Electronic data interchange has been a major aspect of the eCommerce industry for decades. Not only is it a force of eCommerce, but EDI is also important for all industries around the world. But there’s no denying that the electronic exchange of data is most prevalent in online businesses and eCommerce stores.
Ecommerce has changed drastically over time, especially within the past 5 to 10 years. The insane growth of social media has something to do with it, but there are many factors involved. Who knows what will happen with the eCommerce industry in the coming years. The best EDI software companies have come together to offer up their opinions on the future of eCommerce.
Mobile Commerce Will Continue to Grow
Do you remember the last time you left the house without your mobile device? There’s a good chance that the answer is no. Many individuals living in the Western world don’t even spend one waking moment without their cell phone safely tucked in their pocket or purse. We live in an increasingly mobile world, one that eCommerce sources have learned to cater to.
Every website, online store, blog post – everything on the www – has been adapted to fit a mobile screen and feature easy mobile capabilities. If a company’s website is difficult to use on mobile, or even worse, an online store’s buying process is difficult on mobile, the business is likely to fail. eCommerce stores are beginning to focus on mobile more than ever, and that will continue to be the case for the coming years.
Artificial Intelligence is Here to Stay
AI has been around for a long time, and a major aspect of artificial intelligence is augmented reality (AR). AR – also referred to as VR (virtual reality) – offers opportunities to potential customers to actually test out a product or service before buying it. As long as you have faith in what you’re selling, this is an amazing service to provide, one that gives potential peace of mind before handing over credit card information.
AR/VR works in a few ways. One example of it would be for a potential sunglasses buyer to try on frames from a computer screen. Another example would be someone in need of interior design service to test out a few design ideas from a mobile device. All sorts of online companies are turning to AI through AR/VR, and this trend will just continue to grow.
Ecommerce Stores Utilize OmniChannel Strateies
This has been going on for a while, but it is just continuing to be more prevalent. An omnichannel strategy essentially just means that an online store is selling products through not one online buying source, but multiple. It makes complete business sense to sell products from 3, 4, 5, or 10 online channels rather than just 1. Not only does it get the word out about your product, but it also allows you to see where you should be focusing your efforts on where to sell your merchandise.
