COVID-19 has forever changed the future of retail. It is most definitely now e-tail. The pandemic has afforded digital brands a major sales increase.

 With more than 300 million Americans staying home due to statewide mandates, shopping continues. April saw a 129% increase in online sales from the year before in North America, and an impressive 146% growth in global online orders. Amazon made nearly $89 billion, up 40% from last year in the second quarter. 

 If you want to succeed in business, now is the time to upgrade your website as millions of people shop online.

 These 3 e-commerce trends will help you succeed in the digital revolution:

Retail Trend # 1 — Personalized messages

Personalization is key to the online user experience, whether it’s your website or drip email campaign. Statistics show you can increase conversion rates by tailoring brand messages to customers.

 More than 50% of shoppers say a personalized online experience is important (Bazaarvoice, 2018). Adding to that, 74% of marketers believe personalization has a “strong” or “extreme” impact on building customer relationships (Evergage, 2018).

So if you want consumers to spend, personalize that message!

Retail Trend # 2 — Chatbots

Chatbots will dominate online customer service in 2020. 

Chatbots are AI software that acts as a virtual "concierge” to communicate with customers. They interact with humans in a natural way, mainly via text chat. Verbal interactions are also possible. The system collects data insights over time, so the AI learns continuously to improve customer service experiences online.

Global spending on Artificial Intelligence will reach $7.3 billion in 2022, up from an estimated $2 billion in 2018 (BusinessWire, 2018). Tidio research also found 43% of consumers prefer online chatbots over calling customer service centers when reaching out to a brand. 

With businesses and customers keen to use chatbots, it’s one of the fastest-growing digital marketing trends in 2020.

 80% of businesses say they want to try chatbots this year. When you consider the benefits, it’s easy to understand why:

•  24-hour customer service

• Instant responses to customer queries

• No need for breaks, vacation or overtime pay

• Affordable

 Retail Trend # 3 — Augmented Reality

 With malls and shopping centers closed due to COVID, some online brands succeed in unique ways.

 Welcome to augmented reality.

 AR allows brands to create an online experience that mimics the in-store experience online with technology. If your brick-and-mortar retail location shuttered due to COVID, this is a great way to increase online sales, without sacrificing a branded experience.

 For example, Linda Smith, founder and CEO of FaceCake Marketing Technologies, says the brand saw a 350% increase in monthly conversions after adding an AR tool to their site.

With these key tactics in your bag, your e-commerce brand can win, too. 

You don’t have to be megalith like Amazon to succeed online. B2B brands can quickly sign up for a Chat Bot service. Most email and CMS (Content Management System) providers can help you customize messages for your customers. And Shopify AR apps are designed with small brands in mind.

 To learn more about growing online sales, contact me to sign up for a free quote today.