Online shopping has been around since the 90s, giving plenty of time for technology for online retailers to evolve. Emerging technologies have significantly boosted ecommerce sales, making it an increasingly attractive option for business owners.

However, as ecommerce has expanded, so too have global emissions, leading to a shift toward more sustainable business practices within the industry, such as carbon offsetting purchases.

In this article, we’ll explore how current ecommerce trends are shaping the future of online stores and highlight key trends worth considering. We’ll also provide practical guidelines to help you assess and implement these trends effectively in your own online shop.

Why Are Ecommerce Trends Important To Watch?

Ecommerce trends are like the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Rather than warning of potential danger as the canary does, ecommerce trends reveal what drives consumer behavior, what expectations are shaping the market, and where the industry is heading.

Here are a few ways businesses can benefit from staying on top of ecommerce trends:

1. Consumer Expectations: Trends provide a snapshot of evolving consumer priorities and values. Understanding these can help you align your products, services, and marketing strategies with what consumers actually want. As we’ll see in a bit, sustainability is becoming a non-negotiable aspect for many shoppers in addition to painless order returns; recognizing this shift can unleash a cascade of benefits like increased revenue, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage.
2. Competitive Advantage: By staying on top of ecommerce trends, you can differentiate your business from competitors. This could mean adopting new technologies, implementing eco-friendly practices, or simply enhancing the customer experience. We’ll explore a few trends that can give your business a competitive advantage.
3. Innovation and Adaptation: Trends often signal new business opportunities or threats. They can inspire innovation, prompting you to explore new business models, marketing channels, or product offerings that meet emerging demands. 
4. Operational Efficiency: Some trends can lead to improvements in how your business operates. For example, advances in logistics and packaging solutions not only cater to consumer preferences for sustainability but can also reduce costs and improve the efficiency of your supply chain. Additionally, offering package protection at checkout also protects your shoppers and streamlines your return process through a third-party vendor instead of adding additional tasks to your team.
5. Revenue Growth: Ultimately, integrating these insights into your business strategy can drive revenue growth. By catering to the latest consumer preferences and expectations, you’re more likely to attract and retain customers, enhancing overall customer lifetime value. We’ve got a few case studies later in the article that will demonstrate just how much growth we’re talking about. Think: 38% increase in average order size.

14 Top Ecommerce Trends

Ecommerce trends reveal a lot about how a customer shops, guiding ecommerce stores in their quest to offer the best customer experience possible. These are the biggest ecommerce trends driving industry standards right now.

1. Increased demand for sustainable products

Consumers are increasingly making purchase decisions based on the environmental and social impact of the products they buy. According to recent studies, nearly 80% of consumers are altering their shopping habits with sustainability in mind, and products marketed as sustainable are seeing significant growth. 

This trend is particularly strong among younger demographics like Millennials and Gen Z, who are more likely to support brands that align with their values of environmental responsibility. For ecommerce businesses, this means there is a growing market for sustainable products. 

Offering sustainable products is a business strategy that taps into an expanding demographic of environmentally conscious buyers.

2. Eco-friendly packaging

With up to 86 million tonnes of plastic packaging produced annually by ecommerce companies, the push towards eco-friendly packaging solutions is more urgent than ever. Only a fraction of this plastic is recycled, highlighting a significant opportunity for businesses to stand out by adopting sustainable packaging practices. 

Consumers are noticing too; a majority (58%) express that the way products are packaged makes a difference to them, with younger consumers willing to pay more for goods that take a mindful approach to packaging. Implementing eco-friendly packaging not only reduces environmental impact but also meets consumer expectations, potentially increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Recycling and reuse programs

Recycling and reuse programs are becoming a cornerstone of sustainable ecommerce practices, especially in the fashion industry. As consumers become more environmentally aware, they seek out brands that provide options for product lifecycle extension, such as easy return systems for recycling or reuse. 

