The Future of E-Commerce News provided by
13 May 2017
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – You are not imagining that your neighborhood mall seems a lonely place these days. As an example of the evolving face of shopping, department store sales, $19.9 billion in 2001, dropped to $14.2 billion in 2014 (Villanova University). Even the ubiquitous Walmart closed 269 stores in 2016 in the U.S. and abroad.
Meanwhile non-store sales, and this includes internet retail sales, were up 10.9percent in 2016 from the same period in 2015. According to the Villanova School of Business, for example, E-tailer Amazon had a 97 percent increase in sales in 2015 over the previous year and was predicted to overtake Macy’s as the top clothing store in 2016.
Convenience and access to information explain the movement from brick and mortar to online shopping. Researching and shopping online is easier and faster for busy people than actually visiting a store. Shoppers appreciate that online they can easily get online reviews, price comparisons, and other information, which provides a sense of confidence in their decisions. Product choice is exhaustive.
So with these advantages, online shopping will continue to grow–but what will that growth look like?
The Future of E-commerce
- While online sales are still higher on desktop computers that smartphones, mobile will fuel e-commerce growth. Small screens and poor checkout experiences account for the difference between mobile and desktop eCommerce revenues. But as smartphones get bigger, and with the development of responsive web designs, expect the mobile share to increase.
- Emerging online markets, the Asia-Pacific region especially, means more business opportunities. Already the growth is occurring: The Asia-Pacific online retail market, with just over $525 billion in sales for 2014, surpassed North America’s $482.6 billion for the same time period.
- Market gaps will be identified and filled. E-commerce will expand to areas previously untapped, such as food. Amazon Fresh, for instance, is beginning to fill the food gap in the market. E-commerce will not be as dominated by electronics and other hobby-type items.
- Cross-channel marketing—delivering messages to smartphones, desktops, tablets, and emerging devices—will expand as digital media continues to provide advantages over traditional media. Businesses that recognize shoppers use various devices to shop and direct attention to all channels will benefit.
- Disruptive/Innovative Technologies, including Near Field Communications (NFC), wireless connectivity that is poised to become more than just an easy way to pay for a latte. As Broadcom VP Craig Ochikubo points out in Forbes, with NFC achieving some maturity and acceptance comes the opportunity to use it in other ways. To imagine this, think of NFC-equipped devices as mobile wallets able to quickly and seamlessly establish secure internet connections.
Additionally, augmented reality’s effect on the online buying experience will increase, and Amazon recently made its first commercial drone delivery to a customer in the UK, a sign that stunningly efficient delivery will be increasing.
How Web Development Companies Like Infront
Webworks Can Assist Clients In This Changing Environment
***As technology columnist Ryan Shelley points out, Google is “obsessed with the user — and you should be, too.” User experience (UX), already significant for healthy e-commerce, will increase in importance. Users must be known thoroughly, partly by using the best analytical tools and keeping up with their development.
Infront Webworks’ analysts are certified in a wide range of tools and keep up with the new ones. Collectively, Infront Webworks staff members are certified in the following areas:
- Google Partner Specialist Challenge
- Google Display Advertising
- Google Mobile Advertising
- Google Search Advertising
- Google Shopping Advertising
- Google Video Advertising
- Yext Certified Professional
- Tackling the Challenges of Big Data (MIT) Technology Entrepreneurship
- HTML5 with JavaScript & CSS3 Specialist
- Advanced Social Media
- Hubspot Inbound Certification
- Sitefinity Development
- Big Commerce Partner
- Zoey Partner
Infront Webworks is positioning itself to help clients now and in the future by vigorously tracking changes in the field. Infront Webworks uses all present content management systems (CMS), including the popular CMS’s Zoey, Big Commerce, and Sitefinity, and developing expertise in all emerging software to serve its clients is standard practice.
***Another area that warrants proactivity is AMP (the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project.) While Google has been using a single document index when processing search queries, it is developing two indexes, one for mobile and one for desktop, with mobile becoming the primary index. How we search, interact and buy has changed because of mobile. Mobile has become our dominant device.
Users want attractive presentations on mobile devices, and they want speed. According to Google, 53 percent of people will leave a site that fails to load in three seconds or less; AMP emphasizes speed, and also, AMP content is featured prominently in mobile search results, often above the organic listings.
Infront Webworks is ahead of the curve by preparing itself to build AMP pages for content now, even though it is not yet an official ranking signal.
About Infront Webworks
Matthew Palis became Infront Webworks CEO and owner in April 2012. Infront Webworks’ services include search engine optimization, online marketing, web development, web design and cloud services.
5350 Tomah Dr. #2800
Colorado Springs, CO
80918
Tel. (719) 577-4404
Allan Todd is CEO of Pagecafe Digital Marketing. In 2022, Allan teamed up with Infront Webworks to provide digital marketing, website design, content marketing, SEO and strategy and solutions to local businesses. Allan lives in Colorado Springs.