To stay competitive and relevant, retailers need to actively monitor the latest trends in ecommerce software and other offerings that will keep shoppers visiting their websites and making purchases. The ecommerce marketplace is growing more competitive as consumer interest in online shopping increases around the globe. Tried and true methods for success from past years may now be outdated, but online retailers can make changes to revamp their ecommerce stores and make them more appealing to the modern consumer. Here are a few of the latest trends in online shopping and how online merchants can take advantage of them.

It's all about the experience
With so many ecommerce websites these days, standing out from the crowd is crucial, and giving users a unique experience can help. Ventureburn reported that the design of a website can make or break a sale, but that takes into account more than just the way it looks. The site should be laid out in a logical way that makes it easy for consumers to browse through your inventory, select items and get to the point of sale. Not only will this interface help improve brand awareness and keep customers coming back for more, but it can bolster sales, as many consumers will be willing to pay more for the option to customize their items.

Add a personal touch to every sale
Going online to make a purchase may be almost mindless to some shoppers by now, but The Week suggested a way for ecommerce merchants to mix things up. Personalization is one of the major trends of 2014, as more and more retailers are giving their patrons the ability to customize their items. This not only makes the shopping experience more interactive and enjoyable, but it leaves the shopper with a product that was actually designed just for them.

Customers love a little variety
Cornering a niche market by selling a select set of items can be successful, but offering an array of products has many advantages as well. Ventureburn pointed to a December 2013 study called the Effective Measure Report, which revealed that nearly half of shoppers would buy more if an online store had more quality products to choose from. This strategy can work no matter what you're selling. Luxury shops that specialize in jewelry, for instance, could expand their offerings to include other accessories that customers buying their main products might also like to purchase.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 at 11:19 am .

Economic conditions in Japan are smiling on retailers, as March sales saw year-over-year improvements that were better than they've been in the past 11 years. According to BBC News, the 11 percent increase between March 2013 and last month may have been due in part to the sales tax increase.

The Japanese government raised the sales tax from 5 to 8 percent, and the new rate went into effect April 1, so shoppers may have been buying more than usual to take advantage of tax rates while they were still low. This is the first time Japanese consumers have seen a hike in retail taxes since 1997, and Reuters reported that a similar spending increase took place prior to the last time sales taxes was raised.

Japanese retailers are preparing for a dip in sales in April, as it's likely consumers will spend less as they adjust to the higher tax rates. However, Reuters stated that this dip should not be lower than the expectations of the central bank.

Retailers can make moves to improve their sales numbers, such as offering discounts that will offset the cost of the tax, providing free or reduced-rate shipping options viz ecommerce software or providing customer loyalty programs that offer perks and rewards at the point of sale.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 at 8:27 am .

For retailers to remain competitive in their fast-changing sector, it is important that they stay up to date on the latest trends. The most recent report from Deloitte revealed that mobile shopping may not be evolving as rapidly as is often speculated. It is hard to deny that more people are spending more time staring at their mobile devices, but the findings of the report showed that only a small percentage of mobile users were also buying products online from their handheld technology.

"Mobile and online transactions represent only a sliver of total retail revenue potential," Kasey Lobaugh, a principal in Deloitte Consulting LLP and the chief retail innovation officer for Deloitte Digital, said in a release. "Retailers that narrowly focus on digital commerce – rather than the full journey that leads to a purchase – often fail to recognize how their customers shop and make decisions in the store. The result is a digital divide between what consumers do and what retailers deliver. This gap not only threatens overall revenue, but requires retailers to reset the way they measure and invest in digital efforts."

Mobile plays a big role in all retail sales
Just because shoppers may not always buy items on their phones doesn't mean this channel provides no benefits for retailers. In fact, it's quite the opposite. CNBC reported that only about $25 billion of the $235.3 billion spent online in 2013 came from mobile sales. However, Deloitte's recent findings indicated that mobile shopping has more value than just the sales made on these handheld devices. The research firm found that mobile use has influenced more than $1 trillion in sales made in-store or online. Mobile-driven sales accounted for 19 percent of brick-and-mortar purchases, but this could skyrocket to 50 percent by the end of 2014.

