2017 has been a great year for the online shopping industry with the overall sales amounting to 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars. The expectations are even higher this year. The technology advancements are proceeding to greater levels in 2018.

For most businesses, having an internet presence isn’t going to be enough, but better user experience is an added benefit that can be delivered with the premium Magento extensions available on Magento Commerce platform. For the eCommerce platforms, aiming to make more sales and revenue, it is essential to be on top online shopping trends.

Let’s explore the top tech trends that will dominate eCommerce industry in 2018.

Mobile Users Will Contribute a Lot

With more than 2.8 billion smartphone owners, the involvement of mobile devices is increasing in everyone’s life. Not just for communication, but people use these tiny devices for virtually everything such as education, entertainment, communication and of course shopping as well. Researchers claim that people predominantly initiate online researches through their mobile devices, rather than from desktops/laptops.

More than 50% of online sales and 70% Google searches are made via mobile devices. And it is expected that the contribution of mobile technology will continually grow up in the oncoming years.

Chatbots for Customer Service

In the recent past, the global chatbot market has attained growth of 24.3% and the reason here is because over 45% of end users consider chatbots as the primary choice for customer services. We’re heading towards the era where the involvement of humans is going to diminish for customer relations, as far as the text support is concerned.

Chatbots provide online shopping businesses the advantage of faster, better customer relations. More businesses are integrating Magento extensions to deliver unmatched customer services with the help of chatbots that are customized according to the particular business.

Big Data and Analytics

Big data and analytics have transformed all forms of industries and Ecommerce is the most effected one. Every action taken by the online shoppers is translated into some form of information, which might be used to optimize eCommerce sites.

In the coming years, the big data is going to help online shopping businesses with better prediction over demands and to individualize client experiences to extend sales. And it’s important as an increase of 1% may result in an average 8.7% increase in profits. More eCommerce websites are likely to embrace big data technology to provide more enriching shopping experiences in 2018.

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has been in talk for the past few years and more technology lovers are opting the technology to feel the things in person. This, in addition to providing a great technology for the visual content, proves to be the great support for online shopping industry.

Most leading online shopping platforms have already started using the technology for improved shopping experience. The leading eCommerce giant, e-bay, has already announced its VR department store with Myer where shoppers can browse products online without even clicking on the links. And the best thing is you can do it from virtually anywhere.The success of the online shopping platform depends upon the user experience and how well the products are showcased. The two factors can be addressed by User Experience Design and User Interface aspects.

Although the UI and UX have improved significantly in the recent past, we can expect new updates in the coming year. The improved UI and UX design will cut down the visual annoyance, inscribing responsive layouts.

Bottom Line

Online shopping industry is growing at a super-sonic speed with customers expecting more from the websites. Platforms not coping with the latest trends are likely to face serious setbacks. It is, hence, suggested that businesses update, reflect new market trends and keep updating the functionalities to make shopping easier using best Magento extensions to stay competitive.