The great migration of e-commerce has brought these changes to US retail

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce, with consumers shopping online faster, and more favoring convenient services and free or affordable delivery methods. Survey data shows that online purchasing trends formed during the COVID-19 pandemic may be permanently adopted, and sellers need to pay attention to these retail changes.

Maximizing Mobile for Retail Operations

As time goes by, many retailers have increased their investment in online businesses, shifting their 2021 budgets and resources to websites in large numbers and using visual images to showcase products .

Reducing waste and automating everything from order confirmation to shipping notification is now a priority for retailers investing in e-commerce and looking to protect their profitability . For its customers, the priority is to ensure a consistent experience with seamless access to orders , customer data , stock availability and pricing between stores and websites .

Also, ensure that their stock availability , timelines and delivery dates are transparent so that customers can make the right decision.

Due to the evolving customer demands for immersive experiences that replace the sensory experience of touching and studying products , many companies are beginning to invest in high-quality product imagery and 3D assets .  

Continuing digital transformation is one of its top priorities

International furniture retailer IKEA has created a digital hub in the United States to better serve customer needs and launched a new app that allows customers to shop all of IKEA's products and have them shipped directly to their homes.

The program is said to be working on speeding up its site and its overall usability by offering better , more streamlined checkout options , with greater order placement capabilities and strengthening its swatch program.

Several leading brands in the furniture industry said that things like 3D product visualization , mobile-first experiences , virtual consultations , customer service , personalization , data and analytics, shipping fabric samples and user-generated content are all areas that retailers should focus on .

User Generated Content

Many e-commerce experts believe that user-generated content is becoming a big part of the social media landscape. Using social features to generate some great user-generated content from your customers is a real money saver.

Social media channels have become a two-way communication channel used not only to post information about products and services but also to target advertisements to their followers and local markets.

Retailers can also communicate with customers about products directly through messaging and even use the tool as a platform to showcase furniture virtually , which changes the way information is shared with social media channels .

Adjust advertising spending

Survey data shows that the cost of advertising in digital channels in 2020 is higher than ever before , and more and more companies rely on online websites for digital commerce. This has also led to high costs for advertising in digital spaces such as Google , Facebook and other online advertising channels.

For its part, IKEA has been using its advertising to highlight the company’s commitment to sustainability , inclusivity, and innovation.

Some retailers will continue to increase their advertising budgets to compete with new competitors entering the market. But for most retailers, a flexible strategy between paid advertising and organic marketing can be adopted to build a sustainable program.

In general, US retail will migrate to e-commerce in large numbers in 2020, and retailers need to pay close attention to such changes to improve their competitiveness.

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