E-Commerce: The New Wave of Growth and Customers

The pandemic has transformed the way the world shops. E-commerce sales boomed when the whole thing just took off (March 2020) and have continued to rise. With the holiday season aka the second wave of lockdowns upon us, online sales are projected to jump yet again.

Let's look at the US market:

US E-commerce sales will hit $794.50 billion this year, and will reach 19.2% of all US retail spending by 2024.

Long before the pandemic, the E-commerce story seemed pretty explicit: It was geared towards younger, tech savvy generations (early adopters) and focused on specific, delivery-friendly categories, like electronics and clothing. But for many consumers, COVID-19 changed that paradigm. The pandemic accelerated broader e-commerce adoption not just in categories (e.g. groceries, healthcare, household items etc.), but also encouraged older generations to shop online. E-commerce has become the de facto shopping solution for many consumers amid the COVID-19. According to a recent research, about 28% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation increased their online grocery purchases during the pandemic. Baby Boomers, ages 56 to 74, and the 75+ Silent Generation are expanding E-commerce's reach rapidly.

So with the second wave of lockdowns, comes new challenges, customers and their expectations. Most E-commerce businesses tried their best to quickly attract customers online, however, as consumers spend more online, their expectations skyrocketed. 88% expect companies of all kinds to accelerate digital initiatives to improve customer experiences and 83% expect retailers to provide flexible shipping and in-store fulfilment options. Which makes the holiday season 2020 the turning point for the E-commerce market. Consumers also want more of an "in-store experience" online, which some brands and retailers are providing via personalized virtual appointments, social media live streaming and trying to optimize their platforms as quickly as possible. Social commerce, which blends social media with e-commerce, has become a vehicle for new product discovery and sales. We also expect to oversee other emerging technologies including drone delivery, which offers efficient last-mile transportation and coverage for remote areas.

People will seek for deals and offers more than ever before: according to the survey, 70% of respondents will actively seek promotions and coupons when holiday shopping, and 45% said that discounts will be one of the most important factors in deciding where to shop. In order to meet these consumer expectations and drive sales, retailers must offer the right promo mix and strengthen their pricing strategy this holiday season. All these factors will evoke a new growth for the retail market, turning the online shopping into new normality.

This holiday season, merchants will compete for the attention of their customers, most of whom are no longer loyal to particular stores due to the pandemic. More than three-quarters of consumers have shopped with new stores to find what they wanted since restrictions began. Today's consumer expects accurate information and a personalized customer experience not only on your store's website, but also on your mobile app, your social channels, and in your stores.

46% of shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping before the weekend of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Don't overlook more basic but critical issues. Site crashes are a perennial problem for online retailers during holiday sales peaks, and traffic may be higher this season than in years past. For a successful holiday season outcome, your e-commerce store should have a solid infrastructure with fast load times, scalable bandwidth, updated integrations and security patches with recent backups to reduce the likelihood of getting knocked offline.

Don't forget to use all possible data to bring as much personalized shopping experience as possible.