In the last decade the world of ecommerce has changed significantly, though the evolution of technology and advances in how ecommerce websites function, it’s safe to say ecommerce in 2016 has come a long way.
However it’s the attitudes of consumers that could be one of the most influential part of how ecommerce is changing. People are shopping online from a younger age and the it’s now millennials who are shaping the ecommerce industry and they could be forcing you to change how you offer your service.
Ways to shop
The younger generation spend more times on their phones and tablets than generations before, be it to check social media, watch videos or to buy online, so it’s an obvious fact that you need to have a mobile optimised, responsive website.
It’s also important to consider that younger people want instant gratification, if they want to purchase a product, they want to do so quickly and easily, with the option of next day delivery if possible. Whilst to many it sounds unreasonable, this is the future and you need to make sure your website is quick, your checkout process is simple and that you’re prepared to offer a speedy, if not next day, delivery.
Customer Service
The way young people want you to interact with them has also changed in recent years, whereas older generations may prefer to speak on the phone about an issue, younger generations want a quick response. One of the quickest ways to get this is through social media. If people want to complain or ask a question they’re more inclined to do so over Facebook or Twitter in order to speak with someone straight away, rather than being left waiting around for an email or left on hold.
It’s always important to keep an eye out for complaints or questions on social media pages, even if your company isn’t tagged, people could still be talking about you and you need to be on top of it to help your customers and make an improvements if needed.
Fundamentally younger people want one thing from shopping online, convenience, you need to make life as easy as possible for consumers in order to keep up with the competition but also keep up with the industry in general. Millennials are the future of not only your business but of ecommerce as a whole and failure to keep up could be bad news for your business.
