Trends of E-Commerce in 2018
By Rose Salas

      如今每年的11月都有一个重大节日，那就是“双十一”购物狂欢节。这个由“马云爸爸”创建的淘宝网率先兴起的购物节不仅彰显了中国人民的消费实力，更突出了电商的优势及在人们生活中日益不可替代的作用。无论是生活用品还是海外奢侈品，无论是实体商品还是虚拟服务，你都可以在网上购物平台中得到满足。对于生活在这一趋势中的我们，尤其是对电商从业者而言，了解电子商务的未来发展趋势尤为重要。2018年的电商产业将有哪些发展趋势呢？让我们为您一一列举。

      首先，淘宝已不再是什么“次品”或“劣质”的聚集地，更多的商家以自己的优质产品赢得了广泛的信誉和回头客。人们的消费水平和购买力的提高也使得大家在选择商品时更注重产品品质。提高产品质量将成为未来发展的保障之一。

      支付方式作为电子商务交易的必备条件，也得到了空前发展。目前指纹支付和人脸识别支付已面向大众推广，数字支付方式将更加先进，个体购买者也将从中受益匪浅。

      社交媒体平台目前成为了在线消费和支付的一支不可忽视的力量。微博网红的店铺销售额有目共睹，微信支付和微店等平台为朋友转账以及中小企业的发展提供了广阔市场及机遇。获取用户和消费者的渠道再也不是传统的线下或个别的网店宣传，而是直接走向流量密集的区域，开展宣传攻势，实现营销增长。

      现代的消费者在购买产品的同时，也是在购买一种概念和体验。正如实体店铺的装修和环境会大大影响消费者对产品的看法，线上电商店家反应的及时迅速、界面的友好程度等都影响着消费者的决定。

      此外，品牌建设，货品交付周期等也将在未来被消费者更加重视。电子商务作为不可逆转的发展趋势，未来还会出现哪些特点？让我们一同拭目以待。
The Millennial Age paved the way for booming e-commerce businesses. From fashionable apparels to cosmetics, footwear, home and office needs, technology or electronic products, books, food and services, even the hottest hotel and travel deals - or name everything you want - in just a few clicks, everything can be bought online!
 

Addiction to online shopping and numerous mobile apps made it possible for consumers to shift from brick-and-mortar shopping to the convenient door-to-door delivery facility offered by online stores. Online banking has made life easier for many.
 

For top-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, majority of people take advantage of the expedience this e-commerce businesses offer.
 

What are the e-Commerce trends to watch for in 2018? Let’s take a glance on how China will look like in 2018:
 

1. Quality Over Quantity
As consumers become more capable of purchasing whatever fits their lifestyle, the demand is more focused on high quality products. E-commerce companies are now gradually moving up the supply chain and innovative high quality goods for the satisfaction of customers. Thus, “mass production” is being controlled and more companies are aligning to the future of online retail. Sales will keep going strong and it will reach 7.5 trillion Chinese Yuan by 2018.

2. Leading Digital Innovators
It has been proven that the key factor for the success of e-retail spending is because of the benefits that users can get from the apps they use. With a strict security of e-payment, users can link their bank accounts to their mobile apps and pay with ease. Alipay just recently launched a feature called “Pay with Your Face” which allows a selfie to authenticate payments. With several options available, users can choose from their desired digital payment method. There’s going to be an epic battle between Alibaba and Amazon as Alibaba continues to buy e-commerce assets from around the globe.

3. Social Media + Ecommerce = Birth of Social Commerce
As social media becomes a daily staple, people can directly go to any social media platform and make a purchase. For example, this trend has set the bar high for Tencent’s WeChat since they integrated stores in their app. Social media platforms drive traffic to store pages. Power of social media has generated millions of sales for big companies and gives opportunities to even small scale entrepreneurs to be successful in their start-ups. China’s online retailers will be more advanced in their sales, distribution, and marketing strategies.

4. Branding is King
When asked why consumers love brands, they simply answer, TRUST. Not only does a brand create a difference, but it also provides safety and peace of mind. Although this trend began years ago, it will continue to rise and be up-to-date because people buy brands. Expect that Social Media agencies will offer more state-of-the-art E-commerce solutions for store setup, design and product integration so that companies can craft a brand-driven marketing strategy.

5. Shopping Experience More Important
In a recent survey, online shoppers looked for quality, value and top-tier shopping experience. Half the online purchases globally were made by Chinese, and this is expected to grow by 20% annually. Savvy social shoppers, whose income levels and household locations vary, make purchases from the biggest local e-commerce stores on a regular basis. Whether luxury or consumer goods, people are opting for this new trend and experience is more important than pricing. It’s going to get easier to buy things all over the Internet!

6. Shorter Delivery Time
One critical key factor years ago in the e-commerce business was the delay in product deliveries. Due to this, online shops shifted to shorter delivery time. Same-day delivery is now viable in large cities by working with a trusted partner carrier. This enhances the customer’s passion for shopping. Quick shipping would encourage them to trust their brand. This is the top priority for online shoppers nowadays. In 2018, it is forecasted that 24/7 delivery will reduce the turnaround time of getting orders delivered even in small cities.

Indeed, Internet has changed so many aspects of life. With all the innovations that our modern technology has brought, we couldn’t tell how far these e-commerce trends would go. At any rate, our need for personalized service and excellent customer satisfaction will keep us looking forward to new strategies of online retail business. It’s going to be an exciting 2018 for e-commerce sales!
 

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