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Jose Duarte provides insight into the eCommerce trends coming in 2021

If there’s a booming sector, it’s eCommerce. Although it has been growing in recent years, the pandemic has definitely driven it into the preferred method of purchase for consumers, and no longer only among younger generations. Jose Duarte, an entrepreneur and eCommerce expert from Costa Rica, explains the trends of eCommerce for 2021.

The penetration of eCommerce globally has grown in 2020. Probably due to confinement, eCommerce has been able to overcome its growth – which was stagnant – over the past two years, and the frequency of purchase increased to 51% while up to 25% of people confirm that in the new normal they will continue to buy online with that same intensity.

An eCommerce trend for 2021 is omnichannel. Says Duarte, “It is a growing trend in physical stores that people can finish their online purchase (eCommerce Instore), eCommerce stores that have their physical store, interactive kiosks.” Omnichannel is the ability to deliver a consistent, consistent experience across channels and devices to interact with ecommerce. That is, how to ensure that marketing strategies are geared towards getting the public to shop using any channel. They are those stores that sell both online and offline.

The benefits of omnichannel solutions for eCommerce include improving efficiency and comprehensive collection of customer data and its activity. The goal is to be able to track customers thanks to multiple channels and collect information about their preferences in order to offer a more adapted and personalized service.

A decade ago, many retailers were not yet aware of the great potential that the Internet was going to have. In recent years, the radical change has been the use of mobile, which has brought with it an option that will revolutionize the world of eCommerce: voice searches. Several studies are already coming that voice recognition will be a key technological breakthrough, which is already a key technological advance. Voice is an excellent solution to develop that link between the customer and the company, leaving aside the coldness that internet shopping normally entails.

Adds Duarte, “With voice searches, the buyer will no longer have to visit a merchant’s website and browse its categories. An oral request providing you with the appropriate answer will suffice. This will lead to an effective and human dialogue that will boost online shopping. According to a recent Quoracreative study, today, 55% of adolescents make use of daily voice searches. Meanwhile, voice shopping is expected to rise to $40 billion by 2022.”

Without a doubt, green consumerism could not be lacking among eCommerce trends by 2021. This is almost a “demand” driven by the new generations, increasingly concerned about the environment. For many people, it is practically a requirement when consuming a product and opting for a brand. It must be responsible and committed to the cause. In fact, there are already studies that indicate that the green consumer is willing to pay between 15% and 20% more for organic products. They also ensure that their preferences for those made with biodegradable raw materials and those packed in easily recyclable containers.

In this respect, eco-marketing will play a key role. Green will be key to positioning itself as an ecologically conscious company, as these types of products give differential added value to the company that sells them.

To do this, in 2021 we will see many organizations opting for a branding that enhances the image of corporate social responsibility in the face of other aspects. A trend that is expected will go further and that will cause many resources, especially among multinationals, to be dedicated to transmitting an image as an environmentally conscious company.

Finally, among the eCommerce trends for 2021 we find recommerce. “Also known as resale, reverse trading or, directly, buying second-hand products. While this is not a new concept, we are seeing a change in consumer behavior, in line with the previous trend,” says Duarte, adding, “Recommerce ranges from sales of products used on social networks to platforms to do so. Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing their own consumption and the negative impact this has on the environment.”