This expression refers to the business model that enables online shopping and in-store pickup. This facility offered by e-commerce enables an improved user experience through personalized options for the shopper.
E-commerce Trends for your Business
It is usually much faster than a typical online purchase. There is no waiting for the delivery person, so shipping costs are also not included. The user is usually informed of the status of the order by email or SMS, and it can be picked up within approximately 1-2 days. There is also the possibility of changing the collection point for a small supplement.
It usually works by showing the electronic ticket and ID to the store manager. Some of the best-rated services in the USA that offer this trend are Walmart and Best Buy supermarkets.
Social Commerce
Social commerce is an online commerce strategy based on sales through social networks. With the rise of these tools and their new commercial function, the networks have become the best allies of brands.
One of the great examples of social commerce that is trending right now is Instagram Shopping, a platform that makes it possible to tag products and their prices in publications such as images or stories. It serves to provide greater visibility to the brand, and the final transaction is made on the website. As a tip, it is necessary to link it beforehand to a Facebook page for your company.
Chatbots
Chatbots are a type of online chat that appears on a brand’s website and connects with a virtual assistant, a bot (computer program), that communicates with users. It serves to help customers navigate the web and to solve all their doubts. The main advantage is that it is available 24 hours a day. For example, PaperHelp has taken chatbots as its No. 1 priority, making it one of the best education help companies for students.
Back Office and Front Office
When we talk about the back office in e-commerce, we refer to the internal part, the part of the business that cannot be seen, the administrative and financial part that the customer cannot access. For example, inventory management, orders, returns, expenses.
On the other hand, the front office is the “showcase” that the customer sees when he enters the website. The products, the blog, the contact information, the design… All the elements must be taken care of to the maximum to guarantee the best shopping experience for the customer.
Responsive Design
The responsive design consists of adapting the design of your website, specifically the format and size, to all possible devices: computers, mobiles, tablets, applications… This type of design, which can be created from scratch, must also respond to all the user’s needs.
As for its advantages, it shows a cohesive image of the brand to the customer and helps to improve the readability of its contents. A disadvantage? it is not an easy process to achieve and requires time for the layout designer and some knowledge in programming.
Display Advertising
Your brand can access the Google AdWords Display Network, made up of millions of users, and allow the system to place ads on your website or vice versa. The price is quite high, but the results are visible in the short term.
Dropshipping
It is a business model in which the user makes a purchase, and the online commerce platform contacts the retailer to ship the product itself. The profit obtained is the difference between the selling price to the customer and the supplier’s selling price, which is usually of scale.
The main advantage is the savings in warehousing, maintenance, and shipping costs. The best examples of drop shipping worldwide are Alibaba, AliExpress, and Amazon.
Tracking
When we talk about tracking or ‘tracing’ an order, we mean getting all the information about the status of the online order we have placed, from the time of purchase to pickup. Normally, it is divided into these phases: order received, pending payment, payment confirmation, order preparation, shipment, delivery, and delivery. It can be accessed through a link by email or by adding the order number on the transport company’s website.
ROPO
ROPO stands for ‘Research Online Purchase Offline,’ i.e., research online and purchase offline. The customer gathers all the information online, compares among millions of options, makes the purchase decision, and goes to the physical store to complete the transaction and purchase the product immediately.
This trend has multiple advantages for the brand as it allows to store useful information about the user and design a series of online and offline strategies to improve the shopping experience.
CRM
CRM or ‘Customer Relationship Management refers to the software system that makes it possible to manage customer relationships. You can find various metrics and all the information about your contacts, orders, messages, and activities in it.
You can opt for free CRM systems for small businesses, such as Monday.com, Clickup, or Kintone. The most commonly used are Salesforce, Omnium Digital, or Hubspot CRM for larger companies. I hope you can implement these tips soon. I wish you every success!