The eCommerce industry is growing a mile every minute and so is the competition. A shopping site cannot survive in the market without being in the preference list of their prospective customers. In the jam-packed scenario staying in sync with the customer and market demand is a must. In order to do so, you need to capitalize the trends that are expected to hold the gears in th future. Since we have already entered the last quarter of 2018, it is high time that we discuss what the coming year keeps in hold for us. The article has summed up some of the market and technological trends that can greatly impact the industry in 2019. Read on to know more.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

The gen-net technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) bridging the gap between the physical and the virtual world. These aspects are changing the way online shopping is perceived. Augmented reality superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the world, creating a composite view. On the other hand, Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a 3D image or environment. Users are immersed in this digital world and can usually interact with it.

These two aspects are definitely one of the most rising trends in the coming years. While some of the eCommerce companies, like Lenskart, have already started incorporating it, others need to gear up for the same before it’s too late. 

Dive into mobile app dominance 

According to SearchEngineLand, nearly 60% of the Google searches are done from hand-held devices. Mobile application industry will cross $189 billion revenue by 2020. Even Google has proved it's prominence by rolling out the mobile-first indexing update. With the increasing preference of online shoppers for the mobile devices over the desktop computer, it is important for the companies to dive into the m-commerce industry. Having a mobile responsive site with incorporated AMPs is a must. Additionally, the mobile apps can provide you an edge when it comes to staying in touch with your customers 24/7.

Marketplace model 

Name any eCommerce giant and you’ll find the multiple vendors selling their products at your site. This is one business model which is a must for every company in the industry that is thriving to expand. The complexity of code changes involved and the heck of seller management are some of the factors that are intimidating the e-sellers. This is the reason that the use of the CMS platforms like Prestashop, Magento, and others are becoming exceedingly popular. The creation of virtual marketplaces on these platforms has become easier with the availability of plugins like Prestashop marketplace addon. The effortless process has made most of the e-merchants to delve into this model. So, if you are looking to survive in the competitive ecosystem, then, this is an unavoidable factor for you.

Advanced navigation and search options 

If you would have paid attention, then, you would have noticed that the search bar of sites like Amazon suggests various products that consist of the typed keywords. Many small businesses have started following the path and this is gradually becoming one of the most important aspects of eCommerce design trend and will hold the gears in 2019 as well. Along with this, voice search option and layered filter navigation both for mobile apps as well as the mobile sites can definitely provide you with some edge.

Personalisation 

As per a survey, 45% of customers would prefer to buy from a site that can deliver personalized recommendation. Thus, personalization is bound to play a vital role in the industry. This is when the push notifications incorporated in the mobile apps can help you out.