If 2020 was the year of consolidation of e-commerce, in 2021 brands are committed to continuing on that path of growth without neglecting key factors such as logistics, user experience and the exploitation of the best practices of artificial intelligence.

A report from one of the main e-commerce platforms in Latin America showed figures that highlight 2020 as the year of definitive growth in online sales: with 45% of new buyers and 7 out of 10 users who continue to choose online payment methods over traditional alternatives. However, companies showed certain shortcomings that will be factors to attack this year so as not to lose opportunities or add dissatisfied consumers, especially on social networks.

Shipping and infrastructure

Last year the courage of brands to adapt quickly to changes was tested. However, the weakest area was shipping. Beyond the delays in logistics, failures were evident in a system that is not 100% integrated, creating a funnel for those companies that do not have their shipping system optimized. “It is important for ecommerce businesses to have the sales circuit automated, from order processing to dispatch,” said Federico Aon, Director of Commerce & Industry at Snoop Consulting. “To sell and for the order to appear in the warehouse, ready to deliver and without intermediaries, more integration is needed with specialized software, so as not to sell what you don't have and not stop selling what you can sell.”

Artificial intelligence and chatbots

“Their entry barrier is low and the benefits are high,” said Mercedes Morera, Director of the SME Area at Snoop Consulting. "In combination with other tools, such as WhatsApp Business, the borders of companies were expanded so that SMEs could have direct contact with their customers. Chatbots learn by use. For a chatbot to work correctly, it must be "fed" with a series of guidelines to repeat, teaching it to interpret phrases. An innovation was voice chatbots, which are particularly useful for older adults because they find it more practical to send audios. It is estimated that the VoiceBots market will reach 40 trillion dollars in 2024.

Social Commerce

With the intensive use of social networks, users feed their desire to consume on Instagram and Facebook, and they probably do not need to leave there to get what they need. "The central difference with respect to traditional e-commerce is in the purchasing cycle: Social Commerce is a little more flexible and informal and takes advantage of the spontaneity of social networks. In this way, a more direct purchasing process is established in Social Media and in one place you can consult, buy, rate, share an experience and recommend a product or service immediately and even create a community around a brand or company (fanpages and closed groups)," explained Aon.

Customer experience

This aspect encompasses the previous three and is the most difficult to address due to its complexity and the multiplicity of variables involved. A superior browsing experience can make the difference between an abandoned cart and a delivered product. Two key issues are omnichannel and user experience (UX) design. Omnichannel, because it is common for a consumer to start a search on one medium such as their laptop and finish it on another, such as their phone. The experience must be integrated and seamless for all devices. “When talking about the 360° experience and the customer journey, it is expected that all points of the process are attended to without interruptions, encouraging them to complete the purchase and not abandon the cart,” Aon added. “It is the problem of many brands and we have to work hard on this.”

Brands hope to exceed 2020 figures. Special e-commerce events, such as the Hot Sale, will undoubtedly help. SMEs and large companies will need to start taking consumer growth and maturity seriously and work to ensure that key improvements do not delay. Otherwise, costs can become very high.