Even before the pandemic forced everyone to stay home, shopping online was often a more convenient experience for consumers than wandering around a brick-and-mortar store with a janky-wheeled shopping cart. Similarly, many small business owners found e-commerce preferable to setting up shop — not only for cost-cutting reasons, but to reach a much broader audience. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, e-commerce has not only become more relevant, for many businesses, it became essential. E-commerce titan Shopify reports, “COVID-19 massively accelerated trends that we were already seeing—it packed a decade of e-commerce growth into a single year.” Even as brick-and-mortar retailers reopen, e-commerce is poised to remain a prevalent alternative; Statista predicts over 2.14 billion people will purchase goods and services online in 2021. 

With so many consumers looking to shop online, you’d think everyone and their mother would be getting into the e-commerce game, however, Oberlo reports over one-third of small businesses don’t even have a website! If you’re in that third — or are online but struggling to optimize your e-commerce game — don’t fret. In this installment of The Tea, we’re sharing our tops picks for e-commerce platforms and the top five trends e-commerce merchants should explore. 

The best e-commerce platforms for small businesses

There’s no shortage of e-commerce platforms circulating the web — and if you’re new to online retail, the multitude of options can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best e-commerce platforms for small businesses:

• Shopify – As mentioned above, Shopify is the MVP when it comes to e-commerce. Affordable and easy to use, Shopify also has a ton of integrations and plug-ins that allow you to completely customize your online shop. The only major drawback to Shopify is its relatively weak SEO compared with other platforms — however, you can always hire an excellent content marketing team to help optimize your Shopify shop! 

• Squarespace/Square – Despite the undeniable popularity of Shopify, Squarespace’s online stores actually take up most of the market share. And for good reason. Integrated with Square, Squarespace’s online platform doubles as a brick-and-mortar POS, which makes it the perfect provider for hybrid online/in-person retail experiences. 

• WooCommerce – If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform with great SEO, WooCommerce is your best bet. WooCommerce is also the best platform for those looking to add an e-commerce plug-in to an existing WordPress site — not to mention its standard features are free if your WordPress site is self-hosted!

• Wix – If you’re building a website specifically for e-commerce, Wix is undoubtedly the easiest and fastest platform on the market. Just sign-up, answer the onboarding questionnaire, and then Wix will guide you through the process of creating a custom online shop tailored to your specific needs. 

Top e-commerce trends

One of the most difficult — and overwhelming — things about e-commerce is staying ahead of the technological curve. That’s why we’ve rounded up our top five trends online retailers would be wise to adopt in 2021:

1. Get social – Unsurprisingly, social media use also increased during the pandemic and Hootsuite forecasts this uptick will result in 3.7 trillion hours clocked on social media in 2021. Paid social media posts are a great place to start marketing your online store, but shoppable video ads are undoubtedly the most impactful when it comes to e-commerce sales.  “Your videos can vary from unboxing videos to tutorials or explainer videos,” advises Core DNA. “Product images can even be converted into a slideshow and user-generated content can be reposted to capitalize on the video frenzy.”

2. Diversify payment methods – Credit cards are so 2020! In our brave, new world, you’d be wise to allow consumers to pay however they want, and that includes fintech apps like PayPal, Venmo, and ApplePlay, or even blockchain cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, ether, and Dogecoin (kidding, but not really!). Customer finance options are also a great way to attract new customers. Apptopia reports “Buy Now, Pay Later” apps — like AfterPay and Klarna — increased installs “135.7% and web visits 46.5% YoY.” 

3. Deals, deals, deals – One of the major attractions to shopping online is the ease of price comparison and finding digital coupons. To take advantage of this trend, consider implementing customer loyalty programs, providing exclusive online discounts, and above all else, offer customers free shipping — of the 70% of shoppers who abandon their digital carts, 49% did so due to shipping costs, taxes, and extra fees (Baymard).

4. In-store online – One of the biggest drawbacks to online shopping is the inability to try before you buy. E-commerce will never be able to completely replicate the IRL experience, however, augmented reality (AR) technology is poised to provide customers with the next best thing. Major companies like Sony Electronics and Etsy have started introducing AR preview placements, which allow shoppers to envision products in their own spaces from the comfort of home. Amazon, ASOS, and the Warby Parker app use AR to offer the online equivalent of fitting rooms. While others like  SuitSupply and Lululemon use virtual reality (VR) technology to connect virtual salespeople to customers at home. Invesp reports 70% of consumers would be more loyal to brands that offer AR/VR experiences, so now is a great time to get in the AR/VR game.

5. Sustainable shopping – Last but certainly not least, consumers are more conscious than ever about protecting the planet. A 2020 report conducted by IBM reports 80% of surveyed consumers indicated sustainability was important to them, and of that 80%, 70% would pay a premium for environmentally conscious brands. Besides lowering the carbon footprint of your offerings, retailers can make a difference by choosing sustainable packaging, which has the added benefit of bolstering customer loyalty — according to McKinsey, “55 percent of US survey respondents report that they are extremely or very concerned about the environmental impact of product packaging.”

To recap, successful e-commerce businesses should take full advantage of the increased time people are spending on social media, diversify payment options, attract customers with exclusive online deals, experiment with AR/VR technology, and pursue sustainability wherever possible. If all this sounds way too overwhelming, don’t worry! We’d love to help you develop a custom e-commerce strategy perfectly suited to your small business — email me today to schedule your free consultation!