This trend is supported by data showing a massive interest among consumers in brands that actively engage in sustainability initiatives.

Think: thredUP, Patagonia, and Madewell as prime examples of popular brands that implement a recycling program. Other brands like Nuuly let customers rent products and then allow the brands to sell used items right in their online stores.

Ecommerce businesses can capitalize on this trend by integrating recycling programs or offering products designed for easier reuse and longevity, thereby enhancing brand loyalty and fostering a deeper connection with environmentally conscious consumers.

4. Carbon offsetting purchases

The growing awareness of carbon footprints has led to an increased interest in carbon offsetting options during the checkout process. As ecommerce is poised to become a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, offering customers the option to offset the carbon impact of their purchases can be a strong selling point. 

5. Transparency and reporting on sustainability practices

Transparency about sustainability efforts is not just appreciated but expected by today’s consumers. Studies have shown that a large majority of shoppers are more likely to purchase from a company that is transparent about its sustainability practices and frequently updates consumers on its progress.

This means that not only do businesses need to implement sustainable practices but also communicate these efforts clearly and consistently.

Consumers value honesty and are more engaged with brands that can provide real-time reporting on how their operations are impacting the environment. Here are some compelling stats about how desperately customers what to know about your sustainability efforts:

• 53% of consumers around the world opt for one brand over another if they align with their values, stressing the importance of transparency in sustainability efforts.
• 73% of consumers believe it’s important for companies to take responsibility for their environmental impact.
• 78% of consumers want to buy from eco-friendly brands but don’t know how to identify them.

This level of openness not only fosters trust but also strengthens customer loyalty, positioning brands as leaders in the shift towards more sustainable commerce.

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances shopping experience

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the ecommerce sector by significantly enhancing the shopping experience. By integrating AI technologies, ecommerce businesses can deliver a more personalized, efficient, and secure shopping journey. 

Here’s how AI is transforming key aspects of ecommerce:

1. Collection and analysis of customer data and behavior: AI excels in gathering vast amounts of data and extracting meaningful insights from it. By analyzing patterns in customer behavior and preferences, AI helps businesses tailor their marketing strategies and product offerings, ensuring that customers find exactly what they’re looking for.
2. Dynamism of offers and promotions: AI algorithms can dynamically adjust offers and promotions in real-time based on market trends, inventory levels, and customer behavior. This responsiveness not only improves sales but also enhances customer satisfaction by providing relevant deals when they are most likely to be of interest.
3. Shopping experience personalization: Personalization is at the heart of modern ecommerce. AI uses data from past purchases, browsing history, and customer interactions to create a customized shopping experience for each user. This might include personalized product recommendations, tailored email marketing, and customized browsing experiences that lead to higher conversion rates.
4. Search results optimization: AI improves the accuracy and relevance of search results, making it easier for customers to find the products they want quickly. By understanding natural language queries and learning from user interactions, AI can refine search results to better match customer intentions.
5. Customer service automation: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle a wide range of customer service inquiries without human intervention. This not only speeds up response times but also frees up human agents to handle more complex issues, improving overall customer service efficiency.
6. Voice shopping: With the rise of smart home devices, voice shopping is becoming increasingly popular. AI enables voice recognition technologies that allow consumers to shop conveniently through voice commands, providing a hands-free, hassle-free shopping experience.
7. Fraud protection: AI systems are crucial in detecting and preventing fraud. They can analyze transaction data in real time to identify patterns that may indicate fraudulent activity, thereby protecting both the business and its customers from potential losses.

As AI technology continues to evolve, its integration into ecommerce is set to deepen, making it an indispensable tool for competitive advantage.

7. Augmented reality and virtual reality

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is transforming ecommerce by allowing customers to visualize products in their own environment before making a purchase. This technology enhances customer confidence in their buying decisions and reduces the likelihood of returns. For instance, furniture retailers use augmented reality to help customers see how a piece of furniture would look in their room, ensuring the style, size, and color are right before they buy.

