We already know that unlocking new markets and reaching more global shoppers is increasingly important for brands. With worldwide eCommerce growth at the highest it’s ever been, there’s more competition than ever for consumer cash.
Bringing together the eCommerce community, Ecom World 2021, which took place last week, saw speakers from the likes of Allbirds, Freshly and Tula sharing strategies on scaling and operating successful eCommerce businesses in this digital first age. If you didn’t manage to bag yourself a ticket don’t worry, here’s a recap of the most impactful themes:
The Future of eCommerce
While the impact of Covid-19 on the eCommerce space has been profound, the acceleration seen across the globe is only the start.
Conversations centred around accessibility: do your channels mirror customer preferences and are you creating a tailored, frictionless buying experience. Brands were encouraged to think about how to create an identity that consumers can really get behind. On the topic of success, human-centred commerce came out on top, and Avon’s Joanna Gluzman reminded us that this doesn’t only mean connecting with your customers, but equally covers caring about the environment.
Ultimately, opportunities for reaching shoppers are limitless, and to paraphrase Shopify’s Harley Finkelstein, the future of eCommerce is still in front of us, and it’s a very bright future indeed.
Don’t forget about logistics
Speakers from ShipEngine, DHL and Shipstation all had one key message: even with a beautifully crafted site experience and smooth initial buying journey, the biggest barrier to purchase still falls onto logistics.
With consumers expecting to see fast and cost effective delivery, shipping can truly be a differentiator for your eCommerce business. The top 3 takeaways to mastering effective logistics:
- Transparent returns support - more shoppers are taking the returns process into consideration before making a purchase and 71% of shoppers in key global markets are unwilling to pay for returns.
- Offering extended returns windows - tying into the first point looking at creating a frictionless buying journey, returns windows, especially in a post-Covid world are crucial
- Clear delivery timelines - tracking is no longer simply a nice to have; today consumers expect full visibility into shipping timelines before making a purchase
Shipping and logistics has the power to make or break brand perception and having the right tech to support is key.
Humanised CX = Revenue
Staying competitive in a saturated market is no small challenge and as the customer journey becomes increasingly delineated there are additional opportunities for shoppers to leave the purchase path.
Loyalty is no longer about delighting the customer with one-off experiences, and ‘wow’ tactics can actually become expensive in the long term. Italic’s TJ Stein and Bokksu Founder Danny Taing had a similar take on this topic: both feel that creating frictionless and personalized shopping experiences that are low effort for customers is the way to success.
The key take home: while going that extra mile for customers is appreciated, enduring relationships are built through 1:1 connections and creating intimacy at scale is the best way to turn the customer experience into a revenue generation tool.
I for one am excited to see what the future of eCommerce holds, and if mastering your cross-border strategy is top of mind for you, then have a conversation with one of our experts -- Flow is here when you’re ready to take international eCommerce to the next level. Contact us today.
