Even before we get deeper and ask ourselves what will the future look like, I believe it’s fair enough to ask ourselves why e-commerce is spreading like wildfire, why is it taking over? why?
Convenience, affordability, accessibility, and confidentiality is the wish and dream of every buyer. Buyers want to buy cheap, have access to the shop when they want and sometimes maintain the confidentiality of their transactions. Online shopping gives them all the above since customers can access the store/shop from their smartphones and computers, they can easily compare products from different suppliers and enjoy the best deals and lowest prices. Since online stores do not necessarily need to have a physical shop, they are able to cut the cost and this enables them to offer a competitive price. The awesome thing about e-commerce / online shopping is access from anywhere anytime and for better prices.Clearly shopping online has turned to be a blessing to businesses. E-commerce avails valuable data and insights to businesses, the data collected via online channels is used for crafting effective marketing strategies. Online platforms help us collect accurate data helping us reach a level of precision that we could only dream of before the web 2.0. Unlike the tradition (offline) stores, online store avails to businesses important market data that can be used to gain a competitive edge. Consumer preferences, real-time consumer data, return on marketing investment and consumer trends is some of the information ecommerce stores enjoy.
Online shopping trends in Kenya
1. Delivery time
Currently most online stores in Kenya promise a delivery time of about a week but this time is significantly reducing.
2. Chatbots and artificial intelligence
Chatting has become one of the most preferred ways to communicate. Chatbots made their way into the e-commerce world in 2017 making online shopping easier and smarter. Online stores in Kenya will make it possible for buyers to place their orders by simply chatting to intelligence bots integrated with the store. Consumer shopping journey is about to become even smarter with the smart suggestions from these bots, consumers will be in a position to compare prices, products, and other features just by chatting with these bots and describing what they want to buy.
I can confidently ask you to get ready for an amazing experience, a time when you will chat with the online store (bot) and tell them to sell you the cheapest or most expensive product or event ask the smart bot to bring you some food, drinks or any other product and within 30 mins have it in your house.
3. Mobile traffic
There will be more buyers visiting online stores using their smartphones compared to those using laptops and desktops. It will be imperative for online vendors to make their online stores accessible through mobile devices and maintaining design and brand consistency across different platforms. According to research done by Google, buyers are more likely to start their purchase journey in one device and complete it in a different device may be a laptop or smartphone, it is hence imperative to ensure the consumer feels right at home regardless of the device he/she is using.Using different outlook for different devices makes the customer feel as though they are in a different online store.
To ensure customers get the best experience, choose a web designer in Kenya with advanced skills, one who can develop elegant, responsive website.
4. Video content
Online shops using videos to convince customers to purchase goods and services have seen remarkable success and increase in conversion. Videos are more compelling and their results have shown that truly it is one of the effective channels for business to communicate with their customers. In 2018 and beyond, online stores will make use of video content to drive more sales and to keep customers more on their websites.
The modern-day marketplace will surely favor those businesses embracing technology and using it to gain a larger market share. Having both a physical store and a business website where customers can buy or place orders will secure the future of the business as the online stores will target those buyers who prefer to shop and buy online.