8. Conversational commerce 

The market for conversational commerce is on the rise, with projections indicating substantial growth in the coming years. This trend involves interacting with customers through live chat, chatbots, and voice assistants to facilitate the buying process. By integrating conversational AI, businesses can offer personalized shopping advice, resolve queries, and streamline the customer journey, all within the chat interface.

• Chat apps and messaging platforms: Messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat are increasingly being used for ecommerce transactions. These platforms enable businesses to reach customers directly, send notifications, process orders, and provide customer support in a familiar and convenient setting.
• Chatbots: Chatbots are becoming a staple in ecommerce for providing round-the-clock customer service and assisting with common inquiries such as order tracking and product questions. Advanced chatbots powered by machine learning AI can offer a personalized shopping experience and automate routine tasks, enhancing shopping experiences.

9. Sophisticated and painless returns

Ecommerce businesses are hustling to make their returns processes more and more customer-friendly as technology evolves. This includes simplifying the returns procedure, offering free returns, providing instant refunds, and even offering peer-to-peer returns. This innovation improves the customer experience by ensuring that even post-purchase interactions with your business are pleasant.

Here’s a breakdown of how you can improve your returns process:

1. Check Your Policy: Give your returns policy a good once-over. Make sure it’s super easy to find and understand. A clear policy cuts down on those customer service calls and keeps everyone satisfied.
2. Streamline the Steps: Simplify the returns process. Maybe add printable shipping labels or set up easy drop-off points. The goal is to make it as hassle-free as popping something in the mailbox.
3. Offer Shipping Insurance: By partnering with a third-party vendor you can offer package protection at checkout to your customers at little to no cost to your business. By doing so you can build trust with your shoppers all while preventing lumping on additional responsibilities to your in-house team. It’s truly a win-win.
4. Consider Free Returns: Offering free returns takes away the guesswork and worries about buying from you, especially for first-timers.
5. Offer Peer-to-Peer Returns: Enable direct peer-to-peer returns, where customers can hold onto returned items for a few extra days before they are automatically assessed and relisted for sale based on their condition. This system streamlines the process and turns potential losses into new sales by offering discounted, eco-friendly items directly to other customers. 
6. Speed Up Refunds: Quick refunds or instant store credits encourage customers to give another product a try instead of walking away.
7. Clear Communication: Make sure your customers know what to expect right from the start. List all of the returns options available and what they can expect with each option.

Customers expect online shopping to be an enjoyable and easy experience, even when a product doesn’t work out.

10. Social commerce

Social commerce is growing rapidly as platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest integrate direct purchasing capabilities. This trend capitalizes on the seamless transition from social media browsing to purchasing, tapping into the vast user bases of these platforms and converting them into sales channels:

• Social media platforms saw $992 billion in sales in 2022, underscoring the significant market potential for ecommerce businesses engaging in social commerce.
• Over 80% of social media users utilize platforms to research products, demonstrating the influence of social media on consumer purchasing decisions.

If your business hasn’t already, then it’s time to transition your product catalog to the social platform that makes the most sense for your business. This is generally what’s involved:

• For Instagram, you’ll need to upload your product catalog, which can be synchronized through Facebook Business Manager. Once your catalog is approved, you can start tagging products in your posts and stories.
• Develop content that showcases your products in use. This could be high-quality photos, videos, or customer testimonials. Your content should not only display your products but also fit naturally within the user’s social media experience.
• Take advantage of social media advertising to reach a broader audience. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer powerful targeting tools that allow you to reach potential customers based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics.
• Partner with social media influencers who resonate with your brand to reach potential customers in an authentic and engaging way. Influencers can provide a human touch to your brand and expose your products to a wider audience.

Use the analytics tools provided by the social media platforms to monitor how your social commerce efforts are performing. Look at metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to understand what works and what doesn’t, then adjust your strategy accordingly.

