E-commerce trends for 2020

Catching the customer's attention, arousing his or her interest and getting him or her to perform a specific task - most often the purchase of a product - is the goal of every entrepreneur selling online and beyond. In order to be more effective, it is necessary to keep a close eye on the dynamically changing e-commerce market and make various improvements. What, then, are the most important trends for 2020 in e-commerce that cannot be overlooked? Let's find out!

1. Even more time using smartphones

These days, we hardly ever let our phone out of our hands. However, it is no longer just for making calls, sending texts, playing games or taking photos. We use it to surf the web and do our shopping. This is not going to change in the near future - on the contrary: more and more people are going to shop using their smartphone. The majority of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. It is therefore worth paying special attention to the design of your shop on tablets and phones. Responsiveness is already a standard that customers expect. Mention must also be made of the Google Mobile-First Index, a search engine index that went live in 2018. Its introduction has meant that the quality of a website's mobile page views determines its position in search results.

2. Subscription models in e-commerce

What is the subscription model, which has been popular for some time? You simply pay a set amount of money on a regular basis (e.g. every month) to access a particular platform or service. This type of solution has many advantages - not only for users, but also for e-commerce site owners.

Here are some of them:

• the subscription model helps to increase sales on the site - potential customers are sometimes hesitant and distrustful of new products. If they can take advantage of the opportunity to test an item for which they will pay at intervals, they will certainly make a purchase decision more quickly;
• with a subscription, consumers become instantly attached to the brand - building a relationship with buyers is very important, then they do not end up making a one-off purchase, buyers become regular customers;
• we gain greater predictability of sales - a subscription allows us to estimate demand or assess stock levels much more accurately in the case of physical products.

3. A variety of payment options

People who shop online tend to be impatient - they want to complete the transaction as quickly as possible. Without a variety of payment options, we will quickly scare off many time-sensitive Internet users. Modern and convenient forms of payment will continue to become more widespread. Thanks to them, buying in online shops is becoming even simpler and accessible to a wider audience. Attention should be paid in particular to paying via mobile devices or digital wallets. At the same time, global e-commerce is developing incredibly rapidly, resulting in the facilitation of international transfers and other financial transactions.

4. Instant delivery - ordering a courier

Consumers do not only want to pay for their chosen goods in a few seconds - they also expect the fastest possible delivery of their freshly purchased items and a low shipping price. It is not uncommon to see users abandoning their shopping cart because they have managed to find an online shop with free delivery or a lower fee. Many people also do not like to wait for the delivery man. The owners of sales platforms wishing to stay in business are introducing various forms of delivery, as well as the possibility of collecting the parcel at a Parcel Machine. Ordering a courier is not difficult! At InPost, you have various options at your disposal - we have prepared a special offer for business and e-commerce, thanks to which you can significantly reduce costs. Perhaps the Subscription for Companies will be a hit. Find out how to reduce delivery costs in your e-commerce"

5. Product personalisation

In 2020, the trend of perfectly matching goods to the recipient will continue. This is not a new phenomenon and has been around for several years, but it is now becoming increasingly important. In the age of digitalisation, consumers' expectations are growing - they also care about unique and unrepeatable things and are therefore willing to wait longer for a personalised item. Customisation of the item or service also matters. How can this be done? One good solution will be to build a special application on the website for designing items, i.e. a product configurator. It will allow you to change the shape, colour or functionality of an item and create something original. More and more companies are choosing to offer personalisation of their items - one day this will become standard!

Keeping up with the trends of the e-commerce world will allow you to keep up with the growing competition and influence the building of a market advantage. Consumers have increasing expectations of online shops, which must be met in order to grow their business and increase sales.