Brands And Their Future In E-Commerce

In the ever-changing digital landscape, with empowered customers becoming more savvy than ever, brands need to be hungry to fill the gaps in the new customer journey. Consumers now have a multitude of resources at their fingertips and will choose their own path to purchase. The latest eMarketer statistics show that online shoppers discover brands on social platforms, jump on the product or brand page in a web browser to learn more, then switch to a marketplace to buy or discover competitors – this is where you might be missing out on potential wins! 

This year continues to present even more challenges for brands in the e-commerce space, shifting landscapes and consumer habits are constantly evolving. Even the most established brands can no longer live off their past glories and need to be on the prowl for the next promotional opportunity or big hit product. The biggest risk is not taking any risk. To do this, brands must be able to anticipate upcoming trends, keeping their finger on the pulse.  

The latest trends show lines becoming blurred between traditional retailers and brands. Plainly said: Customers expect more from brands. It’s important to consider where in your modern consumers’ journey you can inspire them to purchase. The Autralian Online Shopping trends advocate the dire need for a “seamless customer experience.” What does this mean?

In the new customer journey mentioned above, your empowered customer shapes their own online shopping experience and if they make it all the way to the marketplace on their terms, you may risk losing them to a competing product – but you can’t compromise by not being on these marketplaces. Brands need to be more interactive with their customers or risk losing them to competitor brands willing to engage on their website, marketplace or social media. ChannelAdvisor has a solution to help streamline the shopping experience and escort your customers to your product through our Where to Buy solution. 

Helping brands adjust to selling direct to consumer – even if you don’t sell direct to consumers on your website – and overcoming obvious challenges from within their retail network is par for the course these days. The ChannelAdvisor Where to Buy solution eases the path to purchase by keeping consumers in your branded experience and making your content and campaigns shoppable through your preferred retailers.  The custom-built widget or API can point your customers to online or local retailers while providing actionable insights. Not only does this quench the thirst for a seamless customer experience, but it also meets your consumers expectations moving forward.