11. Subscription services

Subscription models offer consumers convenience and value through regularly scheduled deliveries of products they use frequently. This business model increases customer retention and predictable revenue streams for businesses, ranging from grocery items to personal care products.

This trend has been catching like fire in recent years, with the primary incentive for customers being the discounts applied when subscribed to a product.

You’re most likely familiar with how Amazon does this with its subscription services for frequently purchased items. EcoCart partner Face The Future has a similar subscription service for its skincare products.

Depending on your industry, there are a few ways your ecommerce business can offer a subscription service. Just to get the juices flowing for you, here’s a nice table of ideas for subscription services by industry:

12. Mobile shopping continues to grow

Mobile shopping is expanding, with more consumers using their smartphones to make purchases. With smartphones becoming a nearly universal accessory, more consumers are using them to shop anywhere and anytime. This shift is largely driven by the convenience of being able to make purchases on-the-go and the advancements in mobile payment security that make online shoppers feel safe.

Here are a few ways to prepare your shop for this booming trend:

1. Continuously check that your ecommerce site is fully optimized for mobile devices. This means fast loading times, responsive design, and intuitive navigation that suits smaller screens.
2. Streamline your mobile checkout process to minimize steps and typing. Consider features like autofill and the integration of popular mobile payment systems like Apple Pay or Google Wallet to speed up transactions.
3. Focus on creating a seamless user experience specific to mobile users. This includes large, easy-to-tap buttons, optimized images that load quickly, and easy access to customer support.
4. If you haven’t already, then start leaning into mobile-specific marketing strategies such as SMS marketing and push notifications. This will deliver your campaigns right into the palms of their hands.

You can see how Face The Future keeps its mobile cart clean, easy to read, and with minimal options for next actions. Even EcoCart’s climate contribution widget is nicely balanced with the two broad, colorful buttons so that the user has plenty of space to tap their chosen option.

13. More ways to pay

The variety of payment options available to consumers continues to grow as shopping online becomes more and more commonplace. Digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) services are becoming commonplace in ecommerce. Offering multiple payment options caters to a wide variety of customer preferences and can reduce cart abandonment rates, boosting conversions and overall satisfaction.

You can see how Jade Yoga nestles all of its payment options at the bottom of the cart on mobile devices, making it easy to see before beginning the checkout process.

Here are some ways to evaluate and improve your current payment options:

1. Add popular payment options like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet to your checkout process. This is an important option these days considering that mobile shopping is another booming ecommerce trend on this list.
2. Some shops might even consider methods like cryptocurrencies if your target market shows an interest.
3. BNPL services like Afterpay, Klarna, and Affirm allow customers to defer payments or pay in installments. Including these options can attract customers who prefer not to pay the full price upfront, reducing cart abandonment.
4. Clearly display all available payment options at various points in the shopping journey, particularly on product pages and during the checkout process.
5. Given the sensitivity of payment data, double down on your payment gateway security, and communicate this security to your customers to build trust.

14. Better search experiences

Ecommerce sites are stepping up their search game, making it easier than ever for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for. Thanks to advancements in AI and natural language processing, search engines on these sites are becoming smarter, able to grasp what customers mean, not just what they type. This means shoppers can get more accurate results quickly, whether they’re typing out their queries or using the latest visual search tools to upload photos and find similar products.

Voice search is another big leap forward, especially handy for on-the-go mobile users or those using smart speakers. This feature lets customers speak their searches, making shopping as simple as asking a question out loud. These smarter, faster search tools not only save time but also make shopping online a lot more satisfying, keeping customers coming back for more.

