Gone are the days when discounts and deals were enough to entice customers. Today, customers are choosing brands based on the kind of experience brands offer.
Customer experience (CX) will continue to offer competitive advantage to brands. And brands aren’t leaving any stone unturned, in 2024.
Personalized, adaptive, holistic — what exactly are the eCommerce customer experience trends for 2024?
Read this post to find out!
14 eCommerce customer experience trends
2024 is going to be more vibrant than ever for eCommerce businesses.
With newer technologies and advanced features, more number of brands entering the market, and more consumers getting comfortable buying all sorts of products and services online, brands have ample eCommerce customer experience trends to impress their customers.
Here are some customer experience trends for 2024 we think are worth a try:
1. Subscriptions will take center stage
The popularity and number of eCommerce subscription businesses are growing. And the only reason for this is not convenience. Customers are opting for subscriptions over one-time purchases more for the experience brands are providing.
Here’s what subscription brands will do more of in 2023:
- Collect customer feedback to make subscriptions better for them
- Personalize subscription plans and offers
- Collect different data sets and use it to build strategies
- Optimize subscriptions for mobile
- Offer dynamic pricing based on customer preference
2. Memberships will increase
Another factor that’s a key part of eCommerce customer experience trends for 2024 is memberships.
Brands across industries are offering membership programs because they help boost customer retention, improve loyalty, provide a competitive edge in the eCommerce market, among other benefits.
Here’s what membership brands are doing and you should, too:
- Combine memberships with other strategies, such as social, loyalty programs, etc.
- Promote memberships on product pages
- Use artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to enhance membership customer experience
- Prioritize different types of data and KPIs – go beyond the basics
3. Community feel and experience
Communities are going to be one of the biggest growth factors for eCommerce brands. It’s going to be one of the key eCommerce trends in 2024, because communities engage, provide value to customers beyond transactions, make groups of customers feel exclusive, and facilitate new connections.
Here’s how eCommerce brands are growing communities:
- Take a long-term approach with building communities
- Introduce new community-focused platforms, such as new social channels
- Build omni-channel experiences using digital tools
- Put in place a proper community plan and management strategy
4. Omni-channel experience
Customers are using various channels and platforms to shop — from WhatsApp to social to website. And brands are doing all they can to meet customers where they are.
Omnichannel engagement is a big eCommerce customer experience trend you shouldn’t miss out on. Studies show that omnichannel strategies that focus on engagement see almost 10% annual increase in revenue.
Here’s what you can do:
- Be present on as many channels as possible
- Choose channels preferred by your customers
- Enable transactions via different channels
- Integrate different channels to ensure seamless experience for customers
5. Personalization
Personalization has been one of the most powerful ways for you to tailor customer experience. And it will continue to be an eCommerce trend for 2024, more stronger than ever. With advanced AI tools and predictive analytics, brands are taking eCommerce personalization to another level.
Let’s look at some personalization trends for 2024:
- Share relevant content with customer segments
- Create communities to offer personalized experiences
- Involve customers to understand how you can personalize their experience
- Optimize the product sales path based on different customer segments
Example: Recommend products and highlight product details based on customers’ history. For example, if a customer is more focused on the price then highlight the price more than any other details.
6. Combine sustainability goals with customer experience
Conscious consumers emphasize on the importance of brands’ sustainability aspects. 78% of consumers in the US say sustainable choices are important to them.
When a brand integrates sustainability into its culture, it significantly influences how customers perceive it. So what are the eCommerce customer experience trends around sustainability that you can follow?
- Sustainable products and packaging
- Sustainable choices, such as digital bills
- Carbon-neutral shipping options
- Ethically sourced products
- Transparency and traceability of products
7. AR/VR technologies
Tech savvy customers know there are many ways to see, try, feel, and know more about products before they buy them online.
For example, through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), customers can make better purchase decisions. Studies show consumers using AR will grow to 4.3 billion by 2025 from 1.5 billion in 2021. And that’s why AR/VR technology is one of the major eCommerce customer experience trends for 2024.
Here’s how you can incorporate it in your online store experience:
- Use it for product visualization
- Make online shopping interactive via technology
- Use technology for virtual fitting experiences
- Create immersive virtual showrooms
8. Voice commerce
Voice commerce presents a huge opportunity for online brands to transform the customer experience in e-commerce.
To customers, voice commerce offers a faster and more convenient way to shop online. Brands, on the other hand, can tap into new audiences, grow brand awareness, etc. via this method.
Here’s how you can incorporate this eCommerce customer experience trend in your store:
- Utilize voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant, etc.
- Allow customers to explore and search products via voice assistants
- Enable order placing and payments through voice assistants
9. Visual assistant
Another key eCommerce customer experience trend for 2024 is going to be an increase in visual assistance for shopping.
Many times people view products but don’t know any details about it. In such cases, a visual assistant helps them capture the image on their phone and search for the product online.
Here’s what you can do:
- Have high resolution images on your eCommerce store
- Optimize your images with relevant keywords
- Incorporate image recognition tools and technology in your site
10. Flexible payment options
Today’s customers are spoilt for choice when it comes to payment options — from mobile wallets to cash to cards — they have different preferences.
And being able to pay through their preferred payment methods has a direct impact on their experience as well as purchase decisions. It’s going to be a key part of customer experience trends in 2024.
Here’s what you can do:
- Integrate multiple payment options on your eCommerce site
- Some methods to include are cards, online transfer, netbanking, wallets, cryptocurrency, cash, EMI options, etc.
- Buy Now Pay Later is making shopping easier for customers
11. Self service experience
Customers are savvy and prefer to do things on their own while shopping. For example, if they want to change their delivery address or card details on eCommerce sites, they want to do it on their own, without asking for help. Digital self service is a key eCommerce trend for 2024 and here’s how to go about it:
- Include FAQs and returns policy pages in your website
- Provide live chat facility for customers to reach out
- Enable easy edits on the customer page, to the subscriptions, etc.
- Enable easy requests for refunds, exchanges, etc.
12. Talk about brand values
Millennials and Gen Z place a lot of importance on personal values and look for the same values in brands they support and buy from.
This makes it important for eCommerce brands to weave in their brand values in different campaigns and generally in the overall business. Brand values influence 64% of customer loyalty. This is a key eCommerce customer experience trend to consider for 2024.
Here’s what you can do:
- Talk about your brand values in your communications
- Tell stories about your brand and let customers know about your brand values
- Invite customers to join in supporting your values
- Choose brand values around ethics, eco-friendliness, diversity, equality, etc.
13. Transparency
90% of customers say brand transparency influences their purchase decision. When it comes to knowing information about the origin of a product, the labor policies of the brand, data usage policy, etc, customers are becoming increasingly demanding.
And that is why, transparency aspect is going to be one of the key components of eCommerce customer experience trends in the coming years.
Here’s how you can adapt to the transparency trend:
- Let customers know about your transparency policies
- Demonstrate accountability and integrity
- Make transparency a part of your brand value and communicate about it
- Respond to customer queries regarding transparency
Which eCommerce customer experience trends are you going to adapt to in 2024?
The eCommerce market is in the middle of rising competition, evolving customer demands, and brands using the latest advanced technologies to capture customers and offer them the best experiences.
In such an environment, if you do not take strategic steps to improve your customer experience quotient, your brand might get lost in the sea of options.
Ready to take the first steps to improving eCommerce customer experience?
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