high street retailers have started offering services such as click and collect, as well as nominated pickup points around major cities. For traditional stores, the ability to allow customers to pick up goods from another location outside of normal opening hours makes them a far more attractive option. I’ve even seen a rise in companies offering an express delivery service from a variety of intermediaries such as post offices and Supermarkets, lessening the consumer’s wait time further still.

According to a report from Forrester, 29% of online shoppers would be willing to pay extra for same-day delivery. What I’ve learned from statistics like these, is that offering as wide a range of delivery options as possible is the best way to appeal to as many potential customers as possible.

Consistency is key

At the heart of any successful ecommerce website, lies a strong emphasis on user experience. The latest evolution of this is known as ‘dynamic user experience’, which encompasses every interaction between a brand and a consumer, rather than limiting this to just the ‘on site’ experience.

When you consider the sheer number of marketing channels available to the modern e-retailer, the possibilities here are almost endless. Using the huge amount of data that becomes readily available on each visitor to your website, you can create powerful, tailored strategies that stay in the forefront of your potential customer’s mind.

You might choose to follow up non-converters with a cross-platform remarketing campaign, making use of social media as well as traditional advertising platforms such as Google’s Display Network. Advanced strategies can even see adverts for relevant products appear across the internet, with discounts and special offers to seal the deal.

Ecommerce websites are now increasingly using their own visitor data to provide a truly personalised online experience. Returning visitors are greeted with dynamically generated product suggestions, as well as engaging content which helps purchasers get the most from their goods.

What to expect in 2017

I’ve taken you through just some of the trends I expect to see in 2017, but one common theme they all share is speed. Whether it’s fast delivery, or a quick response to a product enquiry, expect to see this year’s most successful online retailers making the most of the latest technology to keep up with consumer demand.