eCommerce: The Experience

By all accounts, Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2020 was a massive weekend for eCommerce retailers. Data from Adobe Analytics shows growth between 20-42% over last year (which was also a record high). 

When reading about this growth online, you see this acceleration is mostly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s hard to deny that the impact the pandemic has had on us all will impact us forever. The changes in buying behavior that we are seeing now will likely outlast the pandemic, so it’s important for eCommerce retailers to take note. 

Of all the stats we saw from that weekend, here’s one that we found especially interesting: “retailers that offered curbside pickup had a 31% higher conversion rate of traffic to their sites.” This jumps out for two key reasons:

1.) It shows that eCommerce is not just about shopping and home and having stuff delivered to the consumer. 

2.) It shows the significant improvement in conversion rates brands experienced when providing an ideal experience that meets consumers’ expectations. 

This data validates the modular API-first approach we took when building ZiftrShop. eCommerce isn’t just about selling stuff online, but about providing consumers with a variety of ways to experience brands. This has become increasingly difficult as the world evolves. For example, we see these key transitions in the eCommerce world:

These shifts require brands to have a platform that provides the flexibility to meet consumers for any and all transitions. Just being online isn’t enough. Just offering a model to go “headless” isn’t enough. What’s important is that brands create an eCommerce ecosystem that provides flexibility and puts the consumer first. It should mean that brands have the ability to have a single view of the customer across devices and purchases. It should mean that consumers can transact on social media, Walmart marketplace, or via voice like a Google Nest Home device. Any of these become critical when you see the value that consumers place on convenience. 

The only way to ensure this is to have flexibility in your eCommerce platform. Flexibility is the bones of a consumer's commerce experience that connects all the pieces together. Many platforms in today's market limit the possible movements of the bones and therefore leave brands limited in their abilities to drive the proper consumer experience. It always has been about the consumer, but this is the first time where technology is at the point to provide the options brands need to deliver for consumers. 

We see customer experience as central to success, and ZiftrShop has a tool to help brands enable this success. Our customers are seeing it as well, with as much as an 18% improvement in conversion rates when migrating. We’re excited to be a part of this trend and look forward to more brands seeing similar results that our other customers have experienced. If you’re interested in learning more, sign up for a free one-hour consultation.