2024年为购物者提供服务：帮助零售商应对未来挑战的指南

A guide to the major e-com trends and sales eventsof the year Introduction: a competitiveedge in a changing world Online shopping continues to permeateevery aspect of retail. While growing in-storefootfall remains a challenge for many retailers,ecommerce sales continue to climb. Expertspredict that they will hit $969 billion in 2023,up from $858 in 2022.1 Yet the year ahead will bring challenges of anew kind. With a global cost-of-living crisis,household budgets will continue to feel thesqueeze. Consumers will grow ever morecost sensitive and they will expect retailers torespond to their concerns and challenges. But while cost may be the biggest factor facingecommerce in 2024, it is far from the onlyone. New technologies continue to createnew possibilities. They also raise consumerexpectations. People of all ages expect to getwhat they want, when they want it. And theydo not expect to have to compromise on anyaspect of the customer experience to get it. In other words, 2024 presents a lot to thinkabout. This guide will help. It exploressome of the emerging trends in retail andhow these could impact each of the majorshopping events of the year. And it will showhow getting the delivery management andexperience right, will help retailers keep acompetitive edge. Overall e-com trends for 2024 1. Consumers grow price savvyas the cost-of-living bites The latter months of 2023 brought newpressures on household budgets. They showno immediate signs of abating. Some 58%of shoppers have reduced spending on non-essential items.2 A squeeze on spending impacts all retailers.However, e-commerce providers need to workharder to shake an assumption among someconsumers that they are more likely to finddeals and discounts by heading into store. 2. The continuing rise of socialcommerce Mobile devices already account for 71% ofretail traffic. They generate 61% of onlineshopping orders. The trend is set to continueas Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2010)continue to gain purchasing power.3 Meeting the needs of mobile shoppers willmean far more than ensuring mobile-friendlyversions of web shops and apps. Some 78%of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers (aged 40or younger) expect to be able to make theirpurchases directly through a social mediaplatform.4 Many of the trends impact e-commerceemerged over recent years and wereaccelerated by the pandemic. Others havearisen out of the specific circumstances ofthe last few months. Adapting to each will beessential to surviving and thriving in the yearahead. 3. The centrality of the customerexperience Consumers do not feel that shopping onlineshould lead to a compromise of the customerexperience. They expect help when they wantit. And they presume that this help will comethrough the channels – phone, social media,live chat – that work for them. Some 87% of consumers spend less with,or completely abandon, brands that don’tprovide great customer service.5 There’s aclear commercial imperative to get this right. 4. A non-negotiable approach toreturns Retailers will continue to take different viewson whether returns should come at a cost.But it’s increasingly clear that if a shoppercan’t quickly and easily see how they would goabout returning a product, they are less likelyto complete their purchase. Surveys show that 67% of shoppers will checkthe returns policy before buying online. Andwhen they find that the process was easy, 92%of consumers will purchase from the brandagain.6 5. Sustainable shopping andshipping Environmentally-sustainable retail is becominga priority for customers and regulators alike. In addition, the European Union’s CorporateSocial Responsibility Directive, coming intoforce in 2024, will compel many retailers toreport on their greenhouse gas emissions.Carbon emissions in the last mile make upa significant proportion of these, meaningretailers will need accurate data at theirfingertips. nShift GuideDelivering for shoppers in 2024 6. Personalization as a priority New technologies present the possibility ofpersonalizing content to each consumer.And this is exactly what shoppers expect.Some 74% of customers feel frustrated whenwebsite content is not tailored toward them.And 91% of consumers claim they are morelikely to purchase from brands that providerelevant offers and recommendations.9 The data that e-commerce companies collectcreates huge opportunities to personalize theonline shopping experience. However, a studyof 350 retailers found that just 16% considerthemselves expert in data harnessing. Some60% described themselves simply as “gettingthere” with data.10 Many may be missingcrucial opportunities to target purchases anddeals to relevant consumers. 7. Reliable and quick delivery Too many online retailers invest in getting theproduct right and creating the best shoppingexperience, only to fall at the final hurdle.Studies show that for 85% of shoppers,delivery time is the most important factor.11 And reliability really matters. Some 65% ofshoppers