A Digital Revolution In The Ecommerce Market: Conquer the Pandemic
The time of revelation is over.
We are no longer in awe of the calamity called the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a good six months of dealing with it, we are getting used to this new normal that includes working from home, washing hands/sanitizing everything, and of course, eCommerce.
Before the pandemic hit, online commerce was growing rapidly. But as the stores barred the doors, having an online purchasing portal didn’t remain a luxury, but became a necessity. Retailers who were already ahead of the competition leveraged complete advantage of it. And those who were not yet a part of the eCommerce gang were left to play catch up.
It is never extremely late though. In fact, for eCommerce website development no time is better than now. Sure the market is overcrowded. Yet, a solid building process will be the absolute boon to make the online portal stand out among the crowd.
But Before That: Why Is Digital Transformation Essential Right Now?
The pandemic, or more like the preventive measures to stop it affected the global market in two steps-
First, social distancing and staying at home became necessary.
Then, stores all over the globe had to close the gates to help in stopping the pandemic.
The alterations affected the sale and buyer habits so much that within a few days of imposing such rules online sales in New York, Ohio, California increased by 20%. This boosted sales should be reason enough for firms to contemplate transforming the basic business model.
But wait, there are more causes why complete transmutation in the business method is required currently. Here is a compiled a list of all the reasons only for you-
- To fit into the new business scenario and persevere, it is now crucial to change the business model and focus on digital transformation in eCommerce and multichannel experience.
- The industry is already overcrowded. Therefore technological alterations are going to be essential to compete well.
- Shopper habits, demographics, and requirements have shifted, and only through advanced internet portals can businesses fulfill all the custom demands.
As of now, the COVID-19 restriction is being gently pulled away from the city, and yet, the majority of New York citizens would like to retain the habit of buying things on the internet.
In such a situation, business owners have to adapt to the new trends and focus on renovating the old revenue model. The new plans need to concentrate on strengthening the online appearance and formulating a multi-channel eCommerce strategy that will ensure proper survival during the pandemic.
Now that we are aware of the necessity, let’s look at what the process of this kind of digitization needs to be like.
The Unified Approach To Digitally Transform eCommerce Websites
For a successful business with the help of a shopping portal, there needs to be a thorough and detailed process.
And at Unified Infotech we have a curated process that assimilates and fulfills all of client goals and requirements. In fact, why don’t we describe how the process fulfills the basic requirements of the client?
Requirements: A Client Persona Approach!
Unlike any other expert eCommerce website development company, we like to approach the entire process of online commerce portal creation through the eye of the client.
And that’s why we have created this persona of a marketing manager of a retail company who is looking to expand the business to the eCommerce courtyard.
So what are the requirements? Let’s see…
The above persona is only a brief example. However, the basic requirements of an eCommerce portal still remain the same. So let’s discuss how all these requirements can be fulfilled with the perfect eCommerce digital transformation & development process.
A Persona-Based Approach To End-to-end Product Development
Besides following the market best practices, we have found that it is the easiest to develop a perfect shopping portal by following the client requirements.
And from the brief client persona above, we are going to list out the basic requirements of any retailer looking to leverage the advantage of digital transformation eCommerce and how the perfect process compliments those requirements.
A. Firstly: Targeting The Right Audience
For maximum reach, sales, and revenue, it is crucial that the platform is aimed at the right kind of buyers.
Based on the target demographic of the products, the planning and discovery phase is going to be most important in the entire development process.
Rather than aiming blindly, the discovery and planning phase leans on data analytics, buyer survey, and client consultation to recognize the unique specifications of the platform.
With an accurate understanding of the digital transformation and eCommerce market, it will be much easier to understand exactly how the platform CX can be enhanced for maximum efficiency.
B. Secondly: Perfecting The CX
CX is the metric businessperson need to pay attention to when venturing out into the world of online trade.
There are plenty of reasons why the CX needs to be perfected but here are a few main ones-
- Visitors would judge the validity of the platform based on the experience.
- Buyer loyalty depends on the type of CX offered by the platform.
- It enforces a good brand identity.
- Helps in user conversion.
