1. AI's impact continues to grow
Robots aren’t taking over the world yet, but it’s undeniable that artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Along with other industries, AI has quickly started to dominate the ecommerce landscape, fundamentally transforming how businesses interact with customers and operate online.
Of course, brands have been using AI to generate content, like product images or descriptions, for a while. But this year, more and more businesses are using AI for more complex business needs. That includes things like analysing and predicting customer behaviour, fine-tuning marketing strategies, and optimising operations.
In fact, Astrid Smit, a Business Development Manager at Klarna, says AI could revolutionise ecommerce this year. Astrid says: “In 2024, more businesses will use AI to understand individual preferences, predict behaviour, and offer tailored recommendations, creating a more engaging and efficient shopping journey.
“Looking ahead, consumer expectations for highly customised and automated shopping experiences may drive further developments in AI and personalisation tech. We could even see this lead to AI-driven shopping assistants that make purchase decisions for consumers based on their preferences and historical behaviour.”
2. AR shopping experiences are becoming more widespread
Online shopping experiences are more seamless than ever, but they still don’t allow shoppers to touch and feel a product before they buy it.
Here’s where augmented reality (AR) can help. It allows shoppers to visualise products in their real-world environment before purchasing, providing a more immersive and interactive shopping experience. Whether customers are trying on virtual clothing, previewing furniture in their living room, or testing cosmetics, AR shopping experiences can make them more confident to buy.
According to a Global Web Index report, 60% of consumers are interested in AR-driven shopping experiences. So, providing these experiences can help you delight shoppers, increase sales, and reduce return rates.
3. Consumers are embracing voice search
Another impact of the ever-changing technological landscape is the way consumers discover products. The rise of voice-enabled smart devices is leading to an era of ecommerce where consumers use voice-activated search to buy what they need quickly. In a recent survey of over 1,000 frequent online shoppers, 47% said they used a voice-activated virtual assistant to make online purchases.
In 2024, businesses can use voice search technology to offer customers a more intuitive and personalised shopping experience. Using a voice assistant eliminates having to interact with a device physically and makes the process more natural: consumers simply speak to search for products and make a purchase.
Additionally, voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa learn from customer behaviour and provide more tailored search results and recommendations.
If the current trend continues, more consumers will start using voice commands to discover and purchase products, gather information, and sign up for new services. So, is now the time to adapt your marketing strategies to include voice search optimisation? That moment doesn’t seem too far away.Will they stop buying from you? Almost certainly not.
4. The border between social media and ecommerce continue to blur
Social commerce, the fusion of social media and online shopping, continues to gain momentum in 2024. In fact, it’s growing even faster than traditional ecommerce: Deloitte estimates that global sales are increasing by 18% per year and will reach approximately two trillion USD in 2025.
Social commerce removes friction from shopping experiences. For example, a consumer can easily purchase directly from your brand's Instagram account upon seeing a sponsored ad or a recommendation from an influencer. They can find detailed product information – including images and customer reviews – and make purchases all within the platform.
By providing a frictionless shopping journey that shows social proof from customers and influencers on social media, you can attract new customers, win more sales, and build brand awareness and trust.
5. Personalisation gets even more personal
Personalisation has been a cornerstone of successful ecommerce strategies for a long time, but targeting users based on traditional demographics like age or gender is a thing of the past.
Technological advancements are redefining personalisation, especially through AI and machine learning. Now, even smaller businesses can hyper-personalise every aspect of the customer journey through advanced data collection and analysis.
Using these sophisticated technologies, you can analyse customer behaviour, preferences, and historical purchase data to create shopping experiences tailored to individual shoppers. They allow you to adapt your users' shopping feeds dynamically and offer them product recommendations based on their preferences to create a truly personal journey.
For Benjamin Giswold, CEO of 247 Commerce, businesses must adopt a customer-first approach to create truly personalised experiences.
He says: "You must place the customer at the heart of your operations. Understand their needs, preferences, and pain points, and design strategies that address all these things throughout the entire customer journey.
"Data is essential to understand your customers and optimise their experience. Tools like Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics provide valuable insights into customer interactions, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and make data-backed decisions."
This enhanced level of personalisation can improve your customers' satisfaction and the connection they feel to your business, reducing cart abandonments, boosting conversion rates, and increasing brand loyalty.
6. Sustainable and ethical shopping is here to stay
In 2024, it shouldn't surprise you that consumers are making more sustainable and ethical shopping choices. According to the Financial Times, 64% of global consumers worry about sustainability. Nowadays, sustainability consciousness isn't related to just one type of shopper. Instead, a growing number of consumers shop with sustainability and ethics in mind, regardless of their age, gender, etc.
Gary Trojanowski, CEO and Founder of W3lead and LE-1.STORE says that as interest in sustainability grows, shoppers will become more knowledgeable about green practices. This will drive companies to be more open and transparent about their efforts.
"Consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues and want to use sustainable products to limit their impact on the planet," Gary says. "They're also more wary of greenwashing and expect companies to be honest about their sustainable commitments."
Businesses are responding to this increasing awareness by prioritising sustainable initiatives, offering eco-friendly products, and implementing transparent supply chains. Whether you reduce packaging waste and carbon emissions or support fair trade practices and ethically sourced materials, sustainability can become a crucial differentiator that helps you attract socially responsible consumers and build long-term brand loyalty.
