2020 has been a game-changing year for ecommerce, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing consumers to shift their shopping habits to the online market, in order to accommodate national lockdowns and necessary shielding. As the pandemic continues to have a huge impact on the economy, 2021 will continue to see a huge rise in ecommerce sales as new online shopping habits turn into a way of life for many consumers.

Warehousing and logistics platform Trident Worldwide have seen first-hand the many twists and turns that the industry has been subjected to throughout the last 12 months; looking to 2021 the platform believes that more retailers will need to invest in logistics technology to keep up with demand. Trident’s Vice President of Sales, Richard Tucker says, “As I see it, there are many trends within ecommerce for 2021 to look out for, this includes retailers investing in supply chain and logistics tech so that their businesses are more agile and they can make better decisions, further investing in fulfilment and automation.”

He goes on to explain that consumers will, in the future, be offered a selection of ways to pay to suit every type of lifestyle and budget: “For the customer, one of the trends to come into effect will be the offering of more flexible payment options. Customers will shop in marketplaces rather than ecommerce stores and they will continue to do this through multiple platforms, there will be shoppable video adverts on social media with a continued trend for influencers to become brand partners.

“However, the biggest trends I believe will be personalisation, this will go beyond making a purchase to making a bond and a relationship with that retailer plus green consumerism will continue to grow in popularity.”

Richard describes that most brands are shifting to embrace an eco-friendly way of creating products and sourcing their materials, expecting that this will  become a ‘must’ for many consumers throughout 2021, “Sustainability is no longer reserved for a few brands, as it is a focus for all ecommerce brands due to changes in the economic, cultural, and social landscape in many countries worldwide have shifted the focus towards making products that protect the environment as it becomes so much more important to the public. Green consumers are also flexing their purchasing power, an extremely high proportion of people
are wanting to make purchases from brands that aim for sustainability.

“This particularly important trend in ecommerce for 2021 must see retailers analyse their current products to determine if they are being made through sustainable processes or with sustainable materials. If they are not, businesses should consider making changes to adopt a more sustainable process by reducing the amount of packaging waste or outlining ways for customers to recycle products when they are finished with them.”

The pandemic has certainly created a new type of consumer who are thinking more critically about where they buy from due to the vast amount of choice available online, so it is more important than ever for brands to adapt to the needs of ecommerce customers.