How To Evaluate An Ecommerce Trend For Your Business

Identifying and implementing the right ecommerce trends is an important step in jumping on trends, especially in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Here are some core factors to consider when determining whether a trend is worth pursuing and continuing:

• Align with business goals and values: Evaluate how a trend aligns with your long-term business objectives and core values. If a trend can help you achieve your goals or reinforces what your brand stands for, it might be worth exploring. 
• Understand your audience: Consider whether the trend resonates with your target audience. Analyze customer data and feedback to understand their preferences and pain points. If a trend addresses these effectively, it could enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. 
• Regulatory compliance: Keep abreast of relevant regulations, especially those related to environmental sustainability. As laws evolve to mandate certain practices, adopting trends that help you comply can safeguard your business against legal risks and fines. Learn about how US climate change laws are impacting businesses.
• Scalability and flexibility: Determine whether the trend can scale with your business and adapt to future changes in the market. It’s crucial that new initiatives can grow and evolve as your business and the market dynamics change.
• Test and learn: Before fully committing, consider running a pilot project to test the trend’s effectiveness. Monitor the results and gather insights on its impact on your operations and customer experience. This step allows you to make informed decisions based on actual performance rather than predictions.
• Monitor competitor responses: Observe how your competitors are responding to the same trend. If competitors are successfully implementing a trend, it might indicate its viability in your industry. However, also look for opportunities to differentiate your approach to stand out in the market.
• Review and iterate: After implementation, continuously monitor the trend’s impact and make adjustments as necessary. The ability to iterate based on real-world feedback is key to making the most of any trend.

By methodically assessing each trend through these steps, you can make strategic decisions that not only keep your business competitive but also responsive to the changing regulatory and consumer landscapes. This approach ensures that the trends you pursue are not just popular but also profitable and prudent for your specific business context.

How To Determine ROI Of Ecommerce Trend

Even if a trend seems like a good fit for your business, you still want to complete the crucial step of evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of the trend. After all, if a trend runs you dry, then is it really worth it?

Assess the financial implications of adopting the trend. Consider the initial costs, potential savings, and revenue growth. A trend should ideally offer a clear return on investment through increased sales, reduced costs, or both. For example, while implementing advanced AI might require upfront investment, the increase in efficiency and personalized shopping experiences can lead to higher conversion rates and customer retention.

Learn how to finance sustainability initiatives if you want to get ahead of the sustainability trends this year.

Let’s break down the process of determining the ROI of a tempting ecommerce trend.

First, start by identifying all associated costs. These include the initial expenditures such as purchasing technology, training staff, and possibly the costs of integration. Also consider operational costs that will recur, such as maintenance, subscriptions, or additional staffing needs. Don’t forget opportunity costs — the investments you forego when you choose one option over another.

Next, estimate the potential savings. For example, implementing a trend like automated customer service can reduce labor costs and decrease response times, increasing customer satisfaction. If the trend helps comply with new environmental regulations, consider the savings from avoiding fines or reducing waste.

Revenue growth is another factor that is perhaps most on your mind. How will this trend enhance your sales? If you’re implementing advanced AI for personalized shopping experiences, then you might see higher conversion rates and increased customer retention. Consider whether the trend could help you tap into new markets or demographics, further expanding your revenue opportunities.

To calculate ROI, you’ll subtract the total costs from the total benefits (savings and additional revenue) and then divide this number by the total costs. This calculation gives you a percentage that represents the return on your investment. For example:

ROI = (Revenue Growth + Savings − Total Costs / Total Costs ) × 100

It’s also important to consider intangible benefits, like improvements in brand image or customer goodwill, which may not immediately translate to cash flow but can have long-term benefits for customer loyalty and brand strength.

Conducting a scenario analysis can also be insightful, if you’re into these kinds of exercises. Consider best, worst, and most likely scenarios to gauge potential risks and rewards. 

• Best-case scenario: What if everything goes as well as possible?
• Worst-case scenario: What are the implications if the implementation fails?
• Most likely scenario: What is the most realistic outcome?

This step helps you envision whether or not your business can sustain itself through less favorable outcomes.

