The idea of online shopping has been around for decades. The first item purchased online was Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales in 1994 for $12.48. Amazon and eBay, two of the biggest online retailers, launched their sites for the first time in 1995, but even at the beginning of the 2010s, Amazon only accounted for 6% of all retail sales. It took the events of 2020, with a global pandemic, lockdowns, murder hornets and panic buying, to show us just how vital online retail shopping is.
Technology is making this essential system even easier to navigate and manage. How are new technologies working to transform online retail?
Interactive Shopping with VR and AR
Virtual and augmented reality may have started in the gaming industry, but it quickly appears nearly everywhere. The online retail space has become a valuable tool for helping shoppers determine how a piece of furniture might look in their home or how an outfit might look on their frame before it ever arrives at their front door.
Virtual reality gives sellers the option to create online showrooms that buyers can explore at their leisure. It might not be as good as seeing the real thing in person, but for shoppers ” both individual and commercial ” that are seeking to make a large purchase, it can be an invaluable tool.
Moving From Web to Mobile
For many years, online retail was relegated to desktop and laptop computers. Mobile devices might have been able to access the internet, but most websites weren’t designed for use on mobile, and shopping from your phone or mobile device wasn’t an option. As technology changes and cell phones became less like house phones and more like a pocket computer, many shopping shifted from web to mobile. Mobile compatibility testing is essential for anyone trying to sell online.
Improving eWallets
Digital currency, contained in eWallets, is becoming more popular by the year. Contactless payment options took off during the 2020 pandemic because they reduced the risk of picking up the virus from an oft-used point of sale keypad. Even vendors that didn’t offer contactless payment quickly adopted the technology to help keep their customers safe. As they become an even more significant part of our daily lives, eWallet technology will continue to evolve, making these devices easier to use and, perhaps more importantly, secure enough to use without worrying about hackers or thieves.
Going Green
Consumers as a collective rarely agree on anything, but if there is one thing they can all get behind, it’s that we need to start making changes to reduce our impact on the planet. Green technology is becoming more affordable and accessible than ever, but even still, consumers are happy to spend more to get products from a brand that is actively working to reduce their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
Leveraging Social Media
It is impossible to succeed in the modern online retail world without a solid and interactive social media presence. Leveraging social media can be one of the best ” and often one of the most overlooked ” tools in a marketer’s arsenal. One study found that upwards of 90% of people buy from brands that they follow on social media. Take the time to build a social media presence and a team that will interact with your customers.
Utilizing Voice Search
Voice to text might have been a recipe for disaster in previous years, but the push toward natural language processing in things like Google‘s search algorithm means that voice search has become a valuable tool for many. It still has a long way to go before it can guarantee that you’ll get the results you’re looking for every time, but it continues to evolve and will likely remain an essential part of online retail.
The Ever-changing Face of Online Retail
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Online retail has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades, and it will likely continue to change and evolve as we move forward and new technologies emerge. All of these things aim to make it easier for people to shop online from the comfort of their homes or from the mobile devices that populate the marketplace.Â
