It’s been a big year for business owners, to say the least.
But a ‘big year’ doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘bad year’, especially for ecommerce.
Recent changes in online shopping habits are opening up new opportunities for ecommerce stores unlike ever before.
Here’s how online shopping has changed in 2020.
More People are Online
There are roughly 7.77 billion people on this planet, and as of July 2020 4.54 billion of them are active internet users. And the number is only growing. In Australia alone, the number of internet users increased by 265 thousand between 2019 and 2020.
With access to over half the earth’s population, the most powerful marketing tool in the world lies just at your fingertips, giving you the resources you need to reach the people who matter most to your brand.
People are Shopping More Online
With 65% of Australian shoppers saying they’re shopping more online, and predictions that ecommerce will make up 22% of global retail sales by 2023, people aren’t just spending more time online, they’re spending more money.
The recent pandemic, has seen more people turn to online shopping, with ecommerce sales up by 55% on last year.
‘Physical distancing restrictions, travel bans, and business closures have really forced the hand of traditional shoppers who have been historically wary of venturing online’
The influx in online shoppers offers a unique opportunity for ecommerce businesses to show their customers the value of ecommerce.
By focusing on making online shopping a pleasant experience, customers who are currently shopping online out of necessity, may begin to shop online out of preference.
Some Industries are Thriving
In a survey conducted by Econsultancy, 41% of respondents said they were currently shopping online for things they usually shop for in-store. Unsurprisingly, many people are searching online for the necessities, with page views on food, beverages and tobacco up by 66%.
Entertainment is on the rise too. The NAB Online Sales Index reported high year-on-year growth for online sales in games and toys, personal and recreational products, and homeware appliances.
Many businesses have already repurposed their production lines to produce hand sanitiser and face masks. But now there are further opportunities for stores to adapt their business to the growing market for entertainment and homeware products.
People are Using Social Media More, but Facebook Ad Costs are Declining
More people are using social media than ever before. A recent report by Facebook shows that, as of March 2020, daily active users have increased by 11%.
But despite the increase in social media activity, the cost of Facebook Ads is declining. The average cost of a Facebook ad is just 82 U.S. cents for a thousand impressions, compared to November 2019 in which one thousand impressions cost an average of 1.88 U.S. dollars.
With more people online, and Facebook advertising costing less, now is an excellent time to advertise your brand on social media.
More People are Using Voice Search
In 2018, 65% of 25-49 year olds were speaking into their voice-enabled devices at least once a day. As of 2020, 62% of Americans use some kind of voice assistance technology, with an estimated $40 billion in the U.S. and $5 billion in the U.K expected to be spent through voice commerce by 2022.
With more people turning to voice-enabled devices, ensuring that your website is optimised for voice-search is a great way to help boost sales.
Online Business is Booming with Changing Shopping Habits
2020 has seen many shoppers change the way they shop.
By watching the market for new opportunities opened up by changing shopping habits, your online store can do more than just survive the tough times, it can thrive in them.
Your Shipping Provider can Help You Meet the Demands of a Growing Online Market
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*UPDATE: COVID-19 Shipping Impact (Thu 27 Aug)*
Thank you for your patience with our team and service providers, as recent restrictions have made transport and shipping more challenging in recent weeks.
We wanted to address frequent enquiries around delivery times, and provide an update on our operations, to give you a clearer understanding of potential pickup and shipping delays.
The impact on shipping related to COVID restrictions and economic shifts has resulted in several simultaneous challenges:
- The surge in online shopping in recent months has drastically increased the volume of goods being shipped across all delivery and courier service providers. This means many more pickups, stops and deliveries, so some delays are likely to occur across our service areas.
- All freight companies have also had to reduce head count in Victoria by 33% during peak shifts, resulting in a 10% reduction in staff overall.
- Meanwhile, the delays resulting from increased border and travel restrictions also contribute to the delivery issues.
At Transdirect, we’re working every day to expand our support staff, accelerate training, and improve our response and issue resolution times, to minimise the impact on our customers as best we can.
In turn, we ask that you please add 1 business day to pick ups and 2 business days to deliveries, before raising issues with customer support.
You can also track your shipments here at any time.
We’re doing all we can to ensure timely delivery in the face of these challenges. We regret the inconveniences and our entire Transdirect team, especially our friendly customer support representatives, appreciate both your patience and understanding at this time.
Regards,
Trent Alexander
Managing Director