The e-commerce industry generates billions of dollars on an annual basis and it is no surprise that this trend is only expected to pick up pace in 2019. However, the entire sector has also become highly competitive due to the influx of small- to medium-sized businesses. No longer are e-commerce solely intended for larger organisations with a significant amount of investment capital. Individual business owners are now leveraging the tools that these software applications have to offer. This is why a paradigm shift has become taking place. E-commerce solutions now need to be tailored around the needs of those with little previous coding or financial management experience. What are some variables that are expected to change in 2019 and why are we witnessing a migration away from larger systems to more customized solutions?
Targeted Technology with a User-Friendly Edge
Most industry experts rightfully observe that the most profound impact involves the UX (user experience) and the UI (user interface). This architecture is now beginning to take on a decidedly user-friendly appeal. Furthermore, its scalable nature allows for quick upgrades and downgrades when necessary. This would have been all but impossible with legacy architecture that involved more generic templates. Such agility should have a massive impact upon SMEs, as it this feature allows for unfettered integration into existing systems. This is also why larger platforms such as Magento may very well lose ground to more malleable systems including Shopify Plus. This Magento enterprise alternative is also ideally suited for businesses that might not be able to devote a significant amount of capital to e-commerce requirements. Now that we can appreciate the user-friendly role of this modern digital architecture, how can we expect it to impact the experience of the average online retail customer?
A Seamless and Transparent Shopping Experience
It is no secret that modern shoppers (particularly the millennial generation) are more demanding than ever before in terms of the companies that they wish to do business with. The expect immediacy in terms of the checkout process and it is already assumed that immediate support is available in the event of a question or problem. Scalable e-commerce solutions have been designed in such a way as to offer seamless and intuitive functionality; benefiting both the buyer and the seller. Some features which have been espoused by modern firms include secure payment gateways, customized templates, flexible payment options and dozens of sales channels to access. These are then combined with cutting-edges sales strategies such as multi-channel marketing in order to ensure higher levels of customer satisfaction and perhaps more importantly, continuous quality improvement.
2019 is expected to represent the year when the concept of personalized e-commerce solutions fully enter into the online retail marketplace. Thanks to their agile architecture as well as to their ability to cater to the needs of the end user, there is no doubt that SMEs will benefit as a direct result. The future does indeed look bright.