Offline sales have become a less and less common form of commerce. Manufacturers use their stores more as showrooms and test facilities. Customers can come there to test the product, feel it, so to speak, to the touch, and still order it online. There is huge competition among online stores, and manufacturers and sellers develop new ways to attract customers. This can be a convenient system of discounts for regular customers, programs to accumulate points, etc. Many make their sites interactive and offline sites gaming.
The Rise of Mobile Commerce
For many years, this trend has been steady and growing. Every new season, retailers and manufacturers have seen increased visits and purchases through mobile devices. According to the latest statistics, over 60% of all household appliances and non-food items in 2024 are bought through cell phones. In this regard, we can state a trend towards developing new and better mobile apps for online shopping. This applies to applications for individual retail chains and each brand. Among the trading giants, two of the most successful realizers of their goods through mobile devices are worth noting. These are the companies Amazon and AliExpress. Only another major Chinese retailer, Alibaba, can compete with them.
The growth of e-commerce using cell phones has become one of the most popular topics for market research among students in 2023-2024. You can visit an online essay writing service and order a quality research paper on this topic. It will be useful not only for students but also for a general understanding of what role cell phones play in the modern world of sales and what ideas you can learn from large companies to develop your small business.
Personalization of Advertising and User Experience
In 2024, personalization of advertising offers continues to be a major trend among all advanced service providers. This applies to the sale of physical goods as well as entertainment services. Facebook, Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon use their developments to maximize customer engagement. Streaming services collect data about the time a person spends on the service and their thematic preferences. The program analyzes user comments and activity on social networks. Collecting client data from open-source platforms forms personalized selections of movies, music, and TV series.
Companies that sell cosmetics, for example, analyze customer reviews in social networks and sections they visit on various trading platforms. Based on this data, sellers develop tempting discount systems or offer customers the products they want at the best deals.
Ubiquitous Use of Artificial Intelligence
With the rapid development of machine learning programs and neural networks, e-commerce has become a real platform for introducing and testing the capabilities of artificial intelligence in commerce. These technologies make it possible to analyze large amounts of data, predict trends, and automate many processes. Virtual assistants and chatbots such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant replace live consultants in stores, providing customers with lightning-fast and detailed answers to their queries. Thanks to the analytical capabilities of artificial intelligence, companies predict the popularity of products, estimate demand, and even plan future company budgets to avoid costs and unnecessary waste.
Development of Omnichannel Commerce
Omnichannel commerce became a standard practice in 2024. A lot of stores are practicing combining offline and online commerce. This allows customers to feel more freedom. One of the most prominent representatives of the successful implementation of omnichannel commerce is the retail chain Walmart. They have made shopping in their offline stores not only easy but also very exciting. They were the first to overcome large queues in stores. The thing is that they install a lot of high-resolution cameras in their outlets that can focus in a targeted manner. You can walk around the store and do your standard shopping. All the while, multiple sensors are scanning your movements and motions. As soon as you put or take an item out of your shopping cart, the camera captures this and adds or removes the cost of the item from your receipt.
When you come to the cash register, the program already knows the whole amount of your purchases. All you have to do is pay. These technologies have become a real breakthrough not only in e-commerce but also in terms of engineering. You can learn more about such developments. Buy essays online and immerse yourself even more in amazing new technologies.
Developments in Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies
Virtual and augmented reality has become another e-commerce trend in 2024. These technologies have evolved for several years but have only recently become working and error-free. Companies selling clothes, shoes, furniture, cosmetics, and accessories have started actively using augmented reality technologies for their applications. For example, the company Ikea offers customers to try on furniture from the catalog to their home. It is enough to turn on the camera and point your cell phone at any place. After that, you can choose a product from the catalog and see how it will look in your chosen place. The program skillfully analyzes the data from the camera and calculates the dimensions exactly.
Sephora, a company that sells cosmetic products, has developed an application that offers to see how a particular product lies on the skin.
Environmental Initiatives
The trend towards sustainability and respect for the planet directly relates to e-commerce. Products made from recycled materials are becoming commonplace and are even the subject of advertising and brand promotion. Statements about reducing carbon footprints and modernizing production lines to be more environmentally friendly are also part of the advertising package and promotion of companies’ products. Patagonia and The Body Shop are the most active in marketing their environmental initiatives. These companies are actively promoting their ecological initiatives. This practice has become part of the top companies’ customer engagement and loyalty strategy.
In conclusion
The 2024 trends in e-commerce show that success in this area requires adapting to new technologies and changes in consumer preferences. The growth of mobile commerce, personalization, the use of AI and machine learning, omnichannel commerce, sustainability, and the adoption of VR and AR technologies are key trends that will shape the future of e-commerce. Companies that can quickly adapt to these trends will gain a significant advantage in the market and will be able to develop their business successfully in a rapidly changing world.