5 eCommerce Trends to Implement This Year [2024]
2024 is here. Are you set up to handle everything it will throw at you — and turn it into profit? Staying on top of rising eCommerce trends is a great place to start.
And what should we expect? In this post, we highlight the five top eCommerce trends we expect to see this year.
Let’s take a closer look.
eCommerce Trend #1: Video Shorts Will Dominate
Thanks to the growing popularity of TikTok and Instagram, short-form videos are seeing high engagement levels and good ROIs. And it’s not just on social media. As many as 73% of consumers surveyed in one study said they prefer watching short-form videos when discovering a new product or service.
It should be no surprise then that video shorts will dominate in 2024. Here are just some of the short-form video trends online retailers should be capitalizing on this year to drive engagement and ROIs:
- Product teaser videos
- Influencer ads
- YouTube shorts
- TikToks
- Instagram Reels and Stories
Here’s a great example of a brand winning with short-form video content — sproos.
Side Note: It’s worth looking at sproos’ Instagram if you’re hunting for offsite digital merchandising inspiration. For onsite digital merchandising, check out this case study from Swarovski and how they increased profits by 8% in just four weeks.
eCommerce Trend #2: Customer Service Optimization Will Take Center Stage
For the last few years, customer service optimization has been a top priority for many retailers, with urgency growing each year as saturation increases. However, this year we can expect more customer service demands than ever.
With this demand, we foresee two key customer service optimization trends:
- More DMs from customers
- Increased expectation for personalization
Let’s quickly look at each.
More DMs from Customers
According to VentureBeat, 60% of US shoppers prefer brands to communicate via text and DMs over other channels. And a HubSpot report found that one in five Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X social media users contacted a brand through DMs for customer service over a three-month period in 2023 — a 27% increase over 2022.
In 2024, we can expect social media DMs to get even hotter.
A good example of a brand already capitalizing on DM trends is the fashion brand TELFAR. Here, you can see they present quick reply prompts from their own FAQs.
The bottom line is that more and more customers are coming to expect real-time interactions, which means you need to not only be ready for more customers sliding into your DMs but also to be prepared to answer those DMs quickly. You may want to employ AI consulting to explore your options
Increased Expectations for Personalization
When you consider that more than 8 out of 10 customers trust brands that treat them like a person, it shouldn’t be a shock that more and more brands are investing in tools to help them give that personal touch.
And like with other aspects of eCommerce marketing, customers will expect personalization in 2024. This means your customer service should consider personal preferences, history, and past interactions. Here are some tactics you can use to ensure you are better aligned with personalized customer service trends:
- Embrace a more casual and engaging style of communication, making sure conversation has that human touch
- Always use a customer's first name
- Leverage the power of AI to automate personalization with a chatbot
eCommerce Trend #3: Social Commerce Drives the Rise of TikTok Shopping
TikTok is the latest social media platform to embrace social commerce and shopping with their newest product, TikTok Shop.
Since launching in the US in September 2023, the TikTok marketplace has enabled shoppers to buy products without having to leave the app — a convenience that drives the success of social commerce. And more and more brands are jumping on board.
Take a look at the graph below from Hootsuite’s 2024 Social Trends report.
Halara was one of the first brands to jump into TikTok Shop in 2023 and has grown their sales to 60,000 products per month.
And when it comes to social commerce, their success doesn’t stop there. They can capitalize on each channel to drive sales.
eCommerce Trend #4: Reusable Sustainability Becomes Mainstream
As more shoppers become environmentally conscious, sustainability is no longer a niche eCommerce requirement. It’s also not enough to pretend to be green, as this will only alienate more conscientious shoppers at a time when competition has never been so tight.
The biggest driver of sustainability trends is sustainable packaging. Packaging that is recyclable, or reused/reusable, can be authentically integrated into your store and has become easier to implement. Take a look at Boox, a packaging supply company helping eCommerce brands reduce the environmental impact caused by single-use packaging.
Another way reusables are trending within the eCommerce industry is with refills. Brands, such as Public Goods, who offer product refills, will continue to grow this year as the demand increases. Another trend is doing away with plastic packaging altogether, such as plastic-free shampoo bars.
eCommerce Trend #5: ROPO and Hybrid Commerce on the Forefront
Whether it’s BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) options or physical pop-up events for exclusively online stores — hybrid commerce is a growing trend that we expect to see a lot more of this year.
ROPO (research online, purchase offline) consumer behavior is also on the increase, with over half of consumers saying they still prefer to see, touch, and feel certain products before buying.
The key to capitalizing on this trend is less about location and more about synergy. Ideally, you want to streamline your omnichannel experience to pro level — even if it’s just digital channels you are optimizing more.
It also means your on and offsite merchandising (whether pop-up physical location or a digital location, such as a Facebook shop or Amazon marketplace) needs to be upgraded to keep up.
How?
By implementing top-notch AI technologies that will adjust your merchandising strategies in real-time to market, product, and buyer changes — in tune with data across all your channels. One merchandising app worth considering is Kimonix, which enables you to:
- Create smart, automated collections that boost profit
- Build sorting strategies that integrate with real-time marketing and retail KPIs
- Offer 1:1 personalized product recommendations across your store and marketing channels, such as email or Google Shopping
Book a free demo here or download — with a free trial — on Shopify Apps.
Wrap Up
There you have it: five eCommerce trends worth investing in this year. Still have eCommerce questions? Feel free to reach out to our online retail gurus here.
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