The Future of Ecommerce Boasts Opportunities for Growth and Change

In the beginning, there was Amazon — a plain Jane portal selling books. In 1999, total online sales for the industry represented a minuscule fraction (0.06%) of total retail sales.

Today, there's no stopping online shopping.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, ecommerce sales as a percentage of total retail have been steadily growing over the years. As of the second quarter of 2024, ecommerce brands accounted for 16.0%  of all retail sales in the United States.

Globally, ecommerce revenue contributes significantly as well. In 2023, the ecommerce market made up 15.6% of total retail sales in the U.S. And projections suggest that by 2027, this proportion will continue to climb, reaching approximately 20.6%.

Here’s what we see impacting the future of ecommerce.

Developing ecommerce trends to follow

From digital influencers on TikTok and the rise of Reddit in Google’s search results to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), the pace of change has been breathtaking. Following are our top 10 trends to help you measure where your website ranks in meeting the needs of digital-savvy online shoppers.

Because the future of commerce is now.

AI’s influence continues to grow.

From copywriting and chatbots to personalization, AI and machine learning will be further integrated into the ecommerce experience.

ChatGPT will make it easier to develop sales copy and write product descriptions and browser integrations, like Bing’s Copilot, will make AI ubiquitous. Products such as Google’s Gemini will help enhance productivity and customer service.

Although it may seem like we are still in the early stages, the growth of AI has been exponential. It’s already transforming how ecommerce websites attract and convert customers.

Augmented reality meets virtual reality.

While this technology has seen its fits and starts, innovative retailers who embrace augmented reality (AR) have found ways to add digital spice to the customer experience. IKEA’s app, for example, lets you place furniture in your living room virtually. This enhanced perception of reality just may lead to increased sales.

An emphasis on security and privacy.

The future of ecommerce resides in data privacy and secure transactions.

Ensuring your information is private, safe and secure is critical to us. Every day, every store, every request, every visitor, every purchase, we are committed to the security, privacy, and business resilience of your ecommerce brand and business.

We provide privacy and security tools for your online store so you're in control. With BigCommerce, you reduce cost and complexity with a platform designed with the secure functionality your business needs.

With more security certifications and built-in features than other ecommerce platforms, BigCommerce gives you the power to grow your business securely from day one.

Seamless checkout.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The importance of a great user experience at checkout cannot be overstated. Shopping cart abandonment rates can attest to that.

The key to conversions is to make the checkout process seamless. How?

For starters, eliminate the mandatory account creation. Simply allow customers to place an order as a guest. This positive first impression could lead to a second order.

Another way to optimize the checkout process is to offer alternate payment methods. An independent study covered two months of transaction data from BigCommerce merchants on our “Enterprise” plan and using our native checkout experience.  

A BigCommerce merchant not using alternative payment methods yielded a 52.9% checkout conversion rate, while that number jumped to 58.9% when using BigCommerce’s native one-page checkout and the merchant included either PayPal Wallet or Apple Pay.

Using both PayPal Wallet and Apple Pay? The conversion rate was boosted to 61.9%.

Omnichannel ecommerce will be critical to success.

Look at your phone and think about all of the apps you interact with regularly. How many do you use in a typical day? How many notifications do you get?

Think about how you can maximize site traffic across leading search, social, ad, affiliate and marketplace channels. Feedonomics can do all that for you. It’s a product and data feed management solution that helps ensure superior personalized shopping experiences for your customers and is one of our top app integrations

That’s the future of ecommerce.

It’s not enough to have a few ways of reaching online shoppers — you need to have multiple consistent channels that deliver direct messaging. Omnichannel marketing is the one true path to customer loyalty.

Mobile continues to grow.

Over 55% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices — and mobile shopping is only going to increase. The rise of 5G will enhance digital experiences and m-commerce, enabling ecommerce platforms to deliver more engaging content.

Customer experience is paramount.

The user experience is a large part of your brand which in turn drives sales. Advances in technology enable ecommerce brands to more closely replicate the in-person experience. The future of ecommerce stands with those who do that best.

Automation frees up resources for the important tasks.

Automation is an increasingly normal part of everyday business for online stores. It enables companies to do more for less and free staff to make impactful innovations instead of common “run the business” tasks.

