E-commerce of the future: what innovations await us
E-commerce is gaining more and more momentum, and there has been real excitement in the market since the beginning of the pandemic, when online shopping became an indispensable part of life. Analysts at Russian Post predict that over the next 3-4 years, the volume of this segment will grow threefold. Such rates force market players to take their positions as soon as possible and determine the main factors for successful development in their niche. Experts identify several key drivers that will affect e-commerce.
Businesses are now focused on meeting all consumer needs. This leads to the emergence of a huge number of small companies that try to do business directly with customers. Despite the fact that they operate exclusively online, such brands are very real competition to large corporations. In addition, the number of small and medium-sized businesses that operate successfully and do not depend on monopolists has grown significantly over the years in the e-commerce segment.
The e-commerce market is actively developing, and in the near future, its participants may face a shortage of labor. And then unmanned technologies and robotization of processes will come to the rescue. Drones will make deliveries, which will increase the efficiency of logistics chains.
Robotic transportation of goods opens up new opportunities for companies not only in terms of cost reduction and lower delivery costs. Drones will help to significantly expand the geography of service provision, expanding the customer base. This is important for Russia in terms of remote regions, such as Kamchatka, Khanty-Mansiysk and others.
Robotization is also used to improve the whole process of work, from receipt of order to receipt by a customer. By automating processes, errors can be avoided and work efficiency can be increased.
Another key factor for the development of e-commerce is personalization. Businesses are interested in keeping the customer with them, so they will try to offer exactly what the consumer needs. In this case, the digital footprint helps. Information about users’ needs and desires is analyzed and allows the range to be tailored to people’s preferences. Collecting such information makes it possible to adjust the volume of products, optimizing their output and delivery. It is no secret that there is an oversupply of goods in the agricultural industry worldwide – about 30% of goods disappear into landfills. The situation is similar in other sectors.
The e-commerce segment is expanding its offerings, providing customers with more and more shopping opportunities. The latter is turning into a way of spending leisure time, and market participants are actively working to make online more and more attractive. Therefore, experts expect that within 5-6 years, online storefronts will be in the form of AR/VR, which will significantly change the consumption model itself.