Consumers use their own smartphones and tablets, as well as those provided in stores, to get product information (80 percent), find out if items are available (78 percent), and to make payments (76 percent).

Make this trend work for your business
Retailers can put this trend to work by using ecommerce software that can be optimized for mobile use. They may also want to offer mobile payment options for digital wallets at their point of sale, making it easier for customers to purchase goods. As the Deloitte study found that 69 percent of shoppers use their mobile devices before visiting brick-and-mortar locations, it may behoove retailers to make features such as product availability, store hours and directions easy to find on their mobile sites.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 at 7:14 am .

In this day and age, across nearly all continents, shoppers want options when they decide to make a purchase. Some individuals continue to prefer walking into a store to complete a transaction, while an ever-growing contingent would rather take to the Internet to find what they're looking for. This could mean anything from using a mobile device to visiting a website from a traditional desktop PC. 

In China, recent reports have suggested that despite the already sizable population that uses the Internet to shop, consumers still want more integration with the purchasing experience. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese customers are always searching for "a 'total retail' experience" when they boot up their computers.

"It is critical [for retailers] to bring the benefit of ecommerce, Online to Offline [O2O] in bricks-and-mortar environment and use of social media together to create more engaging shopping experiences," PricewaterhouseCooper's China consulting division partner Dr. Colin Light told the news source. 

Retailers across the globe should consider leveraging ecommerce software in order to make sure that they're always providing the best experience possible to their customers.

This is particularly true in China. ClickZ, citing data from the Fung Business Intelligence Centre, revealed that China represents the second largest retail market in the world.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, April 30th, 2014 at 6:43 am .

New York City has been experiencing a resurgence of brick-and-mortar retail, making it all the more important for retailers in this area to ensure their point of sale is up to snuff. The New York Post reported that there has been a surge in demand for retail locations in the city. At the same time, merchants in the Big Apple are also reevaluating their approach to the shopping experience, trying new strategies to get customers in the door.

New York brick-and-mortar retailers are taking extreme measures to be more appealing in an increasingly digital age. According to the New York Daily News, a number of businesses in New York are merging different retail sectors to offer their customers more services and conveniences in one stop. Specifically, there has been a rise in the number of retailers that are offering food and beverages to their clientele in addition to their other services.

The Wash House, a laundry service located in the Lower East Side, provides beer, coffee and food to its patrons, making the laundry experience something to look forward to and bolstering the business, the Daily News reported. One of the shop's employees said that there are days where one service gets a lot more attention than the other and days when both are bringing in money equally.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, April 29th, 2014 at 5:30 pm .

Retail sales in Ireland saw an uptick in March, but the majority of retail sectors saw little financial growth. The 1.7 percent jump in sales was the biggest month-over-month gain in a year, according to The Irish Times. However, most retailers saw little change in their monthly sales numbers.

According to the source, this could have been the result of merchants offering discounts and other deals to bring in customers. They may have seen a surge in transactions, but the lower cost of items could have offset the increase in foot traffic. However, the overall growth bodes well for this industry. Reuters reported that retail sales volume rose 8.9 percent compared to March 2013, giving Irish retailers and consumers hope for the nation's continued economic recovery.

While offering deals to consumers can be a great way to improve brand awareness and bring in new customers, there are other ways to achieve the same goals without losing money. Investing in modern, efficient point of sale systems could improve the shopping experience by offering shorter lines, faster checkouts and a larger range of payment options.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Tuesday, April 29th, 2014 at 5:24 am .

Brick-and-mortar retailers need to stay current with the latest consumer and technology trends in order to remain competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace. Businesses with physical locations can take steps to integrate technology into their strategies, such as using modern point of sale software that accepts mobile payments. It's also important to create a shopping experience that will give consumers incentive to visit stores over shopping online.

