Top eCommerce Trends for 2023 You’ll Want to Jump On

Getting a head start on an emerging trend is an excellent business strategy for long-term growth. Consumer expectations are constantly changing, and as new technologies emerge, you’ll want to keep ahead of the top eCommerce trends for 2023.

#1. Eco-friendly shopping

Half of consumers are willing to spend more for a sustainable product or service. Additionally, four in five surveyed consumers prioritize sustainability when looking for a new brand to buy from. As a result, more and more eCommerce merchants are investing in sustainability measures.

So, how can you jump on this trend and make your brand more appealing to eco-friendly shoppers?

• Assess current operations — Before investing in sustainability initiatives, assess your existing processes. Packaging, material sourcing, and energy consumption are the most common places to address environmental issues.
• Accountability — Be transparent when switching to more eco-friendly business practices. Use customer feedback to further refine your processes and improve results.
• Spread the word — Let people know about your sustainability efforts. Include some information about your initiatives in your marketing materials and campaigns. Share on social media and inform your audience about your progress.
  

Additionally, you can pursue official environmental certifications to really drive home that your brand values sustainability. This will make it easier for you to differentiate yourself from competitors and increase brand awareness and your customer base.

#2. Voice-enabled shopping

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been ten years since Google launched voice search. Today, voice search enablement is a staple feature in practically every smart device.

Roughly 35 percent of consumers use voice assistants daily, and smart speakers have become incredibly popular with shoppers in the last year.

So, if you don’t jump on this trend, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.

Consumers highly value voice-enabled shopping experiences, and it increases access for customers who have limited mobility. It also makes it easier for people to browse your product catalog since they don’t have to click through multiple pages.

Offering an intuitive, hands-free shopping experience reduces friction and makes it easier for shoppers to purchase from you.

#3. Live and interactive shopping

Live selling and interactive shopping are on the rise. Livestreaming on social media allows customers to ask questions and get immediate, personalized answers. It also allows them to make purchases in real-time, which can trigger a bandwagon effect and get more lurkers clicking buy.

When this trend first emerged in 2021 in China, it generated a whopping $300 billion in revenue. It’s since spread to the rest of the world, and you’ll want to keep an eye on it. For example, it’s projected that in the US in 2023, live selling and interactive shopping will generate $25 billion.

Live selling lets you get creative when showcasing your products and engaging customers. Beauty products, tech gadgets, and food are the most popular products that make a killing live selling.

#4.Video marketing trends

Sixty-three percent of consumers bought from a brand because of an ad they saw on YouTube. Video remains and will continue to be one of the most effective ways to grow your social media audience.

Also, you can use several free features to promote your products on Instagram — Reels and Live Rooms. Additionally, TikTok video marketing has become incredibly popular since the short video formats that TikTok is famous for are more engaging for shoppers than text-based only ads.

Influencer videos

Soundless video shorts from influencers are a significant trend to jump on if you want to make the most of emerging video marketing trends. Influencers already have a large, loyal audience that fits your customer profile. Partnering with influencers in your niche is a great way to reach more people and build your customer base.

Shoppable ads

While video is an excellent medium for showing off your products, the format can add too much friction to the buying process. For example, you'll lose potential customers if you don’t have a clear call to action or a way for people to quickly find the products they saw in the video.

But a shoppable video ad overcomes these issues and is virtually frictionless.

The format already includes clear calls to action and action buttons throughout the video. So, you can link the buttons to a dedicated landing page, whether it’s a product page or your website homepage.

Even better, some shoppable ad buttons already have an add-to-cart function. Or, otherwise, incorporate a faster checkout process.

The bottom line is that shoppable video ads give you a shorter customer journey and a higher conversion rate.

But as time passes and technological advances further improve the shopping experience, you can count on video remaining a popular ad format.

So, keep an eye on more emerging trends in video marketing, so your brand isn’t left behind.

#5. Artificial intelligence

AI is becoming increasingly valuable and popular with eCommerce merchants for its abilities in:

• Natural language processing
• Machine learning
• Data processing
  

For this emerging eCommerce trend in 2023, here are the most effective ways to use AI:

• Targeted advertising — AI helps you collect customer data, allowing you to generate personalized content and serve up tailor-made product recommendations for specific consumers. With AI, you can predict future shopping behavior based on prior purchases, optimize your marketing materials, and improve the customer experience.
• Chatbots — Physical stores make it easy for customers to find a real person and get their questions answered right then and there. But for eCommerce merchants, you don’t have this ability. Instead, chatbots can help you overcome this disadvantage. Jump on this 2023 eCommerce trend for 24/7 customer assistance.
• Inventory management — Supply chains are kinky (in a bad way), and storage space is limited. If you struggle with inventory management, AI can help. AI is an excellent tool for predicting supply chain performance and anticipating issues. Plus, it can also automate packaging or ordering processes. With AI, you can streamline your inventory management and avoid decreased sales from inventory problems.
  

AI is an emerging trend for eCommerce brands in 2023. Part of the reason why it’s so beneficial is because of its data-gathering capabilities. Consumers know this and are also wary of data privacy issues, which brings us to the next eCommerce trend on our list.

#6. Strengthening data privacy

While personalization is highly valued by today’s consumers, it requires data gathering.

Data privacy is a significant concern for consumers, and you’ll want to address it. Eighty-six percent of surveyed consumers were concerned about data privacy, while 68 percent were worried about the type of data eCommerce merchants collect.

Even if you decide to use AI and other data-gathering tools, addressing customers’ data privacy concerns presents another opportunity for you instead of a challenge.

Win them over with transparency and let your audience know about the specific types of data you collect. Then, make it easy for them to opt-out. This shows customers that your eCommerce brand respects their privacy and concerns. Your competitors likely won’t.

#7. Omnichannel marketing and shopping

Offering customers a cohesive brand and shopping experience across all touchpoints is called omnichannel marketing. Those touchpoints typically include:

• Website visits
• In-store shopping
• Mobile shopping
• Phone and chat
• Social media
  

In most cases, a new lead won’t purchase immediately after visiting your website. Instead, it typically takes a customer several interactions with your brand across multiple channels before they convert.

So, offering an excellent omnichannel shopping experience is one way to increase conversions, making it an emerging eCommerce trend for 2023 you’ll want to explore.

eCommerce marketers who use at least three channels in their marketing campaigns see a 287 percent higher purchase rate than single-channel marketers.

With the rise of mobile usage, modern consumers use many different devices during the buyer’s journey. With an omnichannel strategy, you can meet them wherever they are with a seamless shopping experience.

Get a jumpstart on these emerging eCommerce trends for a profitable 2023.

Thanks to the internet and rapidly changing technological advancements, it’s critical that you keep an eye on emerging eCommerce trends. Doing so will help you maintain a sharp competitive edge, increase brand awareness, and appeal to a larger customer base.

Ready to get started?

The marketing experts at Lingble can help you capitalize on these trends. Reach out to us today for a free consultation.