{"id":1020,"date":"2019-03-29T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-29T20:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/infographic-state-of-ecommerce-online-shopping\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T19:32:09","slug":"infographic-state-of-ecommerce-online-shopping","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/infographic-state-of-ecommerce-online-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"[Infographic] The State of Ecommerce: What You Should Know About Online Shopping \u2014 From the Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

The biggest ecommerce trends<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most (and least) exciting ecommerce marketing channels<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top tips for brands competing with Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biggest lessons learned last year<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ever-evolving landscape of online shopping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you have an online store, it can be overwhelming to stay in the know of ever-evolving consumer expectations. There are many trends to pay attention to<\/a> if you wish to be successful, including where people shop, reasons for cart abandonment<\/a>, actions taken to qualify for free shipping, return preferences, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked the experts for their thoughts on what online brands should focus on this year to maximise sales while keeping customers happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest ecommerce trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is the number one focus area or industry-wide shift that will have the biggest impact on ecommerce brands this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing trends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cThe explosion of internet native brands. Everything from deodorant to watches to sunglasses are getting D2C\u2019d. These direct-to-consumer brands are being created on the back of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube advertising. This supertrend is going to continue this year.\u201d\n\u2013 Justin Kan, CEO, Atrium<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cContent and commerce isn\u2019t just a trend or idea. It is the real way that brands are building community, SEO, and driving acquisition and loyalty outside of paid advertising. It is, essentially, the foundation on which you brand is built. If you don\u2019t have a content and commerce strategy, you\u2019ll fall behind. From headless commerce<\/a> to WordPress plug-ins to just using optimised landing pages<\/a> within your existing ecommerce website<\/a>, there are so many ways you can start building you visibility with content. But, you need to have a solid strategy and have a grasp on keyword research, distribution, and content production to make it work.\u201d \u2013 Tracey Wallace, Director of Content, Klaviyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cPeople think it will be voice search<\/a>, but I believe AI integrating into sales funnels will have a much bigger impact on ecommerce.\u201d \u2013 Gardner Park, SEO, signmojo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cContent. And Google. SEO has been and still is a low-hanging fruit for the majority of ecommerce brands. This is because so few ecommerce stores are utilising their site\u2019s blog to rank on Google for long-tail, relevant keywords and to build links to their site.\u201d\n\u2013 Bill Widmer<\/a>, Content Marketing & SEO Consultant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cThe focus on messaging. You won\u2019t find many niches that are not already competitive, so being able to stand out with your conversion rate optimisation<\/a> and your messaging is going to be increasingly important to bottom-line efficiency.\u201d\n\u2013 Evan Roberts, Co-Founder, Yando.io<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cThe imperative for ecommerce brands now and into the future is the maximisation of advertising ROI. Beyond the obvious tactics of optimising ad spend and targeting, ecommerce brands can also look at the consumer checkout experience as well as rapid-fire and highly available customer service to drive conversion of such valuable traffic.\u201d\n\u2013 Eng Tan, CEO, Simplr<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. \u201cAI search is shaping the next big shift in ecommerce marketing. SEO isn\u2019t dead, it\u2019s evolving. Keywords and backlinks still count<\/a>, but AI now reads context, intent, and product relevance differently. Brands that adapt their content for AI-driven discovery will grab visibility faster. Those that stick to old-school optimisation might find their reach quietly shrinking.\u201d \u2013 Dmytro Sokhach, CEO and Founder, Editorial.Link<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer experience trends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cToday, people instantly share their shopping experiences with millions: good and bad. For ecommerce brands, this means the focus should be on how they can guarantee a memorable experience for each purchase. The biggest impact on revenue will come from optimising every single interaction with the brand, making it personal, relevant, and delightful. We see more and more ecommerce brands collecting feedback from customers to find pain points in the purchase process, in order to really nail the online shopping experience.\u201d\n\u2013 Alyona Medelyan, CEO, Thematic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cConsumers striving for an emotional connection with their chosen brands.