While U.S. customers still prefer in-person shopping, e-commerce retail transactions continue to rise. In 2023, e-commerce purchases accounted for 22% of all retail sales in the U.S.—the largest percentage since the U.S. Department of Commerce began tracking e-commerce sales in 2000.
While customers love the convenience and speed of online purchasing, they also expect e-commerce brands to continue to up their game when it comes to providing a well-rounded, personalized shopping experience. Below, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council share some tech-based tools and services more and more consumers don’t want to do without when searching for products online.
One technology-based tool customers expect from e-commerce brands is real-time order tracking. This service allows customers to monitor their package’s journey from the warehouse to their doorstep, providing transparency and peace of mind. Order-tracking services often include updates on estimated delivery times and delays, as well as the ability to reschedule deliveries—all in real time. – Bhaskar Gangipamula, Quadrant Technologies
Customers expect a range of self-service capabilities to deal with support issues, including chat and voice bots, a strong website, and the ability to connect to a live person to resolve issues if needed. However, they expect to be able to resolve most issues on their own, and there should be few or no tasks that still require you to speak to a live agent. – Jonathan Rosenberg, five9.com
One technology online customers expect today is an augmented reality experience. Shoppers can use AR to virtually try on clothes, shoes or accessories. By using their smartglasses or AR-enabled devices, customers can see how items fit or look on them without needing to physically try them on. This technology can be applied to all types of objects and is vital in today’s e-commerce age. – Nick Cherukuri, ThirdEye Gen Inc.
Consumers expect brands to offer real-time updates on product availability. To achieve this, the supply chain ecosystem needs to be fully digital. Industrial AI supports this by optimizing supply chains, predicting demand, reducing stockouts and efficiently managing inventory. AI ensures product availability is visible to customers and enables quick responses to market demands. – Simon Bennett, AVEVA
With the rise of smart speakers and voice assistants, customers now expect e-commerce brands to support voice-activated shopping. This tool simplifies the shopping experience by allowing a user to browse, order and track purchases using just their voice. It aligns with the growing trend of hands-free convenience and caters to the busy, on-the-go consumer. – Jagadish Gokavarapu, Wissen Infotech
Customers today expect personalized text messages from e-commerce brands that notify them of sales, exclusive events and promotions tailored to their interests or past purchases. These app-independent notifications ensure a direct, effective way to engage customers and keep them informed about private sales and local pop-ups without additional apps or platforms. – Navid Ashroff, TrueDialog
Customers today expect unique and personalized products that are produced and delivered fast and sustainably. On-demand production enables easy personalization with minimal waste, as items are only made when purchased. Coupled with local production, this approach meets consumer demands while benefiting both people and the planet. -Henrik Müller-Hansen, Gelato
Customers today expect e-commerce brands to offer AI-driven chatbots or virtual agents for 24/7 support. The shopping experience is improved while response times and operational costs are reduced by chatbots, which streamline customer service by providing personalized product recommendations, assisting with order monitoring and answering general queries. – Swaroop Raj Gunisity
E-commerce customers want a seamless search experience. When searching for a specific item, like a “fitted red top with a black design,” they want to be met with meaningful options—not “no results” or “purple pants.” To deliver this understanding, brands must leverage AI-powered search engines built on powerful large language models, using vector-based natural language processing to deeply understand the customer. – Bernadette Nixon, Algolia
In today’s e-commerce world, customers expect 24/7 support for after-sale issues. Advanced tools can provide instant, round-the-clock assistance, efficiently handling inquiries and resolving problems. This continuous support enhances the customer experience, ensuring that concerns are addressed swiftly and meeting the high expectations of modern shoppers. – Balasubramani Murugesan, Digit7
A forward-thinking tool is an AI-driven predictive inventory system for customers. This tool would allow shoppers to reserve high-demand items before they sell out based on predictive analytics that track trends and supply levels. Customers could receive alerts to preorder or reserve products that are likely to be out of stock soon, reducing the frustration of missing out on popular items. – Andrii Kovalchuk, WeSoftYou Inc.
Customers today expect e-commerce brands to offer seamless mobile apps with features like one-click purchasing, personalized recommendations and real-time order tracking. These apps enhance convenience, tailor the shopping experience to individual preferences and provide transparency in delivery, which are critical to meeting modern consumer expectations. – Sivanagaraju Gadiparthi, ADP
Customers today want e-commerce sites to offer visual search, where they can upload a picture to find similar products. It’s important to thoroughly test these tools to make sure they work well, giving customers accurate results and a smooth shopping experience. – Margarita Simonova, ILoveMyQA
Interactive 3D product visualizations are transforming the e-commerce customer experience. Allowing shoppers to examine products from every angle reduces uncertainty and enhances decision making. This technology drives confidence, aligns expectations and significantly lowers return rates. It’s a game-changer in delivering an engaging, trustworthy online shopping journey that meets modern consumer demands. – Vamsi Krishna Dhakshinadhi, GrabAgile Inc.
Customers today expect e-commerce brands to implement advanced identity verification tools. These ensure secure transactions by accurately confirming user identities, which enhances trust and reduces fraud risks. Such technology streamlines the checkout process, offering a smoother shopping experience and safeguarding customer data, thereby boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty. – Craig Davies, Gathid
Today’s customers expect seamless and flexible payment options from e-commerce brands. Digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later services and one-click checkout have become essential. These tools streamline the payment process, reduce cart abandonment and enhance convenience, offering a frictionless shopping experience that aligns with modern consumer expectations of speed and simplicity. – Roman Vinogradov, Improvado
From an accessibility and inclusivity perspective, customers expect accessible e-commerce interfaces that incorporate features like voice navigation, screen readers and customizable text sizes. These tools ensure that individuals with disabilities can easily navigate, interact with and shop on e-commerce platforms, allowing all customers to have a seamless and equitable shopping experience. – Deepak Gupta, Cars24 Financial Services
Nowadays, environmentally conscious customers expect brands to offer sustainability tracking and transparency tools that enable them to monitor the environmental impact of their purchases. These services can include carbon-footprint calculators, information on ethical sourcing and tools to track a product’s life cycle. – Cristian Randieri, Intellisystem Technologies
For customers, the most important tech-based tool is an autonomous warehouse equipped with advanced robotics and AI for quick, free deliveries and returns. Couple this with a robust and local loyalty program offering cash back, local communication and discounts based on spending. This combination ensures efficiency and valuable rewards, significantly enhancing the e-commerce experience. – Frederik Riskær Pedersen, EasyTranslate
It’s important for customers to have the ability to chat with a live person on a brand’s website. Most consumers are fine with chatbots for simple issues, but for anything even slightly complex, people prefer talking with a real person. A real person on a chat can also help brands solve issues more quickly and provide better customer service overall. – Jordan Yallen, MetaTope