The Christian Science Monitor reported that many stores are revisiting the layout of their merchandise for a more modern shopping experience. The "racetrack store" layout makes it easier for customers to find what they're looking for. Traditional layouts, such as those used in grocery stores, are designed to have customers walk through each aisle, surrounded by merchandise. But these days, shoppers are researching online and typically know what they are after before they walk into a store. Catering to that behavior could help bolster sales.

It may also behoove businesses to rethink the way customers are treated. Biztech Magazine suggested turning brick-and-mortar stores into social destinations where people can spend time browsing the wares, sampling products and trying on clothes. Provide a relaxed atmosphere that encourages people to linger, but also has efficient POS systems for speedy checkouts.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Monday, April 28th, 2014 at 7:18 am .

Everything happens faster these days, so retailers need to be able to keep up with changing demands and consumer trends. Having an updated and efficient online store with the right ecommerce software can help drive sales, and knowing which features to offer means staying on top of what consumers want.

Christopher Brace, founder and CEO of consulting firm Shopper Intelligence, explained in a recent interview with FRESH that retailers need to look beyond their products and focus on the emotional and behavioral needs of their customers. In addition to looking at what consumers might want, the focus should fall equally on why they want it. He pointed to two key factors that can help brands gain more recognition – relevancy and emotional connection between shoppers and the brand.

"If we're going to address shoppers' subconscious minds – the real driver of behavior – then we need to become much more adept at using emotion-based information (specifically insights), as the basis for our strategies," Brace said.

Retailers looking to make improvements can focus on customization. Mashable suggested that personalizing the shopping experience is a crucial way to strengthen customer satisfaction. For instance, retail management software that tracks retail analytics about individual shoppers can help store associates better assist customers in finding the products they want to improve their in-store experience, which could lead to repeat visits and more sales.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, April 25th, 2014 at 12:59 pm .

The most recent reports from Canada show improvements in the retail industry, especially for clothing and accessories stores. The latest report from Statistic Canada found that retail sales increased 0.5 percent in February 2014 to a total of about CA$41 billion (US$38 billion). The report looked at 11 different sectors of retail and found seven of them had improved, including health and personal care stores as well as general merchandise retailers and clothing, shoe and accessories stores.

Health and personal care stores, which includes pharmacies, drug stores, and supplement stores, saw the biggest month-over-month gains of 2.6 percent, and general stores had gains of 1.4 percent. The clothing and accessories category may have seen the most important changes, as gains in February were the first following two months of declining sales.

Overall, this sector experienced a 1.5 percent increase in sales, and clothing stores were responsible for much of the growth, with 1.8 percent gains, while shoe stores saw a rise of 0.8 percent and retailers selling accessories, leather goods and jewelry only had an average 0.1 percent improvement. Electronics and appliance stores also saw gains, with sales jumping up 1.3 percent from January.

Canadian retailers can capitalize on the improving economic conditions by ramping up their shopping experiences. More efficient point of sale services, for instance, can encourage customers to come in and make purchases. Online merchants may want to look into updating their ecommerce software as well, which can help draw more site traffic.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, April 25th, 2014 at 5:02 am .

India's online retail marketplace is expanding quickly, and the latest reports indicate this trend will only continue. The Asian nation's ecommerce sector is still in its early stages, but it has been experiencing rapid growth. American Express recently reported that by 2015, there will likely be more than 38 million Indian consumers making purchases virtually, according to American Bazaar Online.

Currently, only about 10.4 million people (about 14 percent of the total number of Indians going online) make purchases over the Internet, but if American Express's predictions are accurate, the massive jump will represent a 256 percent increase in online shopping among Indian consumers. A major factor behind this prediction is the fact that more people are getting credit cards, giving them access to online shopping. This market has seen modest gains in recent years, rising about 35 percent on average in the past few years, the source pointed out.

To take advantage of India's growing online retail sector, merchants across the globe may want to consider ecommerce software that offers multiple languages. Studies have shown that shoppers are more likely to make purchases when online stores let them browse in their native language.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, April 24th, 2014 at 11:27 am .