\u201d\n\u2013 Tom Hunt, Founder, Internet MBA Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cThere\u2019s a growing awareness that, as ads become more expensive, it\u2019s becoming more important to retain existing customers than to pay to acquire new customers. There\u2019s a shift in the industry to building customer loyalty as a way to build a long-lasting brand that can survive in an Amazon world. Providing better customer support and caring for customers even after the sale will have the biggest impact on brands.\u201d\n\u2013 Sid Bharath, SAAS Growth Marketing Consultant, Sid Bharath Consulting Ltd.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cUsing automation to provide great customer experiences, without necessarily increasing overhead.\u201d\n\u2013 Annie Berrones, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Intercom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cSales nurturing \u2014 chatting with site visitors to help conquer objections and close the sale. We are seeing that having real people answer real questions is jumping conversion rates and LTV.\u201d\n\u2013 Derric Haynie, Chief Ecommerce Technologist, Ecommerce Tech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most (and least) exciting ecommerce marketing channels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Which marketing channel(s) are you most or least excited about for fast-growing ecommerce brands?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cInstagram advertising (both native and through influencers) is going to be the biggest marketing channel for the foreseeable future. If Amazon is the new Walmart, Instagram is the new Bloomingdales: It\u2019s the place where consumers discover aspirational brands.\u201d\n\u2013 Justin Kan, CEO, Atrium<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cInstagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Facebook \u2014 consumers are spending more time on these platforms and with the platforms themselves pushing towards commerce, more brands will be adding social media and messaging apps as a sales channel.\u201d\n\u2013 Nyha Shree, Co-Founder and CMO, Jumper.ai<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cPinterest is already a good market for organic traffic, it seems to be growing every year. That being said I don\u2019t look forward to one more social channel to spend advertising on.\u201d\n\u2013 Gardner Park, SEO, signmojo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cMessenger is still very hot right now, despite some new limitations coming. But my vote goes to Instagram DMs, where I suspect Instagram will open up their API to allow your customer service teams to easily monitor and respond to messages.\u201d\n\u2013 Derric Haynie, Chief Ecommerce Technologist, Ecommerce Tech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cI\u2019m becoming less and less excited about or interested in Facebook Advertising. Facebook re-marketing, sure. But data continues to show that under 30, most folks have deleted the Facebook app and are moving to other channels. As a result, Facebook will likely build even more advertising opportunities in to Instagram \u2013 but even that platform is becoming oversaturated. When is the last time you watched an Instagram Story and didn\u2019t get pushed into something promotional within the first 30 seconds? On the flip side, I am very excited about direct mail campaigns, especially to younger generations who haven\u2019t necessarily seen direct mail in their lives. There\u2019s a big opportunity there.\u201d \u2013 Tracey Wallace, Director of Content, Klaviyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cI\u2019m least excited about social media. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 the right strategy on social media can explode a brand\u2019s popularity and help them go viral. But too many people waste too much time on social media with no returns. And much of the traffic you gain from a viral campaign is lost forever if you don\u2019t capture it on your email list. Google, on the other hand, gets searches every single month. It\u2019s practically guaranteed traffic.\u201d\n\u2013 Bill Widmer<\/a>, Content Marketing & SEO Consultant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content and personalisation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cI think that ecommerce brands investing in bespoke content is where it\u2019s at. Mature brands \u2014 like Nike, and Redbull, have seen huge returns on content and while ecommerce brands have more recently focused on influencer marketing and social, I think content storytelling will make a resurgence.\u201d\n\u2013 Eytan Buchman, CMO, Freightos<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing explosive growth for clients on YouTube. It\u2019s a bigger investment in quality content than you would need for other types of ads, but the investment is paying off for the ones that take the time to get to know their customers and develop content that reaches them.\u201d\n\u2013 William Harris, Google Ads Expert, Elumynt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cPaid channel costs are increasing, which raises the importance of making sure you have a solid SEO foundation. If you\u2019re leveraging PPC and not using the time to build your SEO, you\u2019re going to put undue strain on your margins in the long term.\u201d\n\u2013 Evan Roberts, Co-Founder, Yando.io<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cUser Generated Content.\u201d\n\u2013 Tom Hunt, Founder, Internet MBA Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cI\u2019m most excited about chatbots and their ability to help provide personal experiences for every customer at scale.