Ecommerce Trends for 2021

What are the most published e-commerce trend predictions for 2021?
Read them here, so that you as an entrepreneur get a complete overview of the most important trends for 2021.

We know that you as an entrepreneur are already busy enough. That is why we are happy to help you list the trends and of course we can also implement them for you! Which trends we should keep an eye on, in this article we have listed it all for you.

9 e-commerce trends for 2021

Everyone with a webshop knows it: E-commerce has been growing for years . The turnover in Europe increases by approximately 7% annually. In 2019, the Belgian e-commerce market was worth 11.5 billion euros.

In 2020, this received a huge boost. The reason, of course, was COVID-19. A third of European consumers have already confirmed that they will continue to buy online after the corona crisis.

If you want to grow as an (online) entrepreneur, it is important that you follow the trends.

1. Online and offline – The omnichannel principle.

Due to the corona measures, “offline” shopping was completely confused. The fun of shopping together and enjoying a drink on a terrace or coffee became impossible. In 2021 it is important to minimize the difference between offline and online. Do you have a physical location? Even then it is essential to use your online store optimally. Do you only have a webshop? Then opening a real store might be a good idea. After the corona measures, we are all going to look for the fun of shopping streets again. For example, think of e-commerce kiosks or a pop-up store, possibly at an existing location. The customer experience between offline and online shopping should therefore connect seamlessly. As soon as the different sales channels work together perfectly, your results can get a big boost.

2. Sustainable ReCommerce

We are all becoming more and more aware of the impact of our “consumption” on the world. As a result, more and more people are starting to consume more sustainably. On the other hand, we are also becoming more frugal, because of this we buy more second-hand clothes, we are increasingly looking for “refurbished” products. And of course the term ReCommerce is also becoming more and more popular. ReCommerce is abbreviated abbreviation of reverse commerce . ReCommerce involves renting, reselling, or selling second-hand clothing or other second-hand products. E-commerce shops that focus on second-hand products have grown by 70% in the past two years. Analyzes predict that this trend will continue.

Examples of ReCommerce:

• Second-hand fashion and home items Vinted
• Troc.com
• Pre owned by Zalando

3. Sustainability also trumps during transport

Sustainability and e-commerce go hand in hand. Sustainable delivery is becoming increasingly important. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of their CO2 footprint. E-commerce giants know this too, and are leading the way. Zalando is committed to completely eliminating CO2 emissions, and Colruyt is the first in Europe to experiment with hydrogen trucks. There is, however, a downside. Only 12% of consumers indicate that they are willing to pay extra for a CO2-neutral delivery method. Many consumers believe that the financial responsibility lies with the webshop. This often results in extra unforeseen costs for the (small) web shops. Study different options, because there is a chance. Because many webshops are reluctant to incur extra costs, you can make a difference by offering green delivery options. It increases your gun factor and you create a striking, progressive, and green profile. Some examples that you can apply easily and cheaply:

• Reusable packaging
• Don’t use plastic
• Alternative delivery methods

Of course you can always ask your customers for a small gift to compensate for the CO2 footprint of their purchase.

4. Voice Commerce

Hey Google and Hey Alexa is nothing new anymore, but buying via Voice Commerce is still fairly new. Just as you have been able to order things directly with a search on Google for several years now, a search via Voice search also displays articles! We are all making more and more use of speech-controlled systems. Think of Amazon’s Alexa, and Google home. If you want to go along with this trend, it is important that your shop is prepared for this.

• Optimize your top-of-funnel content so that answers to frequently asked questions are answered via your website or shop. This way you can attract more voice search traffic and win customers for you.
• Make sure your webshop is ready to sell products and services with voice control.

5. A New Reality with Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality brings your product to life: you show digital content in the consumer’s world. This is being used more and more. Just think of Coolblue with the TV selection function in their app. For example, do you sell sofas and do you want to show what that sofa looks like in your consumer’s living room? You do that with AR. 51% of consumers say they want to use this technology to rate products. As technology continues to improve, AR is becoming more accessible to both web shops and consumers. With just a smartphone, your customer can easily experience a great shopping experience. We are also examples of this in physical stores. For example, Dovy lets you walk around in your kitchen at home, even before you ordered it.

6. Artificial Intelligence for a better customer experience

AI will bring online and offline channels together. It is predicted that e-commerce stores will spend about $7.3 billion on AI by 2022. Yet for many it still sounds like a far-from-your-bed show. But it doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive to invest in it. You don’t even have to be a technical expert. There are many affordable and easy-to-use platforms on the market, such as Lily AI. They use customer data, deep tagging and advanced psychography to create personalized product recommendations and advanced product filters.

7. Ecommerce Subscriptions

Over the past three years, the number of visitors to subscription services sites has increased by as much as 3000%. Well-known examples of subscription models are Carrefour, H&M, Swapfiets, Little Big Change, Ikea and Succes Koffie. As an online retailer, there are various advantages such as:

• A fixed minimum income stream per month;
• Stock and logistics can be better planned and managed;
• High customer value, because your customers return to your shop more easily.

Less well-known initiatives are, for example, a flower subscription where you choose a new bouquet every month. Or even a breakfast on Sunday or weekly greetings subscription.

8. Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

More and more consumers buy directly from their mobile phone. Its popularity is predicted to continue to grow as confidence in mobile phones continues to grow. E-commerce shops are therefore always looking to improve the mobile experience. Recently, the focus has mainly been on native apps to improve the user experience. A new trend for 2021 is a variant of this: Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

PWAs are websites that behave like an app, providing a smooth shopping experience. PWAs are easier to develop for developers. These apps use the entire screen of the mobile device, just like a regular native app.

9. Marketplaces and Ecommerce

Marketplaces continue to grow, and the number of new webshops has increased again due to COVID-19. Selling on marketplaces is an accessible way for new parties to start selling online. Sellers can go to global marketplaces, or local marketplaces such as Bol.com, recently available in Belgium. The biggest advantages for webshops that sell on marketplaces:

• You ride on the power of the marketing of the marketplace itself
• You can use the warehousing service
• You can send cheap packages via the network and offer extensive delivery options
• Returns handling
• (international) Customer service
• Immediately many possible customers
• Financial settlement
• A smooth customer experience

There are also advantages for consumers to shop at a marketplace. The service, the wide range, and the affordable prices are often arguments for buying from a marketplace.