The online retail of tomorrow

Just like the consumer, buying behavior is constantly changing.e-commerce is growing. In the last ten years, e-commerce sales in the B2C segment increased by almost 200 percent. Thus, in 2016 44 billion euros implemented via online retail. Whether mobile, augmented reality or increased personalization - the number of innovations naturally grows with the revenue. New opportunities for retailers and customers inevitably demand optimization. Where should decision-makers start now to be competitive in tomorrow's world? And what awaits companies along the customer journey? The full-service provider Tellja provides answers.The e-commerce of tomorrowFrom TV commercials in the store to price comparisons on the Internet - even today, the customer journey is no longer straightforward and is quite individual for every industry and every company. But where we still talk about multichannel today, cross- and omnichannel will become even stronger in the future, because the steadily growing importance of smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and the like means that the individual channels can no longer be viewed completely separately from one another. The boundaries of individual channels are increasingly disappearing. Consumers no longer just jump from channel to channel, but use different online and offline channels at the same time. The result: an increasingly complex customer journey with numerous touch points and thus an even more unpredictable consumer. The shopping experience of the future must create constant availability and active and seamless service: Cross commerce stores will soon provide the necessary haptics with stationary stores and dovetail online and offline with integrated displays and terminals. IKEA has long provided screens in its stores with more detailed product information and WLAN, which can be used to order products directly to the customer's home. In the future, virtual planning of one's own home would be conceivable via augmented reality. The sensible networking of all relevant channels for a personalized customer approach and an optimized shopping experience is therefore the be-all and end-all for companies to remain competitive in the future. Mastering the increasing channel fragmentation caused by customer behavior remains the real challenge.Where online retailers can score nowWhere do the customers of tomorrow move? Whereas today only two or three channels are often used along the customer journey, in just a few years' time customers may reach the final purchase via ten channels. In order to be able to understand and manage the more complex customer journey, companies must realign themselves technically and organizationally.e-commerce should be a mirror of the offline world - so online is a must. Already in the last year 81 percent of users access the Internet while on the move, and a further increase can be expected in the long term, as digital natives will be entering their most affluent phase of life in the next few years. Responsiveness is therefore no longer just a freestyle activity for companies, but a must if they are not to be overtaken by the competition. Where for a long time the sales funnel was optimized on the website, it is now important to make the mobile site easier, faster and more organic. Many companies don't see that a mobile sales funnel requires a different structure than the website sales funnel that has been optimized for years. With a simple copy and paste of existing knowledge is not enough here. Slow set-up times and unclear mobile counterparts to the website will no longer score points with the consumers of tomorrow. Stationary retail can use mobile solutions to address the end consumer in a prolonged manner - for example, if the customer has verified himself in the store with the help of his smartphone or localized himself on Facebook. Potential customers who are in the vicinity can be identified using GPS and addressed in a personalized manner.The agony of choiceWhether it's ordering the latest gadget online, testing it in the store, or trying on clothes virtually in the store - just like consumers, buying behavior itself is changing over the long term. While the individual paths to the purchase decision continue to fray, one constant remains: It's human nature to tell stories, to share, and to seek validation from others. On the one hand, it is becoming easier and easier for consumers to compare products and prices, and on the other hand, more and more providers are enticing consumers with their offers. Recommendations from others are thus becoming an increasingly valuable lever for efficient brand communication and consumer orientation. According to a Study by McKinsey, the most trust is placed in socially driven touchpoints along the customer journey. In addition, already today 92 percent the buyer on recommendations from acquaintances or friends and 70 percent even on the opinions of partly anonymous Internet users. This makes it a very important channel in "fragment channel management" that must be professionally controlled and monitored. Decision-makers should now rely on word-of-mouth advertising from their own customers, because around 80 percent of consumers are happy to pass on their experiences. This can help companies win up to 20 percent more new customers.