E Commerce Trends 2012

There has never been a more exciting time to be involved with E-commerce, many possibilities which have existed as ideas or predictions are maturing and becoming the norm. What makes E-Commerce so exciting is the notion that anything is possible, whatever you can think up, someone will have the talent to make a reality. We're really excited about what 2012 has in store and you should be too.

M-Commerce

Shopping on mobile devices in the UK is set to increase by 53% in the next 12 months and spending will hit £4.5billion, put simply, you can no longer afford to not have a mobile store. Many people use their mobile devices – think Smartphone's and Tablets – for all their online needs. When a customer is presented with a full scale E-Commerce store on a mobile device the experience is cumbersome and frustrating. The text is too small, they have to zoom in to see anything and you can easily touch the wrong link. When a customer is presented with an M-Commerce store, the experience is dramatically improved – the page loads faster, they can see the text clearer and often they can find what they are looking for quickly. When the customer can find what they are looking for they are far less likely to abandon the process. There are millions of customers using mobile devices, you need to tap into this market.

Cross-channel customer experience

Cross-channel customer experience has been an idea bounced around since the inception of web 2.0. Companies need to be able to interact with the customer in the way that the customer prefers. E-Commerce solutions will always remain a crucial part of this. However, this will need to complimented by M-Commerce and Social Media experiences. Customers have less and less time, you need to be able engage them across a variety of platforms. They need to be able to buy through the format they are most comfortable. This may be through a Facebook Store, an M-Commerce solution or a traditional E-Commerce solution. It may seem strange to refer to an E-Commerce solution as 'traditional' but with the advent of Social Media and M-Commerce – it has become the basic requirement.

Wholesale goes retail

Wholesalers have sat back and watched their customers make their own fortunes from E-Commerce - many Wholesalers even offer drop shipping, meaning the middle man doesn't ever touch the products. This has raised the idea in many Wholesale operators mind that, If someone from home can do it, so can we. E-Commerce provide the perfect opportunity for Wholesalers to tap into the end consumer and cut out the middle man. I was speaking to one of our customers recently who sells toys wholesale and who has made the transition to selling directly to the end consumer with an E-Commerce solution. Sales are steadily growing and the solution fits in with his existing business model since he was already drop shipping for his existing clients. He has kept his existing customer base of retail clients, but is increasing his profits by being able to sell directly to the end consumer as well. If you sell Wholesale and have the ability to carry out your own fulfilment – why would you waste another day doing all the hard work for others?

Do you want to talk to anyone about what 2012 has in store? We can help you to achieve any of the above. Contact Advansys on Telephone: 0845 838 2700 or send an email to sales@advansys.com.