\u201d\n\u2013 Annie Berrones, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Intercom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cI\u2019m very excited about virtual shopping through augmented reality. Marketing is all about \u201ccatching the right customers at the right time\u201d \u2014 giving consumers the ability to make a purchase based on what\u2019s in front of them is just next level marketing.\u201d\n\u2013 Eng Tan, CEO, Simplr<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. \u201cOnline brands will get better \u2014 and see more success \u2014 at creating content that can drive organic traffic (SEO). But the key difference will be a move away from ten-thousand word guides, and better results from shorter content that better addresses user intent.\u201d\n\u2013 Nigel Stevens, CEO & Growth Lead, Organic Growth Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. \u201cSEO and content have never been more hand-in-hand. While PPC ads can fuel quick and fast campaigns, SEO is your foundation.\u201d\n\u2013 Adam Steele, COO, Loganix<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top tips for brands competing with Amazon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is your number one tip for ecommerce brands to compete with Amazon today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make your brand stand out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cDifferentiating branding for a specific niche market that will connect super well with your message.\u201d\n\u2013 Justin Kan, CEO, Atrium<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cBuild yourself a content and commerce strategy. Amazon is still a commodity market \u2013 where convenience and price trumps all. On your site, you need to offer convenience, price and community. And to build that community, you need content. That is what will make folks choose your site over Amazon, or over your competitors, time and time again. Content that speaks to them. Content that builds a community. Content that helps them build a better life.\u201d \u2013 Tracey Wallace, Director of Content, Klaviyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cDetermine what you offer that Amazon doesn\u2019t. Is it access to experts available through online chat to help buyers select the best fitting product, delivery that stands out due to its delivery timeframes and\/or boxes packed with care and an extra incentive, or even online tutorials that show how to assemble or showcase the product with items the customer has previously orders? Whatever it is, tell consumers why it\u2019s important to them and prove it during their first order. Then, deliver the order flawlessly.\u201d\n\u2013 Chris Stickney, Director, Channel & Logistics Sales, SPS Commerce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cDevelop a cause\/mission\/purpose. Have a reason for existing, greater that just making cash or \u201cproducing the highest quality products\u201d. Build a brand\/community that your \u2018Perfect Customer\u2019 resonates with.\u201d\n\u2013 Tom Hunt, Founder, Internet MBA Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.  \u201cBe the trusted authority in your niche as far as the niche\u2019s information is concerned. Not just reviews but full on analysis, video reviews with products in action. Different use cases, and other information that Amazon doesn\u2019t typically provide. Better description content than what Amazon search #1 result has.\u201d\n\u2013 Vincent Tobiaz, CEO, SEO Smooth<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on customer service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cAmazon can beat you on so many levels, but anyone that\u2019s had to deal with Amazon\u2019s customer service knows how sterile that can feel. Go above and beyond just \u201cselling\u201d \u2013 and really start partnering with your customers by providing sensational customer service before, during, and after the sale.\u201d\n\u2013 William Harris, Google Ads Expert, Elumynt<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cUltimately, it all comes down to relationships. It\u2019s hard for Amazon to build relationships with millions of customers making purchases each day. Ecommerce brands need to find ways of communicating with their customers in a personal way, showing that they care about customer loyalty and delivering value products at the right price.\u201d\n\u2013 Alyona Medelyan, CEO, Thematic<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cAmazon\u2019s known for providing amazing customer experiences. To compete, an ecommerce brand should think about unique ways to do that for their own customers. From landing on the your store to checkout, how can you build a frictionless experience for shoppers.\u201d\n\u2013 Annie Berrones, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Intercom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cOffer our customers seamless checkout and payment across the platforms they spend most of their time on. With so many choices at their disposal, and every brand competing for their attention, it\u2019s going to be as important to help get to the checkout as smoothly as possible when they have the impulse to, as it has been to retarget customers.\u201d\n\u2013 Nyha Shree, Co-Founder and CMO, Jumper.ai<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cDon\u2019t try to compete with Amazon. If you\u2019re playing the low-cost game, they\u2019ve already won. Instead, focus on delivering a superior experience to your customers. Offer a better shopping experience, better customer support, better rewards, and a better post-sale experience. Not only will this build loyalty, it will also allow you to charge higher prices that Amazon for similar products.