E-commerce Tech Trends to Watch out for in 2021 ---- 7 min read

As eCommerce technology is continually evolving, customer experience is becoming increasingly vital to the conversion of sales. Therefore it is important for retailers to create and sustain customer value by providing improved digital experiences, blending physical and digital capabilities, and simplifying shopping procedures which ultimately keeps you ahead in the cut-throat competitive world. 

Although we are halfway through 2021, you still have enough time to adopt the right technology trends to boost customer experience and generate revenues as the shopping seasons of the year are yet to come. Furthermore, if you already have an online store this is the right time to get your store ready for Holiday Sales 2021.

Continue reading the blog to get familiar with five key e-commerce technologies:

Live Shopping

Live Video Content has gained a lot of popularity amongst consumers. As a brand you can use it for increasing your sales conversions and enhancing brand perception by providing good product experiences, engaging with your buyers in real-time and entertaining them with content relevant to your brand and industry. When you enable all of this on your e-commerce store, you also increase the engagement rate of buyers on your store.

Also, do you remember watching TV shopping shows and calling in to buy a product? Well, Live Video Shopping is basically an internet version of TV shopping shows, which shoppers watch live, interact with a host in real-time, and buy on the spot. The soaring popularity of live video shopping is the outcome of the intimacy it creates between eCommerce sellers and buyers leading to real-time conversions. Here is why live shopping can be the best choice for eCommerce business:

Livestream shopping benefits everyone involved.

It helps brands gain more awareness, build up rapport and meaningful connections with prospective buyers, and foster customer loyalty.

All this ultimately drives sales and helps brands achieve short-term as well as long-term goals. 

Shoppers now witness an improved shopping experience that doesn’t require them to put too much effort in while they are being engaged, educated, and entertained. 

Influencers hosting live shopping shows are expanding their communities and making big earnings. 

This new technology is going to have an enormous impact worldwide and everyone should get on board as soon as possible. 

Introduction to Channelize.io Live Shopping Platform

Channelize.io Live Shopping Platform is one such platform that can help you to reap the benefits of live selling. It is easy to integrate into websites and apps, with pre-built integrations available for popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce. The Shopify App is easy-to-install, and fast to get started to offer enhanced product experiences, boost buyer engagement and retention, and eventually increase sales. The best part is that you can install the app and do Live Shopping Shows for Free and Upgrade as you Scale-up!

Key Features

• “Live Shop” page for your store
• In-show Products Promotion, Product Spotlight, Add-to-Cart and Language Translation Feature etc
• Live HD Video for amazing buyer experiences with Product Demos, Unboxing, Complementary Content, etc
• Live Chat with Pinned Messages, and Reactions for the audience
• Broadcaster App for Hosts to go Live – You, your Employees, Influencers, etc
• Production Dashboard – For store admins to manage shopping shows
• Live Chat moderation
• Shopping Show Analytics
• Leverage recordings for post-live engagement and sales

What’s more?
We also offer pre-built integrations for other e-commerce platforms like Magento and WooCommerce. So if you are looking for the same, we would be happy to help you.

Augmented Reality

AR is another trend that offers buyers a much richer shopping experience. 

Augmented reality offers a view of the physical real-life environment with superimposed computer-generated images, setting realistic customer expectations ultimately leading to sales conversion. Here is why retailers should dabble in the technology:

Focusing on the approach of try-before-you-buy, AR 

enables customers to better understand their needs and products they intend to purchase. This product visualization replicates the physical shopping experience and reduces the inconvenience and cost of returning an item, both for buyer and seller.

The technology can help retailers bring a product’s entire journey to life in an immersive way. This can include where raw materials are sourced from, how products are manufactured, what the supply chain looks like, and how products can ultimately be recycled. This level of personalization offers shoppers a more realistic experience. 

IKEA has been leveraging this technology successfully for years to enable shoppers to position and visualize furniture in their homes before ordering. 

Voice Search

Voice search technology is reshaping the face of e-commerce today. Through voice search technology, businesses have made it conceivable for buyers to find products they are looking for faster and more easily. 

Buyers can make purchases at any time by talking to devices in a natural, human-like way, and experience a personalized and hassle-free shopping experience. Here is how this technology offers a valuable shopping experience to shoppers leading to increased sales:

Generally speaking, voice search will yield quicker results than text search because the consumer has to do less. 

Shoppers today do not want to spend a lot of time looking for product information. Voice search yields quicker results as compared to text search which customers look for.

Giving a voice command then getting the results instead of having to type offers convenience to shoppers. 

Amazon’s Alexa is one of the popular voice assistants that is being leveraged by online shoppers.

Digital Wallets

The technology is relatively new to e-commerce but is a rapidly expanding source of streamlining customer’s buying process. The technology successfully combines various payment features into one payment platform leading to a reduction in friction at the checkout process which ultimately leads to improved sales. Here is a roundup of why you should adopt this technology:

The most important perk of this technology to retailers is lowered cart abandonment rate. By simplifying the buying process, more buyers will complete their purchases. Also offering a digital wallet option eliminates concerns about debit/credit card security which is the biggest contributor to cart abandonment.
Retailers can send personalized coupons, additional bonuses, cashback, and rewards that customers can use. So apart from offering buyers a way to pay faster for online purchases you also offer numerous rewards to them. This can maximize the customer engagement level. 

Digital wallets enable buyers to go cardless and offer multiple payment options which can cater to broadest possible audience.

Google Pay, formerly known as Tez, is one popular digital wallet application created by Google.

Chatbot Technology

The value of chatbots comes from their capability to automate tasks and simplify complex ones, thereby facilitating a frictionless sales process. Chatbots are all the rage today as they can result in more sales and an increased number of closed deals while maximizing the rate of customer engagement. Here is why this technology can be a game-changer for eCommerce:

For an eCommerce platform, chatbots recommendations can bring ease to your shoppers’ journey. Chatbots can be leveraged to collect information about customers’ preferences and interests and then use this information for product recommendations and suggestions.

Chatbots can also offer a series of upsell or cross-sell products to help the business close a more successful sale while reducing the cart abandonment rate of your eCommerce store.

Leveraging this technology to automate customer support in an e-commerce space 24/7 is the biggest benefit.

The clothing brand H&M created a chatbot that functions to ascertain shoppers’ preferences in terms of style to offer personalized suggestions. The bot then makes outfit suggestions and directs shoppers to purchase the clothing.

Get Ready For The Future

Today, the eCommerce world is getting influenced by technological advancements that are altering the way consumers link with brands and encourage them to purchase more effectively. 

Live Shopping is one such tech trend that gives brands the ability to adapt to the digital era and experiment with this new sales channel and boost their sales. Furthermore, If you’re looking to optimize your store for the holiday season Livestream Shopping can be the best Choice.

More on Live Shopping? 

Refer to our Ebook and learn in-depth!

To find out how Channelize.io can help you implement Live Video Shopping in your sales strategy and create an engaging customer experience, schedule a demo with us.