Top ecommerce marketing trends to watch out for in 2016

A robust marketing strategy is important for any industry, and ecommerce is no different. Having a systematic marketing plan and a strong team to implement it will help an online seller towards a healthy sales figure.

Let us take a look at some trends that could be hot in 2016:

• Mobile marketing – This is currently being referred to as ‘micro-moment’ marketing. People across the world peek at their mobiles every now and then. Ecommerce companies can exploit this by strategically placing ads across apps that are frequently used.

An ecom marketer can make best use of the micro moment by predicting exactly what a user is looking for when she or he picks up their smartphone, and give them a suitable ad or notification.

Another observation that experts are making is the possibility of mobile revenue overtaking desktop revenue. One reason for the increase in mobile shopping is the amount of resources and effort ecommerce companies are putting into making the mobile experience smoother and more comfortable. The ever increasing number of smartphones and widespread adaption of mobile networks (think 4G) will contribute in no small measure to the success of mobile commerce.

• Analytics – Google Analytics is going to be a thing of the past, and real time deeper analysis will take over the scene. Tara Sporrer, VP of Marketing and Sales at Moxie.com, a company that works on customer engagement software, notes that analytics will be able to pinpoint the exact reasons for specific buyer behaviour.

She says, “With traditional analytics, you may know that a certain percentage of people are abandoning their shopping carts before checkout. With real-time, actionable ecommerce analytics tied to customer engagement, you can see that people bounce when they have a problem with a coupon code. Maybe they mistyped it or maybe it just expired and they didn’t realize it.

And now, instead of losing that sale, you can immediately provide the shopper a foolproof coupon code, saving the sale.”

• Social media marketing – Initially, it was sufficient if an ecommerce company had a social media presence, and updated content and pictures from time to time. However, today it is imperative that ecom engages their customers actively, and reach out to them through social media like Reddit, Pinterest, Twitter and the like.

An ecommerce company should not wait for a customer to reach out to them via a public forum only when they have a complaint or grievance. Social media sites are increasingly allowing sellers to reach out to potential buyers through targeted advertisements. This allows the sellers to streamline their ads and direct them towards customers who would be likelier to be interested in their products. It also helps increase conversion rates.

• Video marketing – Ecommerce companies will turn towards visual media to help propel popularity. Having high-resolution photos is becoming outdated. Video marketing and the concept of virtual reality are slowly gaining momentum. Shoppers will look towards a future where they can try on apparel, shoes and accessories online through virtual trial rooms.

The concept might be farther away from home than online sellers would wish, but it is certainly something that ecommerce companies need to look into. Cisco says that almost 69% of all internet traffic will be taken over by videos. This being the case, it is advisable that ecommerce players keep themselves updated to avoid losing out to enterprising competition.

• Content – Conventional marketing has always started at text. However, experts say that presently, content is focussed on SEO, and somewhat random. The challenge will be to train the guns on content that the customer is looking for, and trim it according to the niche where it fits.

So there you are – the major trends that are going to rule ecommerce marketing for 2016. Use them to the hilt to the optimum to get the best results for your ecommerce business.

To know more about ecommerce, get in touch with Browntape. We are India’s leading ecommerce experts and we are ready to help you take your online retail business to the next level.