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Many industries are evolving because of technology. It has left no area of our life untouched–the way we communicate, work, and do our daily businesses are all facilitated by technology. Undoubtedly, this influenced the way we also buy and sell things, all of which is made possible through the power of the internet.
The Power Of ECommerce
Ecommerce has been on the rise over the last decade and the developments were further catapulted faster because of the 2020 pandemic. Stores that have their strong presence in physical locations had to quickly shift their operations online. Not to mention, many things in eCommerce are drastically being optimized to improve customer experience and business owner revenue.
In this article, we will be further exploring the things that technology changed recently under the eCommerce industry.
Ease of website creation
Just less than 30 years ago, people have to develop some basic skills in HTML and CSS in order to build a decent website for their online store. If someone doesn’t have the time, patience, or even resources to build a website from scratch, starting a website for one’s business is a long shot to success.
Now, many companies are offering WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) solutions for website building, as well as free templates for business owners to use. There are even specialized templates for stores that operate in PHP mode, which is ideal for those who sell on their website using a shopping cart system.
Social media integration
If people cannot go to a business owner’s website, the business owner can go to where people are. In that case, social media and eCommerce have been more integrated over the recent years. We can see this evidently in features such as:
- Social media marketplace: Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have seamlessly integrated marketplaces where business owners can create posts that directly go to the store. There are even systems in place where transactions can be done within the social media platform.
- Sponsored posts: Businesses now also have the opportunity to make sponsored posts that are suggested to users who may be interested in their offers. This is powered through keyword suggestions and analyzing data of previous searches.
- Simplified communication: This social media feature is helpful for business owners who want things simplified. They can communicate directly to their clients if anything needs to be clarified.
Automated email marketing
Another facet of the eCommerce industry that changed is how entrepreneurs set up their email campaigns. Now, business owners can hire an eCommerce email marketing agency to do the following tasks:
- Growing their email list: Store owners can choose from a variety of opt-in forms such as discounts, freebies, or any other promotions in exchange for an email address. These techniques, as well as proper placement within the website, can grow one’s email list.
- Sending email copy: What sets an email that is read from those which are placed in the trash folder. A great eCommerce email marketing agency can send and automate a copy that can make potential readers click on your offer as well.
- Scheduling: When running a business, it is important to focus on the tasks that truly matter. With automated email marketing strategies, you can schedule your campaigns to send it at optimal times for potential readers.
Personalization of experience
When a retail store has so much inventory and a user doesn’t have the time to browse through all options available, there are some tech-related add-ons that business owners can place in their own website that can improve the buyer’s experience.
An example is placing related products based on previous searches. This AI-powered tool helps users compare similar items based on price, features, and other functionality. The suggestion feature can also go hand-in-hand with email marketing, newsletters, and even in-store suggestions that can be seen on the web.
Delivery tracking
Before the age of ecommerce, one must get in touch with a phone number of the courier in order to get updates on a parcel in transit. Now, it is easier to keep track of deliveries as USPS and other major courier companies have online tracking tools to know the status of each item shipped.
It also protects the seller on claims of undelivered items which are actually delivered. The online tracking serves as a basis of security for both sellers and buyers.
Limitless possibilities on marketing
Another wonderful advantage of technology on ecommerce are the limitless possibilities on marketing. Now, digital marketing is a gargantuan industry that is continually evolving and improving. With the power of digital marketing, business owners can now use:
- Content: Blogs, videos, social media posts that have high search value which can drive users to their offers
- Influencers: Leveraging the following of other personalities online to promote products and services
- Social media: Using various strategies such as engaging the audience, consistently creating posts, or using hashtags to gain more reach
- Pay per click: Paid advertisement online in others’ website pages
Through the use of these digital marketing tools, eCommerce business owners can reach more of their target audience and even scale their revenue.
The Future Of Selling: Development Of ECommerce Technologies
The examples of technological developments in eCommerce mentioned above are just signs of what is to come. As we look at the present, the possibilities of what lies ahead are endless and a promising sign of eCommerce business owners.
