With just a few days left for curtains on 2023, e-commerce is expected to ring in the New Year on a high note, after outpacing brick-and-mortar sales in the holiday and non-holiday seasons.
There were sceptics of online grocery shopping just a few years ago; but the booming home delivery and quick service demand has silenced all the critics. This is just one visible trend. Let’s see which other trends feature in the top five as 2023 wraps up.
Online Grocery Shopping is no longer just for the Joneses!
Have you tried the Noon 15-minute grocery shopping app yet? If you are in a relatively accessible area and you are missing that milk or sugar/spice while cooking then grab the phone order it online and eerily the doorbell rings in approximately 15 minutes! Noon’s last-mile team have cracked this and how.
Countries like UAE that have a decent road infrastructure, access to cheap blue-collar workers and of course with a fast 5G network are the front-runners to execute this online commerce business.
We do have some data from the US that supports this. As per this chart, Gen Z is definitely moving online with majority of them searching for grocery products online rather than in retail stores.
Clearly Digital Grocery was a driving force in e-commerce adoption in 2023 and also a catalyst for the booming last-mile delivery business.
The beginning of the end of traditional search engines?
Gen Z is again disrupting the norm here. TikTok is known for its viral dance videos and pop music. But for Generation Z, the video app is increasingly a search engine, too.
More and more young people are using TikTok’s powerful algorithm — which personalizes the videos shown to them based on their interactions with content — to find information uncannily catered to their tastes. That tailoring is coupled with a sense that real people on the app are synthesizing and delivering information, rather than faceless websites.
TikTok’s rise as a discovery tool is part of a broader transformation in digital search. While Google remains the world’s dominant search engine, people are turning to Amazon to search for products, Instagram to stay updated on trends and Snapchat’s Snap Maps to find local businesses. As the digital world continues growing, the universe of ways to find information in it is expanding.
Younger consumers want faster delivery
Apart from all the raging hormones that being young gives you, it also takes away something. That is patience. Increasingly young consumers want speedy deliveries and that comes as preference despite additional basket value.
According to a McKinsey Report, while a majority (56%) of US consumers are fine with waiting a few days for their online shopping orders, Gen Zers and millennials are more likely to expect next-day and same-day delivery options, as depicted in this chart.
Voice Search is rising
Voice commerce, or the ability to make purchases via voice assistants like Alexa or Siri, is poised to gain significant traction. As smart speakers and voice assistants become more ubiquitous, consumers are getting increasingly comfortable making purchases through voice commands.
With smart speakers becoming more affordable and advanced, ownership rates are skyrocketing. These devices are no longer just for playing music and setting timers—people are relying on them for a wide range of tasks, including shopping.
Voice assistants like Alexa and Siri are getting smarter and better able to handle complex requests. They can now easily understand natural language and complete purchases without issue. Voice assistants may even proactively make purchase suggestions based on your preferences and past orders.
In the past, the options for voice commerce purchases were fairly limited. But many major retailers now offer voice-enabled shopping for a wide range of goods—everything from groceries and household supplies to electronics and clothing. Whatever you need, there’s a good chance you can order it with a simple voice command.
Conversational Marketing – Don’t miss the AI bus!
Conversational Marketing is a powerful strategy that allows businesses to engage with their customers in a more personalized and interactive way. By leveraging the latest advancements in technology and customer data, conversational marketing enables businesses to create meaningful and engaging experiences that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.
One key aspect of conversational marketing is the use of chatbots and virtual assistants. These intelligent tools can provide immediate assistance to customers, answering their questions, providing product recommendations, and even processing transactions. With the increasing popularity of messaging apps and social media platforms, businesses can leverage these channels to interact with customers in a conversational manner, further enhancing the customer experience.
Conclusion
The future is bright if you are willing to adapt. E-commerce will never stop evolving. And so, take that time-out during the holidays because 2024 will surely be fast-paced and see some newer trends shaping e-commerce!
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