2. Voice commerce
The rapid expansion of the smart speakers market, projected to grow to over $35.5 billion by 2025, underscores a significant trend: voice commerce. This sector is anticipated to soar, marking a crucial opportunity for ecommerce businesses.
As devices with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri become more mainstream, they transform customer shopping habits. The convenience and speed of voice commerce offers many benefits, so we can expect an increasing number of shoppers turning to voice commerce in the future.
So, what does this mean for ecommerce stores? Voice commerce includes optimizing content for voice search by focusing on natural language processing and conversational queries. Plus, it’s possible to add robust voice command functions to ecommerce platforms.
For example, Walmart has integrated Google Assistant into its shopping platform so customers can add items to their shopping cart using simple voice commands like “Hey Google, add milk to my shopping cart.” This way, a grocery list can be updated on the go, providing an efficient, hands-free experience. Plus, voice search technology improves accessibility, attracting a broader customer base.
Amazon Echo smart speaker. Source: Pexels
Augmented reality (AR) is a valuable technology for retailers, especially for ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. AR technology enables customers to visualize products in their own environment before buying, addressing common online shopping concerns such as size, fit, and style compatibility.
Virtual try-ons enabled by AR reduce the guesswork, resulting in a 20% higher conversion rate and more ecommerce sales. A customer can now see how a sofa looks in their living room or how a pair of glasses fits their face, minimizing the likelihood of returns and increasing buyer confidence.
Virtual try-on feature for glasses. Source: IOLLA
For example, the Shopify AR tool allows you to overlay augmented images and 3D models of your products into real-world settings. This feature is seamlessly integrated with Shopify stores and supported by popular apps like Threekit and Araya, making it a highly accessible option for ecommerce businesses interested in offering virtual try-ons.
Integrating AR into your ecommerce site enriches the shopping experience and provides a significant competitive edge. Online retailers with branded AR experiences are 41% more likely to attract customer interest than those without.
Moreover, with advancements in machine learning, extended reality (XR), and virtual reality (VR), tech-savvy brands have numerous opportunities to deliver interactive, immersive experiences for online shoppers. These innovations are key to fostering customer loyalty and setting the stage for a transformative 2024 and beyond.
The dominance of mobile shopping continues to grow, with more buyers turning to their smartphones for shopping. In 2023 alone, mobile commerce generated an impressive $491 billion in sales, highlighting the immense potential of this market.
Ensuring a smooth customer journey is crucial. That includes a responsive website design that adjusts to different screen sizes, fast page load times, and intuitive navigation leading from product discovery to checkout.
Plus, the widespread use of mobile wallets and payment technologies such as Apple Pay and Google Pay has transformed the checkout process, making it faster and more secure. Ecommerce sites with a mobile-first strategy are well-positioned to capture a larger market share, as convenience becomes a key factor for a positive customer experience.
Responsive website design on mobile devices. Source: Pexels
5. Sustainable ecommerce
A staggering 73% of consumers worldwide are committed to changing their shopping habits to lessen their environmental impact. This growing customer base is actively seeking out brands that demonstrate genuine environmental responsibility. Key actions include minimizing packaging waste, using sustainable materials, supporting fair labor practices, and reducing carbon footprints.
For brands looking to build or maintain trust, sustainability can no longer be a mere talking point; it must be backed by tangible, measurable progress toward sustainability goals. Brands that can authentically communicate their commitment to these principles are positioned to win the loyalty and trust of an increasingly conscientious market.
The Luxe Collective is a standout example of a brand mastering sustainable ecommerce by specializing in selling pre-loved designer items—accessories, shoes, and bags. By engaging with the circular economy, Luxe Collective extends the lifespan of high-quality items.
This business model appeals to style-savvy individuals seeking authentic, high-end products at more affordable prices and those dedicated to sustainable living. Plus, the brand reduces new manufacturing costs, minimizing its environmental footprint.
Source: The Luxe Collective
6. Dynamic pricing strategies
Dynamic pricing (also known as surge pricing, demand pricing, or time-based pricing) is a strategy where businesses set flexible prices for products or services based on current market demands.
This approach uses algorithms and real-time data to adjust prices automatically in response to factors such as changes in supply and demand, inventory levels, competitor pricing, and customer behavior. Dynamic pricing aims to maximize revenue and profitability by offering the right price at the right time to the right customer.
Dynamic pricing is widely used in industries like airlines, hospitality, and entertainment. In recent years, dynamic pricing has often been used in ecommerce, where prices can be adjusted swiftly and frequently.
In retail, this pricing strategy helps implement promotions and discounts that appeal to price-sensitive consumers. For dropshippers, dynamic pricing lets you adjust prices quickly in response to trending products. As some items gain popularity, prices can be increased to capitalize on growing demand, ensuring the business maximizes its profit margins during peak times.
Omnichannel shopping is a retail strategy that provides customers with a seamless, integrated shopping experience across multiple sales channels. This approach connects the dots between various customer touch points, including physical stores, online websites, mobile apps, and social media.
The key to successful omnichannel shopping is integrating all these channels to let customers switch between them effortlessly. This means that information about inventory levels should be connected with your web presence so that customers can see real-time availability at their local stores online.
For example, a shopper might browse products on a brand’s mobile app, check the product availability in a nearby store, make the purchase online, and choose to pick it up in-store. Interactions should be smooth, with each channel providing relevant, synchronized information.
To bridge the gap between online convenience and in-store experience, Timberland introduced TouchWalls in their US flagship store. These interactive displays provide detailed information about their shoes and utilize NFC (near-field communication) technology, allowing customers to either add items to their online shopping list or purchase them directly in-store.
Timberland TouchWall. Source: Vimeo
Think of the omnichannel shopping experience as a mindset shift that can significantly improve your business by meeting customers where they are. In fact, retailers using 3-or-more channels are proven to increase customer engagement by 251% compared to single-channel retailers.
There are many tools available to help businesses build their online presence across multiple channels, from online marketing to physical retail stores. For example, HubSpot offers a wide range of capabilities, including CRM, social media, and analytics. Salesforce Marketing Cloud excels in creating personalized customer experience across different channels.
Delivering a personalized shopping journey. Source: 
An artist’s illustration of artificial intelligence. Source: Google Deepmind via Pexels