\u201d\n\u2013 Sid Bharath, SAAS Growth Marketing Consultant, Sid Bharath Consulting Ltd.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be smart with your time and resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cAutomate as much of the busy work as you can to focus on what really matters to your business.\u201d\n\u2013 Lizzy Greenburg, CMO, TaxJar<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cScale your customer service! Rapid-fire, 24\/7 customer support is a small business\u2019s secret weapon against Amazon. Customers like to feel valued by a company \u2014 whether through handwritten thank you notes, empathetic responses to complaints, or good old fashioned \u201csurprise and delight.\u201d They\u2019ll pick the company that made them feel good over Amazon every time.\u201d\n\u2013 Eng Tan, CEO, Simplr<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cCollect your user\u2019s information. Most specifically, work to tie your customer email to their social channels, so that you can track your biggest purchasers AND social influencers together, and reward them.\u201d\n\u2013 Derric Haynie, Chief Ecommerce Technologist, Ecommerce Tech<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biggest lessons learned last year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What was your greatest lesson learned around ecommerce in 2018?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t focus on just one channel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cOmni-channel marketing needs to be a big focus. So many secondary and tertiary channels impact one another if you look deeper than surface level.\u201d\n\u2013 Evan Roberts, Co-Founder, Yando.io<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cIf you aren\u2019t selling on Amazon, you are a pretty lone wolf. And you are missing a massive revenue opportunity. Selling on Amazon is building tons of revenue channels for brands, who then invest those dollars in building out their own branded websites, acquitting more customers, building content and growing community.\u201d \u2013 Tracey Wallace, Director of Content, Klaviyo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. \u201cContextual commerce driven on social media can have significantly higher conversions than website\/nas\/content\/live\/shipbob2022. We saw our customers go from 40% conversion rate to 68% when selling to customers directly on channels like Facebook Messenger and Instagram.\u201d\n\u2013 Nyha Shree, Co-Founder and CMO, Jumper.ai<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. \u201cKeeping up with Google is important, but don\u2019t be too ready to jump when they make an announcement. Many people have wasted valuable man hours updating meta descriptions on products only for Google to roll them back months later, and even now somewhat ignore entirely.\u201d\n\u2013 Gardner Park, SEO, signmojo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. \u201cCreate the best UX<\/a> and ease of user mobile ecommerce.\u201d\n\u2013 Vincent Tobiaz, CEO, SEO Smooth<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have your products sell themselves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cFocus on ensuring you have the best product pages for your top products. This means unique, optimised and conversion-friendly.\u201d\n\u2013 James Norquay, SEO & Growth Director, Prosperity Media Group PTY LTD<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cProduct photos, and especially video, are a major key to a brand\u2019s success and perceived trustworthiness. Great photos and videos can also increase time on page, which correlates with higher Google rankings.\u201d\n\u2013 Bill Widmer<\/a>, Content Marketing & SEO Consultant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet customer expectations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. \u201cCustomer experience is still king. That may require a combination of digital and physical but the bar for entry \u2014 and success \u2014 is around who can provide customers what they want, when they want it.\u201d\n\u2013 Eytan Buchman, CMO, Freightos<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u201cGiven consumers\u2019 expectations for rapid and\/or flexible delivery, in-stock products, item details, and easy returns, the coordination between these parties has never been more complex and necessary.\u201d\n\u2013 Chris Stickney, Director, Channel & Logistics Sales, SPS Commerce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ever-evolving landscape of online shopping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob created the infographic below to show you where the ecommerce industry is, where it\u2019s heading, and how to navigate the ecommerce landscape. Check it out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the PDF version of the infographic here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

View our sources at the bottom of the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download the PDF version of the infographic here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These trends can no longer be ignored. Online businesses that strive to meet customer expectations will come out on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to compete with giant retailers by having the right ecommerce fulfilment<\/a> strategy in place to meet customer expectations around 2-day shipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

request a quote<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n