Once your chosen ecommerce trend is implemented, continuously monitor the financial impact against your projections. Be ready to adjust your strategy as necessary to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Why Your Business Needs To Embrace The Sustainability Trends

As consumers increasingly favor eco-friendly products, businesses adopting sustainable practices are not just responding to a trend but capitalizing on it to transform their bottom line.

Sustainable brands see a notable 10% increase in average order value, indicating consumers’ willingness to pay more for products aligned with their environmental values (EcoCart Sustainability Report). 

Not only will customers spend more per purchase, but they will also last longer as well. Seventy-seven percent of consumer products and retail organizations find that implementing sustainable practices leads to an increase in customer loyalty.

The financial implications are equally compelling. Face The Future, for instance, weaved their sustainability ethos through a loyalty program and saw not only a 130% higher average order value from loyalty members compared to non-members but also a 200% increase in the number of purchases per customer. 

Meanwhile, Simbly’s addition of EcoCart to their online store sparked a 38% increase in average order size, demonstrating that consumers are enthusiastically responding to greener choices.

Other brands have seen similar success. Tribe Kelley reported a 19% rise in their conversion rate after implementing EcoCart, alongside a significant environmental impact of offsetting over 73,324 pounds of carbon. 

Nuzest and JuneShine have also made notable strides, with increases in conversion rates and substantial carbon offsets, highlighting the tangible benefits of integrating sustainable practices.

Moreover, Wildway found that offering customers the option to make their orders carbon neutral was not just a token gesture—over 10% of their customers chose this option, contributing to the offsetting of more than 122,000 pounds of carbon. This participation underscores a clear consumer preference for taking actionable steps towards reducing environmental impacts, even in their shopping choices.

As these trends evolve, proactive businesses championing green initiatives are set to thrive, reaping benefits that extend well beyond the immediate financial gains.

Sustainability Solutions By Ecommerce Business Size 

As ecommerce businesses grow, their approach to sustainability and ESG reporting needs to adapt to their scale. EcoCart offers scalable solutions to aid businesses of varying sizes in their sustainability journeys. 

Up to $50K in total monthly revenue 

For those generating up to $50K in total monthly revenue, EcoCart provides do-it-yourself software designed for carbon accounting and offsetting, enabling small businesses to start their sustainability practices independently. 

The Sustainability Insights Dashboard helps businesses keep track of where their emissions are coming from and how much is being offset through the climate contribution checkout widget.

This makes it easy—and affordable—for businesses to keep up with both customer demand for sustainable business practices and also with new and upcoming climate change laws that require emissions reporting and reductions or offsets.

$50K-$100K in total monthly revenue 

Businesses earning between $50K and $100K can benefit from EcoCart’s integration capabilities, which sync with their existing tech stacks for a more holistic approach to marketing and sustainability efforts. EcoCart will do all of the work and connect you with the best partners that we integrate with.

A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a good fit for businesses in this revenue bracket that are seeking to comply with certain green certifications. With EcoCart’s LCA services, businesses can evaluate the life cycle of their top products. This will highlight areas for improvement and recommend solutions. All while your business starts implementing the recommendations, you can mitigate your existing emissions through climate contributions.

Over $100k in total monthly revenue 

For enterprises with revenues exceeding $100K, partnering with EcoCart allows for the development of a comprehensive sustainability program tailored to their larger scale and specific needs. Businesses can do this through our carbon offset API, which allows you to calculate the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and shipping processes.

How EcoCart Helps Your Business Stay Ahead Of Ecommerce Trends

EcoCart equips your business to lead in sustainability, meeting consumer expectations and adhering to new environmental regulations. Our tools make it easy for any ecommerce business, large or small, to implement carbon offsetting and showcase their commitment to sustainability directly at checkout.

Ready to make your business a sustainability champion? Request a demo to see how our solutions can help you attract eco-conscious customers and stay competitive. Let’s make every sale an opportunity for a greener future.