Custom E-Commerce Development

The global e-commerce industry has reached a staggering total of $26.7 trillion, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Economic and technological trends have been favoring e-commerce for many years. But things have really gathered steam with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And as people's shopping habits have shifted online, the technology to facilitate this move has grown more sophisticated.

All of this means that if your business isn't taking advantage of custom e-commerce development, expect to get left behind by the changing economic circumstances. So what do you need to know about custom e-commerce website design and development for 2022?

Keep reading to learn about six important things to incorporate into your e-commerce strategy to get the most out of your site.

There was a time when e-commerce was restricted to personal computers.

But that might as well be technological prehistory. Nowadays, mobile commerce accounts for about 73% of total e-commerce sales. In other words, three out of every four e-commerce purchases are done using a mobile device.

Mobile commerce is a much more convenient method of online shopping. Many businesses are releasing smartphone applications to streamline the process. So every small business should optimize their e-commerce site for mobile sales, or risk missing out on a potential sale.

There are plenty of website design services to make this easy. Platforms like the WooCommerce and BigCommerce website designer plugins include mobile-friendly options. Using these tools, you can find shoppers in their native environment.

A major challenge for custom e-commerce development is to adapt to the needs and demands of customers.

In this age of instant gratification, online shoppers are accustomed to responsive businesses. And this is where "multi-channel" e-commerce can help. You can think of it as an approach that streamlines the shopping experience no matter what purchasing channel is being used.

The idea here is to meet the customer on their own terms, whichever purchasing method they prefer. As an example, a business can sell through both an online and a physical store. The key is to saturate the market across many channels, including retail, wholesale, online marketplaces, and social media.

That way, an e-commerce business can satisfy customer needs both online and offline, and make the most of the e-commerce boom.

Augmented reality (AR) is part of the technological revolution that is changing the way people shop online.

In many ways, AR is a lot like virtual reality (VR). But instead of simulating reality, AR involves mapping a graphical interface upon the real world. When shopping online, for instance, a customer can view a product in their own home.

It's the next best thing to seeing and feeling the actual product. It also helps the customer make a decision about buying the product, since they can see themselves wearing it or interacting with it. AR tech is perfect for furniture brands, as an example, because people can now visualize how the furniture items will look in their homes.

AR is a fantastic new addition to custom e-commerce development. In 2022, it promises to become even more widespread and sophisticated.

Social media hasn't only changed the way we interact, it's changed the way businesses market and sell their goods. It started off as just another way for a business to reach out to new customers.

But the technology changed over time. Now it's possible for online retailers to sell their goods over social media. And with a potential customer pool to be numbered in the billions, businesses discount the power of social media at their own risk.

And now that social media users can make purchases without ever leaving the app, social media commerce is a major new addition to the custom e-commerce toolkit.

The simple truth is that in 2022, customers expect fast delivery and flexible payment options.

Blame it on Amazon, but it's the way things are now. Shoppers have grown accustomed to the near-miracle of instantaneous delivery of goods. The Amazon shopping experience is so streamlined that you can buy with one click. And with Amazon Prime, you can have your products delivered almost the following day.

Not all of this is possible for customized small business e-commerce websites. But an e-commerce site can incorporate certain perks, such as threshold purchases for free delivery, and flexible payment options.

Finally, we can't overlook the new techniques used to improve the online customer experience.

Personalized e-commerce solutions are one way to achieve this, and they're growing in popularity. The point here is for an e-commerce retailer to provide a more bespoke experience for shoppers. And the best way to do this is by delivering specific, personalized content tailored to customers' interests and needs.

E-commerce personalization is at the cutting edge of custom e-commerce development. Much of this has to do with artificial intelligence. Machine learning algorithms predict the preferences and behaviors of returning customers, forecasting their purchases with uncanny accuracy.