www.alliancecom.net 7 Online shopping is evolving. What seem like amazing developments today may appear basic by tomorrow’s standards. Technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), chatbots, and virtual reality are playing a big role. What’s Next for Online Shopping? More Augmented Reality Augmented reality blends elements of the physical and virtual worlds.With this technology, you can do things like see how a piece of furniture or paint color on an ecommerce site would look in your home, or “try on” a pair of shoes. This added dimension makes shopping more fun and decision-making easier. Enhanced Personalization If you like your favorite online retailer’s suggestions based on your searches and purchases, you’ll love emerging personalization options. AI is helping to make recommendations more targeted, so you’ll only see alerts for things you truly might like to buy. Increase in Voice Commerce If you use virtual assistants like Siri, Google, and Alexa, you already know how helpful they can be in getting weather forecasts, news, and your favorite entertainment. But did you know you can also use this technology to shop? Increasingly, retailers will be improving their online environments for better results. Expanded Use of Chatbots Shopping online means fewer humans available to help with questions. But chatbots are taking their place, helping you with things like finding specific products, providing shipping information, and initiating returns. Greater Trust in Influencers More consumers than ever trust influencers to give them good product recommendations, and this trend is likely to continue. Influencers are more convincing than celebrities because followers feel they “know” them from seeing their videos and posts. Combine the Best of Both Shopping Worlds Ever feel a twinge of guilt when you press the “buy” button on Amazon (amazon.com) for something you know you can get right down the street? It’s completely understandable, given the importance of buying local to support our communities. It’s also understandable why you would choose the convenience of buying online. But what if you didn’t have to choose? In some cases, you don’t. More smaller retailers are getting the message that, to compete with the big guys, they must make shopping at their stores just as simple. They’re doing it with online ordering and apps that enable you to buy your products in the virtual world, then have them delivered or go to pick them up. In some cases, it’s a third party like Grubhub (grubhub.com), which now offers not just restaurant delivery, but stops at 7-Eleven (7-eleven.com) for snacks. So, next time you’re about to buy from one of your usual online stores, see if your local retailer offers an option that’s equally appealing. QUICK TIP: Don’t like chatbots? When they ask what you need, type, “chat with a representative.”
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