Improving CX is a matter of great significance, and this list of statistics proves just how important it is to hire an eCommerce website development company that focuses on CX for an emerging platform
- According to sources improving CX has resulted in an 84% increase in revenue generation, and increased client loyalty of 92%
- 77% of customers are prone to suggesting a brand to friends after only one positive encounter.
- Buyers are willing to spend 17% more on purchasing a product from an eCommerce portal that offers them excellent CX.
Without magnifying the CX, emerging eCommerce portals have no way of moving forward in the market.
Bonus Read: Why Enhancing Customer Experience In Web Design is The New ‘Normal’.
This increasing importance of client experience is the reason why most emerging platforms opt for expert eCommerce website development companies as the development partner.
C. Thirdly: Let’s Talk Design
eCommerce is a method that connects shops with the buyers directly, and in that connection, the role of design cannot be questioned. With a rapidly moving digital transformation trend in eCommerce, custom design is going to become even more influential.
And that’s why when designing, we keep this staggering potential in mind. The following are some of our design considerations.
1. Creating a Brand guide
Firstly, the design does not drive the whole branding. Both design and branding are simultaneous processes that go side by side, with branding getting a little more importance.
And that is why at the very beginning a detailed brand guide is created, which incorporates everything, from the aesthetic of the site to the content tone.
2. Defining Usability Flow
All customers want to complete shopping peacefully, especially when online. And that’s why the design practices focus on the flow of usability throughout the platform.
3. Understanding User Psychology
Besides using the famed practice of mental models, we also apply some crucial design psychology. This practice focuses on making the platform approachable as well as improving the experience on the portal.
4. Following the eCommerce Trends
Last but not the least, the trends. While following the trends blindly is a practice frowned upon, there’s nothing wrong with following well-researched eCommerce trends to enhance the performance.
Keeping the user and client requirements in mind, we indulge in a bit of research and apply the most popular of the design directions that will enhance both the aesthetic of the site as well as improve the overall performance.
The right design is more than effective; it is elemental in taking an eCommerce platform from striving to flourishing in a very short time. However, for retailers who are reading this, the design is not just the be-all and end-all.
A robust eCommerce website development process is equally important to keep up with the ruthless competition out there.
D. Fourthly: Development And Maintenance
The eCommerce website development is the step where the whole concept is turned into a usable application. Whether the retailers are aiming to develop an eCommerce application or a website, there needs to be a significant focus on this building method.
The market is full of eCommerce sites, and even one technical error in the experience is powerful enough to kick the site from the race of becoming the best. This scenario makes it advisable that the program is custom built with the help of the right tools.
Besides ensuring the robust essence of the platform at this stage, developers also concentrate on enhancing the digital experience with the implementations of some bonus features. Curious how that is done? Here’s a little sneak peek:
1. AI/ML: An Obvious Consideration
The use of AI/ML is a common, and yet an impressive trend. This integration aims to make the experience on the portal more instinctive. This way consumers don’t have to spend an excessive volume of time finding things.
2. AR/VR Technology: Taking Experience To The Next Level
Sure the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the eCommerce and distribution network. But with these exciting tech, the practice of online shopping can be made akin to that of the in-shop process. The enhanced reality not only draws more patrons in but spreads the name of the platform far and wide, distinguishing it in the landscape.
3. Custom Modules And Plug-Ins Development Just For The Clients
We aim for a 100% fulfillment of client goals and requirements.
That is why when the push comes to shove, building custom modules and plugins specific to the platform is a common practice. It not only makes for efficient requirement completion but gives the platform an edge against all the competitors.
However, development is not all. A perfect product requires nurturing with the right kinds of updates, and protection details.
And that’s where rigorous maintenance comes in. For retail companies that are just now entering the trade, it is of paramount importance. Without maintenance, no hope remains for the success of the eCommerce platform.
This Is Not The End Though!
A lot is being assumed about the digital transformation and eCommerce right now. And a lot will be stated in the future as well.
But what businesses out there deserve is custom consultation and process. So don’t take this part as the end of the entire discussion. In fact, it is just the beginning. Let me know your thoughts in the comment below!
