A lot has happened this year that has thrown the world into an unknown. This has meant that a lot of businesses have had to adapt to how they work and what they offer. In this article, we are going to look at some of the main points that will be important to online shopping going into 2021.

Personalised products are on the rise

According to Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, the number of people looking for personalised gifts has been increasing. This increase highlights that people want to give gifts that feel more personal. This is especially true during a time when people might not be able to see each other as they have previously during the holidays.

The gifts they want to get make them feel valued and special, rather than generic gifts. If you offer personalised products, it can help to highlight they can be customised.

People want convenience

With the state of the world in 2020, brick and mortar stores have been in a state of uncertainty on whether they are open or not, due to the changing restrictions. For some, this has meant they have had to evolve in the way they offer their products, in a lot of cases, this is offering delivery and collection of orders.

This additional convenience has allowed their customers to place orders, and effectively choose to receive it the way that is most convenient to them. For the small stores to quickly set up, allowing collection from their store is a quick, simple and convenient solution to get up and running. There are ways to get low-cost eCommerce websites that can help you get set up quickly.

Free delivery is better than fast delivery

When you are shipping items to customers, the vast majority prefer to have free delivery. In fact, 85% of people would prefer free delivery over speedy delivery. Even though we know that the delivery cost is basked into the final product price, the psychology of the concept is that we are getting something for free and that the price we see is the price we will pay.

This is highlighted by the fact that the average shopping cart abandon rate is around 70%. One of the chief reasons that it is so high is due to extra costs during the checkout process, such as a delivery charge, that stops people from finishing and finalising their orders.

Get your products on other stores

During the pandemic, the rise of buying online has only increased. One of the main benefactors is, unsurprisingly, Amazon, which leads us onto the next point.

This increase highlights that they have a huge existing audience. One of the ways you can capitalise on this is by getting your products in front of this audience. If you look at products on Amazon, you will see that there are products on there that are fulfilled by other companies.

This can open up who sees and orders your products, and if Amazon isn’t the best choice for your products, there may be other stores that fit your product range, such as Etsy or Ebay.

Know your target audience

One of the most important things is knowing who your audience is. This will help with determining a number of different aspects of your online business.

For instance, in the UK, people between ages 25 – 34 had the highest online purchasing penetration in 2020, with those over 65 having the least. (Statista). Also, that the peak time to buy online is 8:00am – 9:00am. Salecycle

From these alone, it can help make decisions on multiple different elements such as what key elements and messages your audience will care about when looking at your products and placing orders. If you’re advertising, when the best time to show people your products is.

This all comes down to knowing who is looking at your products and what they want.