The number of consumers approaching the online shopping mode is on a growing trend. Ecommerce websites have done remarkably well of late, with unique and innovative styles of displaying products, methods of improving headcount, and flexible payment options. All the online businesses have tried to keep pace with the new requirements and demands by using innovative techniques.

Here are some popular eCommerce website trends that demonstrate the direction of online shopping and provide insight into the strategies businesses are adopting to navigate the fathomless sea of ​​the web-based retail industry.

Trend #1: Touch Interface

Smartphones and tablets have entered the market with a rage and studies reveal that around 49% of the population tends to browse e-commerce stores through mobile devices. Therefore, all the leading online stores have changed their website design to fit all possible browsers and provide customers with different site display options optimized for desktop, mobile and tablet computers.

The user interface is designed to allow continuous adjustments, adding value to the overall shopping experience for customers. Therefore, e-commerce websites showed a prominent trend of merging touch interface with tablet commerce and mobile commerce to boost turnover.

Trend #2: Mass customization

The scope of electronic commerce is not limited to a specific country. It extends to the whole world and therefore companies have started to take advantage of the global market to improve their billing. This led to a trend of customizing websites based on customer location. People can expect to find products and services that follow local trends and currencies. Shipping cost, availability status, shipping time and payment terms vary depending on the whereabouts of the customer.

Apart from this, the websites also try to gauge the preferences of the consumers and display products based on their requirements.

Trend #3: Social Media

Social media has also made its presence felt in the retail market. Online retail companies got their start with social media marketing by investing time, effort, and money into optimizing their profiles and growing their fan base. However, many companies found this activity unproductive.

This year saw a trend of integrating social media into e-commerce websites to offer a new social shopping experience. Such websites allow users to quickly share their favorite products at the click of a button. This combination has helped online businesses convert their followers into loyal customers and have a huge impact on their bottom line as well. Social media also allows the business to have access to real-time reviews and market demands, based on Like/Follow details.

Trend #4: Use of videos

Using video to engage customers is among the prominent ecommerce website trends of the year. The increase in internet speed has helped to embed more videos on websites than in the past. Smart retailers offer videos of multiple products, so customers can choose their preferred product. For example, a company shows a video of a model walking around in a particular outfit and related accessories. A customer can choose her favorite skirt or accessory by hovering over it and clicking. The item will automatically be added to the shopping cart.

Trend #5: Payment Friendly Websites

There has been a drastic change in the payment method to make purchases online. Payments through debit cards and credit cards seem to be a thing of the past. There has been a drift towards ease of mobile phone based payment interface over the year with Passbook and Google Wallet leading the way. Ecommerce websites include all possible payment options to bring all customers under one umbrella.

General description

Increasing competition and technological advances have led many eCommerce websites to stay ahead of the rest. Same-day delivery options, user-friendly interface, frequent offer updates, and other value-added services are top priorities for all eCommerce businesses.