The eCommerce industry grew exponentially in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most people shied away from visiting physical stores to practice social distancing. This proved to be a blessing in disguise for online businesses as consumers started shopping online more frequently. According to dropshipping expert Louis Cooke, dropshippers need to take advantage of this opportunity to scale their business.
2020 was an excellent year for drop shippers, and Cooke is confident about seeing a similar surge in 2021. If you want to up your drop shipping game, Cooke recommends staying updated about the most effective strategies. He reveals the hottest dropshipping trends that are most likely to rule in 2021.
1. Mobile commerce
Cooke predicts that nearly 54% of eCommerce sales will come from mobile devices by 2022. He went through mobile shopping statistics over the last few years and noticed a steep increase in 2019 and 2020. Cooke says, “Mobile shopping allows you to shop from anywhere, anytime. You wouldn’t need to get up, fire up your laptop, and order something you remember before going to sleep. Most drop shipping websites are now compatible with mobile phones, meaning you can shop your favorite products as soon as they come to your mind.”
2. Social media sales
The lockdown gave people a chance to spend enough time on social media. Cooke, who has his unique dropshipping marketing methods, thinks that social media sales will continue to rise because people now spend more time on social media than before. And dropshippers should take advantage of this. Different social media platforms directly provide direct sales options. He encourages dropshippers to start marketing campaigns on social media and add a “Buy Now” button. Clicking that button will take potential customers to the dropshipping website where they can complete their purchases.
3. Artificial intelligence in eCommerce
Cooke often uses AI to provide relevant suggestions for his dropshipping products. He thinks it’s an underutilized marketing strategy that will finally show its colors in 2021. AI can offer a personalized buying experience. It provides recommendations based on the customer’s purchase and searches history. According to Cooke, it’s a surefire way of generating leads, driving sales, and saving time by automating repetitive tasks.
4. Payment options
Cash isn’t the only payment option anymore, thanks to the eCommerce industry. But Cooke thinks there’s room for improvement. While most dropshipping websites accept debit and credit cards and in-store wallets, Cooke believes that the stores will also add PayPal, Google Pay, and a few other options to facilitate payments. This initiative will help dropshippers to stay in the race with their competitors. Customers prefer sites that provide multiple payment options as many of them may not want to share their debit or credit card details due to the increase in cyber frauds.
It’s only a matter of time before these trends start topping the charts in the eCommerce industry. Cooke advises dropshippers to keep these trends in mind to ensure they wouldn’t fall behind in the rat race to stay at the top.
