It’s no surprise that shopping in 2014 is drastically different than it was 20 years ago, or even five years ago with the continuously evolving nature of modern day technology. Smartphones and tablets have made it easier for shoppers to find information about products on the go and transact within seconds. Many retail businesses have realized the lucrative potential of opening an ecommerce store, or in some cases, completely abandon the brick and mortar model and move operations online. Recent research predicts that global ecommerce sales should reach over $1.3 trillion by 2016, representing a significant chunk of business that will be conducted online.

The online environment and ecommerce sites confer upon shoppers plenty of advantages that cannot be found in stores, such as:

• Ease of comparing products from different brands and retailers. While this can be done in stores on a smaller level, ecommerce sites make it easier for users to filter between brands and compare features. Additionally, some verticals are full of competitors, providing users with the ability to view the same product from five different online retailers at the same time.
• Social proof in the form of testimonials and ratings. 20 years ago, users relied upon word of mouth marketing as social proof when purchasing products. These days, users can filter through pages of product reviews, social media testimonials, off-site video reviews, and more to influence purchasing decisions.
• Coupons, promos, and discounts galore! Although retailers can provide users with coupons and discounts in physical stores, there’s no denying that sales promotion tends to skyrocket when a business sells online, whether it’s providing instant incentives for registering an account or marketing promotions via strategic email remarketing.

Online retailer Gift-Library.com recently prepared an infographic detailing the current trends in the retail landscape and predicts how ecommerce sales will rise in the future. The main question is: how will your business leverage the growing trend of online & mobile shopping?

Infographic Source: Digital Information World