The eCommerce industry’s continuous development has continued this year. More than ever before, merchants are creating and/or updating their e-commerce businesses to meet customers where they are. While everything in e-commerce appears to be changing, many online companies did extraordinary well like Payday Deals. 

Here a bit of how 2020, the year of the pandemic has impacted businesses especially in Australia.

1. The experience of online purchasing is enhanced through augmented reality.

For eCommerce, augmented reality (AR) has been a game-changer. This sort of technology allows customers to see the thing they’re looking for up close, which aids in their purchasing choice. AR has a considerable influence on the shopping experience in specific industries, such as fashion and home decoration, because it helps buyers to feel better about an item without having to see it in person.

According to Gartner, 100 million people will shop using augmented reality by 2020, so it will be fascinating to watch how it plays out next year.

This forecast is shared by Michael Prusich, Director of Business Development at 1Digital Agency:

In terms of augmented reality, polls have shown some extremely convincing numbers: If consumers could virtually try on a product before buying it, 35% of people say they would shop online more, and 22% say they would visit a brick-and-mortar store less if AR was offered through their favourite e-commerce company.

2. The number of voice searches will increase.

Not only are there more smart speakers on the market, but consumers are now relying on voice assistants to accomplish daily chores.

As more smart speakers are installed in homes, more people will use voice search to shop online, order food, and manage their lives. In terms of keywords and content, the advent of voice search presents an opportunity for eCommerce firms.

3. AI assists retailers in learning more about their customers.

Customers may enjoy automated, tailored purchasing experiences thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. AI collects data on how customers shop when they make purchases, and what they’re searching for in a product or service regularly. It’s a piece of technology that can’t be duplicated in a physical location. Artificial intelligence can even understand your taste in food, hairstyle, music, etc..

The intricacy of AI, as well as the capacity to make it more human, is becoming increasingly essential, according to Ron Smith, Editor in Chief of The Digital Outdoor:

People want to know that companies care about them, and AI will be trained to reflect this. On social media, we’ve seen the inverse tendency, when AIs learn from humans’ more negative comments, but it’s very probable that customers would want the impact.

4. In order to provide tailored experiences, big data is used.

Many customers are now aware that eCommerce sites collect personal information about them, putting them in danger. As a result, experts are divided on the advantages of big data and how it influences the individualized shopping experience.

Personalization will ultimately find its way to the internet of things as digital firms continue to develop and bring more services in-house. We’ll see suggestions not only on search engines and retail platforms but also on our thermostats and doorbell cameras. We will, however, be allowed to opt-out of portions of the law once it is passed. People who have ultra-personalized experiences and those who do not will form an interesting contrast. This will have intriguing implications for how we, as marketers, might reach out to new people.