The last 3 years have seen a huge increase in online shopping, but fights for market share and shifting customer habits have had a significant impact on the eCommerce landscape.
Many businesses have had to review their customer journey from start to finish and optimise it for a seamless digital experience. In 2023, a number of emerging trends will once again challenge online merchants to up their game. The move towards conscious consumerism will push merchants to create an online space that is transparent and puts their core beliefs front and centre.
Another emerging trend is social commerce, taken a step further than simply selling on social media. With the rise of augmented reality and the Metaverse, virtual showrooms are set to become a hot topic in 2023, with big brands like Coca-Cola and Nike already on board with the concept.
While this news will have many shop owners rushing to make improvements left and right, we recommend you stop for a minute and first answer this one simple question: are you happy with the eCommerce platform you’re currently using?
If your answer starts with a yes and continues with a but, you have a problem. Achieving your business goals and maximising your store’s success depends on choosing the right eCommerce solution for your needs.
As experts in Shopify, we want to share the many benefits of using this platform to build your online store:
1. Easy to manage
The primary reason why businesses choose Shopify is that it’s simple to use. Shopify is a complete eCommerce solution that offers you numerous built-in tools to manage all your sales and marketing operations in one place. Its intuitive and user-friendly design makes it the best choice for those looking to start selling right away.
2. Highly customisable
Thanks to Shopify’s large variety of themes, features and apps, you can now build a website that is not only functional but also has a beautiful design that represents your brand and makes it stand out from your competitors. Additionally, a unique design that provides a great user experience will attract more visitors and convert them into loyal customers.
3. Secure and reliable
When it comes to dealing with customers’ personal and financial data, security is a must. When you create your store on Shopify, you’re automatically issued an SSL certificate that protects the content on your website. Moreover, all Shopify-powered stores are PCI compliant so that your client’s payment information is safely processed.
4. SEO friendly
Shopify can help you increase your website’s ranking through its responsive themes, fast loading speed, and effective SEO features such as custom title tags, meta descriptions, headings, URLs, and more. If you want to track your store’s performance and review your strategy, all you have to do is to set up Google Analytics and you’re good to go.
5. Great for growing businesses
Looking for a platform that adapts to your needs at every stage of your journey? Shopify allows you to upgrade your plan so that you can maintain a high level of performance at all times as your business grows. From startups to enterprises, you can count on Shopify to build a successful online store.
Tips for getting more sales in 2023
To keep up with the challenges 2023 will present to eCommerce stores, here are some things you can plan to implement. With a targeted approach, you won’t waste your money on unnecessary upgrades and enjoy a higher ROI.
AI Integration with Shopify
If you’re looking to increase sales on Shopify, one area you may want to explore is AI integration. AI can help you personalize the shopping experience for your customers, better target your marketing efforts, and automate some of the tasks associated with running a business. Here are a few ways that AI can help you boost sales on Shopify:
Personalized shopping experiences: Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they feel like the experience has been tailored specifically for them. AI can help you create personalized shopping experiences by analyzing customer data and making recommendations accordingly.
Better targeted marketing: With AI, you can collect data about your customers’ interests and demographics and use that information to create more targeted marketing campaigns. This means that your marketing efforts will be more effective and are more likely to result in increased sales.
Automated tasks: There are many tasks associated with running a shop that can be automated using AI, such as order processing and customer service. This frees up your time so that you can focus on other aspects of your business, such as marketing strategies.
Virtual showrooms: A virtual showroom is a digital space where users can browse and purchase products or services. This could be done through a chatbot on a messaging platform or through an interactive voice-based assistant. Virtual showrooms will allow businesses to provide a personalised and convenient shopping experience for their customers.
Create a belief-driven online store
With conscious consumerism driving change in 2023, instead of fighting against it you can use it as an opportunity to improve your store layout and brand story
Now, this doesn't mean that you need to turn your store into a preachy platform, pushing your beliefs onto others. But it does mean infusing your store with the values that guide you as a business. When done right, customers will pick up on this and be drawn to your store because they share your values. In turn, this can lead to increased sales and repeat customers.
So how do you go about creating a belief-driven Shopify store? Below are three tips:
Get clarity on your core values: The first step is to get clear on what you and your team believe in. What are the values that guide you as a business? Once you have clarity on this, it'll be much easier to infuse these values into your store.
Communicate your values through copy and design: Once you know what your core values are, it's time to start communicating them through copy and design. This could mean anything from writing value-based product descriptions to using certain colours or images that align with your beliefs. It could also mean sharing your product ingredients, nutritional information or origin story for a transparent and authentic brand experience.
Key Takeaway
Shopify is a powerful eCommerce platform that can help your brand create a seamless online shopping experience and effortlessly convert first-time visitors within a highly competitive market. Plus, if you add the right team of Shopify gurus to the mix, there’s a world of possibility when it comes to customising your store to meet the changing eCommerce landscape.
At Vevol Media, we pride ourselves on letting our passion for innovative, customer-centric design guide our work. That’s why we’re excited to announce that we’ve been listed in the top 30 Shopify designers on DesignRush.
Ready to start your Shopify journey? Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need help setting up your Shopify store or migrating your store from another platform.