After the year we’ve all just experienced, we don’t need to tell you how vital e-commerce is to your floral business! But with so much e-commerce innovation over the past year, we wanted to make sure you were up to date. By keeping up with these top trends, you can stay ahead of your competition and ensure your future success. Here are the top nine trends for 2021:
- Online Sales Are Exploding
Retail industry experts expect global e-commerce sales to increase by almost 27 percent in 2021, to $4.9 trillion. But it’s not too late to get in on this growth: Online sales are expected to hit $6.4 trillion in 2024! Customers love the convenience of online shopping, but that’s not the only reason for the unstoppable growth: improved website experiences have led to greater trust by online consumers. To tap into this trend, make sure your website is easy to navigate, secure, and customer-friendly.
- COVID-19 Had a Massive Impact
There’s no denying the impact of COVID-19 on e-commerce: Customers had nowhere else to shop for many months! This forced isolation gave people time to get comfortable with the online shopping concept and helped them see how convenient it is. Plus, as many as 100,000 brick-and-mortar stores may close over the next five years due to the impact of COVID-19. Ecommerce penetration rates are forecast to increase from 15 percent in 2020 to 25 percent in 2025.
- Young Consumers Are Driving Online Sales
While more than half of all consumers increased their online spending after the pandemic hit, the most significant increase was with younger customers: 67 percent of consumers aged 18 to 34 have spent more money online than before the pandemic. It’s vital to target this younger consumer in your marketing efforts, and increasing your social media marketing is an excellent tool for this. See our Facebook and Instagram trend articles for tips on how to use social media.
- Social Media Shops are Growing
Speaking of social media, the explosion in online sales has fueled the growth of social media Shops. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have all developed features that allow users to shop right in the app without ever going to a business’s website. Social media will only continue to expand, so it’s vital to get onto this shopping trend by setting up your Facebook and Instagram Shop as rapidly as possible. You can also get help from Instagram influencers to increase your chances of getting discovered on social media.
- Mobile Sales Can’t Be Ignored
The growth of e-commerce on mobile devices is exploding: By 2022, mobile commerce sales will reach $3.79 trillion. That’s not surprising since everyone’s on their mobile device at all hours of the day! And as trust in online shopping grows, more people are
comfortable shopping and buying directly on their phone or tablet — particularly Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Take advantage of this trend by optimizing your online store for mobile devices to make your floral business more accessible for a wider audience.
- Augmented Reality Has Transformed Online Shopping
Augmented Reality, or AR, is changing the way we shop: We can try on items virtually before deciding to buy them, and we can see how a piece of furniture will look in a room before purchasing it. This technology is vital to compensate for a consumer’s need to see an item “in real life” before buying it. By 2022 over 120,000 stores will be using AR technologies, so it’s a great time to get in on this trend. You can learn more about AR in our Facebook trends article.
- Visual Commerce is Expanding
To grab customer’s attention online, more companies are turning to visual commerce instead of simply using static images to market their products. Visual commerce uses interactive content, videos, consumer-generated media, and augmented reality to create a far more engaging online experience. This includes the global image recognition market, which is set to hit $81.88 billion by 2026. Start using visual commerce now by adding more interactive content and videos to your online marketing.
- Personalized Shopping Experiences Are Vital
Customers expect a more personalized experience online than ever before: More than 50% of shoppers say a personalized experience online is essential. And 74% of marketers believe personalization has a “strong” or “extreme” impact on advancing customer relationships. Focus on this trend by personalizing your email messages, providing relevant discounts to targeted customers, and creating engaging video content.
- Shoppers are Searching for Independent Businesses
The pandemic affected many small businesses, and consumers around the world rallied to support their local shops. This trend has expanded thanks to online shopping, where customers are now more likely than ever to seek out independent businesses. More than one-third of consumers say they’re shopping more with independent companies now than pre-COVID. And 57 percent of consumers have said they’re willing to purchase from new and independent businesses for the first time. So, jump on this trend! Make it easy for people to find your shop online, using the ideas we’ve presented here.
