10 eCommerce Trends In 2024 To Include In Your D2C Strategy

The Indian eCommerce industry has taken a sharp turn in the positive direction since 2020. As more people started to shop online amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, eCommerce gained huge traction and evolved at a rapid pace. In fact, according to IBEF, the Indian eCommerce market is expected to reach USD 350 billion by the end of FY 2030. Many have argued that the eCommerce trends in 2023 may get defined by by people’s choice of going back to the brick-and-mortar stores. But that’s just a passing phase in our opinion.

People have missed physical shopping and with COVID-19 almost out of the picture now, it’s just a craving that people needed to satiate. However, the fact remains, eCommerce has immensely spoiled people for choices – doorstep delivery convenience, frequent deals and discounts, loyalty rewards, and whatnot. eCommerce is here to stay and is becoming stronger day by day.

Meanwhile, new technologies and consumer habits are also driving innovation and changes. As we move into 2023, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends and developments to stay ahead of the competition.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the top eCommerce trends to study in 2023 before planning your business strategies for the year.

The first on the list of eCommerce trends in 2023 is leveraging Omnichannel Commerce.

According to an article published by Harvard Business Review, 73% of all customers use multiple online channels while purchasing something. Omnichannel Commerce uses data from these different channels to understand customer behaviour, and tailor-make personalised experiences across each channel.

Doing so helps strengthen your brand in two respects – increased customer loyalty and higher engagement across all channels. The byproduct of this is more sales and better traffic flow since every channel is connected with one another through data to drive sales. The overall customer experience also becomes very humane.

To stand out amidst competition, focus on a personalised omnichannel experience. The more connected your channels are, the higher shall be the engagement rate and consequential conversions.

People are constantly shifting from laptops to mobiles for their buying needs. As per Statista, nearly 83% of Indians used smartphones (or mobile) to make online purchases as compared to 12% of orders from laptops and tablets.

This means, optimising your website for mobile has become more critical today than ever. Your D2C brand’s website design must be responsive and intuitive enough for users to ensure a delightful experience. Meanwhile, paying attention to a seamless checkout and payment process is equally paramount. For, the shorter the checkout process, the higher shall be the conversion rate, and hence, the resulting repeat customers.

Consider implementing GoKwik’s Kwik Checkout solution. Its unique offerings can significantly aid in,

Also Read – 3 Reasons Why GoKwik’s Login & Address Pre-fill Is A Game Changer

Next on the list of top eCommerce trends in 2023 is using voice search. With people increasingly using devices like Alexa, Echo, and Google Home – voice search is going to become the next big thing in India’s context. People will soon command their voice AI devices to search for products, check reviews and even place orders. Big shots like Amazon, H&M, Domino’s, etc., have already incorporated voice search on their apps and websites, and many D2C brands are entering the league.

72% of people who own such devices use them as a part of their daily routine. And if your website is not indexed for voice search soon, you might lose some customers to your competitors. By utilising voice search, you can not only increase your brand’s discoverability in the market but also grow sales exponentially.

On average, Indians spend at least 4 hours per day on social media sites. This makes social handles an ideal place for you, as a D2C brand, to catch their attention on their platform and increase your brand’s visibility and awareness. Meanwhile, statistics also show that you can register 32% more sales by building a strong social media presence.

Social platforms will not just help you catch eyeballs but through engaging content and influencer marketing, but build trust among people as well. For example, many leading brands in the fashion and beauty industry leverage influencer marketing to showcase their products to create brand trust. This trust makes it easier for customers to choose you over competitors.

If you’re still not considering using this eCommerce trend in 2023 to your benefit, you’re surely opening doors for conversions to exit.

Besides voice and social commerce, chat commerce is another arena where you, as a D2C brand, can create impact for your brand. Adding this to your business strategy in 2023 is a must.

Chat commerce, with its real-time communication feature helps offer a more personalised shopping experience to the shoppers. It elevates the journey and ensures high conversion plus repeat purchase rate.

Moreover, chat commerce is increasingly proving to be more efficient than many other options like chatbots and phone support. It also helps keep shoppers on your site for a longer period, resulting in higher average order value as well.

Most importantly it delivers on the expectations of the millennials who are always on the go and look for instant shopping experience with quick and personalised chat support.

Companies like Reliance, WOW Skin Care, H&M and more are leveraging chat commerce to the fullest. It’s time for you to join the league and increase conversions in 2023.

While the B2C eCommerce space saw a major rise during the pandemic, B2B eCommerce also felt the bump. B2B buyers who shifted to purchasing online don’t want to go back to offline methods. And, it’s almost 96% of them.

This means, if you’re a B2B eCommerce brand, now’s the time to up your A-game, especially in 2023. Opt for omnichannel experiences and utilise social commerce to personalise the experience for your target audience.

Immensely focus on making your buyer’s online experience as simple as possible. This can include mobile optimisation, adding new payment options, self-service portals, and more. Such initiatives will make sure that you don’t lose existing customers to other businesses and also get the new ones onboard.

Learn the art of eCommerce from D2C brands, and try and implement the same in your business. These eCommerce trends in 2023 can help you scale faster and quicker.

Next on the list of eCommerce trends in 2023 is “Buy Online, Pick-up In Store” strategy. As the name suggests, this strategy allows shoppers to buy products online and pick them up from the physical store.

In its essence, it’s an excellent strategy, beneficial to both the buyers and the sellers. Buyers benefit as they can try products like shoes, clothes, eyewear, etc. before buying and not worry about choosing. Sellers benefit as it saves them money on shipping and also integrates both offline and online stores. Besides this, it also helps sellers cut down on return-to-origins (RTOs) where people cancel orders post shipment or at the time of delivery. They save immensely on reverse logistics, the chances of product damage, additional labour cost, etc.

To give you an example, companies like Lenskart and Decathlon offer such a service to their customers. If you visit Decathlon’s website, you can easily select a product you wish to buy, make payment, and schedule pick up from the nearest store.

Implementing this eCommerce trend in 2023 can significantly help your brand reduce many additional costs and even reduce the percentage of cash-on-deliveries resulting in RTOs.

Also Read – Return to Origin in eCommerce: How Brands Can Solve For It?

While artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to be in the top eCommerce trends list every year, in 2023, the importance of these technologies will touch new heights.

D2C brands can now leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse user data, gather better customer insights, and use this information to create more personalised experiences.

AI and ML can also be extensively used in the arena of conversational commerce and designing automated marketing campaigns. This can help increase customer engagement and even customer acquisition cost.

As an eCommerce brand you can also use it to,

Also Read – Why Post Purchase Experience Is Most Important Today Than Ever

The only problem that people face while buying online is that they can’t see how the product will look. They want to know whether it will look good on them or match their existing wearables. With AR integration in your eCommerce store, you can solve this problem. Lenskart, Garnier, and L’Oréal are excellent examples to quote here.

Using this technology, these brands have been able to register more conversions as compared to their competitors. In fact, marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon are also using augmented reality to help customers make their decision and index more sales. This eCommerce trend will gain even more traction in the coming years.

So, use this eCommerce trend in 2023 in your business to become the preferable online shopping partner and enjoy a competitive edge.

As Google is stepping away from third-party cookies, Chrome browser won’t be able to track consumers’ data for targeted advertisements. This will affect your eCommerce business as Chrome is the most used (about 65%) web browser.

Third-party cookies are necessary for tracking consumer behaviour. Elimination of third-party cookies will affect your re-marketing and retargeting. So, it’s better to start looking for alternatives like Google Privacy Sandbox and first-party cookies.

This will ensure your advertisement strategies are effective even in 2023.