2024 was a memorable year. No one can deny it. As we move past an election, it’s time to put that behind us and focus on what’s ahead. Today we’re diving into the future of eCommerce, common challenges brands are facing, and how to pick the right strategy for expanding your business.
Read ahead:
The State of eCommerce in 2025
As new trends emerge in the eCommerce landscape, your strategy has to change with them. Let’s start with some good news. The future of online shopping is bright, with about 16% of all retail sales coming from eCommerce. And this number continues to climb every year.
Technological advancements have absolutely changed the eCommerce game. From augmented reality allowing customers to visualize products in their own homes to AI-powered supply chains and forecasting, technology gives both you and your customers the tools you need to make informed decisions.
This year, information security is also a priority for customers. Because of this value on data privacy, we’ve taken extra steps to ensure our facilities are ISO 27001 certified. This lets us manage cybersecurity threats before they arise and keep all transactions secure.
The last trend we’re noticing in the eCommerce space is an emphasis on environmentally-friendly products and shipping options. Make sure your brand is meeting this desire as more and more people strive to be mindful with their money.
We’re seeing a new concept arise called “deinfluencing.” The opposite of traditional influencer marketing, this trend encourages people to pause before buying something unnecessary. This helps limit overconsumption and thoughtless purchasing, along with its wasteful effects on the environment.
What are Your Current eCommerce Struggles?
Let’s make these trends work for you. No one knows exactly what the future of eCommerce holds. As the industry involves and changes to policies such as Section 321 go into effect, it’s more important than ever to find an expert advisor to help navigate these updates. Here are some common struggles we see our current and prospective clients wrestling with—and how we can help.
Limited Resources
Whether you’re out of warehouse space or lack the time and personnel needed to fulfill orders efficiently, limited resources can hold your business back. Especially in 2025, when speed is everything. Customers expect to receive their orders fast, and any delay will leave a bad impression of your brand.
If you’re struggling to balance growing your brand and keeping up with fulfillment, it’s time to outsource. Work with our expert team and let us handle picking, packing, and shipping for all your orders. This frees up your time to focus on our next challenge: deciding how to expand.
Buying Online vs In Person
A new year marks new goals for your business. In 2025, is moving to retail your focus? Or are you doubling down on retaining customers online? Each offers unique benefits for your eCommerce business.
Benefits of Moving to Retail:
- Partnering with major retailers like Target, Walmart, and Ulta Beauty increases your exposure, allowing you to reach new demographics of customers.
- A physical shelf presence builds your brand’s credibility and recognition.
- Focusing on retail creates opportunities for new revenue streams.
- Retail partners often handle returns on their own and sometimes provide additional marketing support
- Impulse purchases are more common when shopping in person.
Benefits of Staying Online:
- Online sales provide more in-depth customer data, allowing you to optimize your strategies.
- This creates opportunities for personalized marketing and engagement, such as tailored product recommendations.
- Ecommerce stores have a greater geographic reach since you’re not tied to a physical location.
- Ecommerce brands are also easier and cheaper to scale than retail partnerships.
- Online tools can enhance the post-purchase experience through accurate order tracking and shipping updates.
Do consumers prefer buying online vs in person? There is no one-size-fits-all answer. And as the future of eCommerce evolves, things may change.
The best way to decide which direction is best for your brand this year is to know your audience. Listen to your customers and learn where and how they prefer to shop. Once you understand their behaviors, you can find the next steps for your business. This way, when you expand, your customers will come with you.
We can help you ship to a retail distributor and make sure your packaging is shelf-ready when it gets there. Our retail-ready packaging services ensure your products are easy to identity, open, and replenish. And of course, they should stand out to shoppers.
Paired with our warehouse technology, we make it simple to integrate with your eCommerce website, retail store, Shopify, Etsy, and other channels. No matter how your brand evolves this year, you know Jay Group can keep up.
Customer Retention
Retaining customers is a challenge for many brands. One of the best ways we can help with this is through personalization. Create a more relevant shopping experience by providing tailored product recommendations and bundling items together you know your customers will love.
Jay Group also partners with UnDigital to offer personalized marketing inserts that help improve the unboxing experience and leave your customers wowed by their order. Other ways you can increase customer retention include:
- Creating a loyalty program.
- Improving your customer service.
- Engaging with current customers through email and social media.
- Starting a subscription service.
- Collecting customer feedback.
Converting More Clients
The future of eCommerce looks like converting more clients. The first way to do this is by optimizing your checkout process. Don’t lose customers at the last stage. Make sure your checkout is simple and intuitive. If possible, offer free shipping, quick delivery, multiple payment options, and a clear returns policy. This will help people feel more comfortable taking a risk with a brand they’ve never tried before.
At Jay Group, we work with FenixCommerce to share valuable information at checkout, such as estimated delivery dates. By providing this upfront and setting clear expectations, it creates an enhanced customer experience and drives conversions.
You also need to ensure your website is attracting the right people. Use quality images and videos, highlight customer reviews, and make sure it’s optimized for mobile. Also ensure you’re A/B testing your headlines and call-to-actions to find what works best.
We might be sounding a little repetitive here, but personalization reigns supreme. When you use customer data to personalize their shopping experience, it makes users feel like more than just a persona. This leads to higher engagement and increased conversions. As more and more AI tools come out, it will become easier to personalize products and promotions and help your brand stand out.
Start Planning for the Future of eCommerce
With these trends and challenges fresh in your mind, how can your brand capitalize this year? If you need help building an enhanced customer experience, turn to Jay Group. We offer personalization, customized unboxing experiences, and value-added services that leave a lasting impression.
Your 3PL should work as hard as you do. With a new year ahead and lots of industry changes to stay on top of, having a logistics partner has never been more important. Whether you’re planning to expand to retail, doubling down on online orders, or are just looking for a change, Jay Group is the solution you need.
Work with a fulfillment partner that gets your business.