New e-commerce strategies for 2021

Improved customer service, more seamless sales, returns and deliveries… What are some of the strategies e-commerce sites set to pursue in the new year? The online shopping behavior observed during this year’s lockdown periods provide strategic insights for executing successful online sales in 2021.

The health crisis that swept through 2020 has given rise to many new only shopping behaviors. E-merchants should be ready to optimize their online sales by integrating these changing trends into their online sales strategy for 2021.

The conclusions drawn from these new strategic e-commerce axioms come from the results of a survey conducted by e-commerce publisher Shopify.

Young consumers buy from independent brands via social media

79% of those surveyed said they plan to shop online regularly over the next 6 months. The most involved group will be 18-34-year olds. In fact, 67% of this demographic allocated most of their budget to online shopping during the health crisis, and this trend looks set to continue.

Finally, 54% of 18-34-year olds stated that they had discovered independent brands on social networks, and 28% of them bought from independent brands via these channels.

Local proximity and in-store pick-up are on the rise

New delivery methods have emerged during the health crisis and e-merchants have been using new technologies to boost their online sales activity. They will continue to rely on technological tools to develop their business in 2021, with new web, mobile and software development projects being factored into budgets.

Some of the popular delivery methods include:

• Local delivery.
• Collection of items in-store, or via drives or relay points.

64% of respondents said they collect their purchases through Click & Collect as well as drive-through. One particularly interesting stat to note is that local collection increased by 13% during the pandemic. Added to that, local delivery and pick-up saw an average basket increase of 25%.

An omni-channel presence and taking advantage of proximity to consumers will be important levers to activate in 2021.

Societal impact and free deliveries

Consumers want more free delivery return services. 60% of consumers would be more likely to buy online if they received free returns as well as free shipping.

Finally, and not surprisingly, ecological, sustainable and green products are still popular with buyers on the web. Consumers expressed a preference for e-merchants who donate to charity for every sale made.

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Reference: siecledigital.fr