Voice commerce is here to stay.

“Siri, reorder diapers” is going to be an increasingly common way of making online purchases. Much like having content that is search engine optimization (SEO) friendly, voice search should also be considered in product descriptions to ensure a holistic ecommerce strategy.

Headless technology drives innovation.

Headless ecommerce offers maximum flexibility and is a preferred method for trying new digital selling methods. Having the backend and frontend decoupled from each other reduces risk and gives developers the best environment to experiment and innovate.

Yeti Cycles had a complicated tech stack that prevented them from moving products to market quickly. With the help of an agency partner, they discovered they could use BigCommerce’s headless ecommerce implementation which could match the precise engineering of their products.

Going headless proved to be the kickstart they needed for innovation and growth. It opened up an entirely new revenue stream that would have otherwise taken a massive amount of time and development resources.

A rise in eco-friendly products and shipping.

Slowly but surely companies are embracing sustainable practices, from reducing waste and their carbon footprint to creating longer-lasting products. Amazon lets customers choose shipping using fewer boxes and Patagonia is renowned for giving profits to the planet.

Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, prioritize transparency, social responsibility and the environmental impact of a company’s entire supply chain. 

The future of enterprise ecommerce websites

Ecommerce has evolved significantly over the past 25 years. From its humble beginnings in the early 1990s, it has become a massive global industry, achieving an estimated $2 trillion in sales worldwide.

Enterprise ecommerce is rapidly evolving as online businesses aim to deliver highly personalized and seamless shopping experiences. This shift is happening at a time when economic challenges, like dwindling consumer savings, rising debt, and high interest rates, are limiting people's ability to spend.

Key factors driving this evolution include technological advancements, mobile devices and smartphones and product marketplaces, like Amazon, Alibaba and eBay, which have contributed to overall sales volume.

To stay relevant, enterprise ecommerce businesses must invest in artificial intelligence, digital business transformation and seamless customer experiences.

Personalization.

Product recommendations are common on most ecommerce websites, but personalized or localized content specific to the customer's interests will become the new norm. Instead of offering a single unified experience, ecommerce platforms will offer millions of unique experiences based on past customer behavior, demographics or location, increasing initial sales and retention.

Multichannel integration.

Single-channel sales just aren’t enough anymore. Modern ecommerce means social commerce, e.g. selling through social media platforms, like Instagram and TikTok, and retail giants, like Amazon and eBay.

A single source controlling multiple channels (social and marketplaces) ensures consistency and control, even as the number of sales channels grows.

Chatbots.

A well-integrated chatbot eases the burden on your customer service, enables customers to self-service and resolve many issues on their own and even serves as a 24/7 support function. They make it easier to find customer service-related information and have the potential to increase customer satisfaction.

Cutting-edge site search.

Search functions are constantly evolving, with AI potentially changing forever how customers search for items. A robust on-site search connects customers to products quickly. That means less time browsing aimlessly and more time checking out.

The growth of purchase processes

As the internet has evolved, consumers have become more sophisticated. They expect instant answers and next-day delivery. When shopping online, they demand a fast, simple and efficient checkout. They don't care about your payment system; they just want it to work.

What they do care about is their privacy. Showing clearly that you take customer data privacy seriously builds trust and earns customer loyalty

Consumers also expect regular updates on their orders, whether by text or email. As a result, purchase processes have adapted to meet these demands.

Multiple payment options.

The first step in moving people to their purchasing decisions is not limiting how they can buy something. Third-party microservices offer best-in-class experiences during checkout and make it easy to accept alternative payment methods like cryptocurrency or mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay).

The COVID-19 pandemic also made Buy Online, Pick Up In Store a popular option. BOPIS is a melding of the online and in-person experience.

Easy order tracking.

Order tracking provides an added layer of transparency in ecommerce sales and instills customer confidence. It sets expectations for when a product will arrive and improves customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

The final word

Ecommerce moves fast — and it's up to business owners to stay ahead. While no one can predict exactly where ecommerce will be in five or ten years, the trends outlined here offer a glimpse into the future. 

To stay competitive, you’ll need to embrace new technologies and adapt to shifting consumer behaviors, ensuring you remain a leader in the online retail world.

FAQ about the future of ecommerce