If you're hoping to gain more traction for your eCommerce brand, generate more demand, and convert that demand into buying customers, it's important for you to know the latest trends driving the industry. Given the effects of COVID, 2020 was a monumental year for e-commerce. The pandemic has accelerated changes across several sectors, and this acceleration is expected to continue to add some more capacity as we move into 2021 and beyond.

E-Commerce Trends of 2021

How will 2021 and the following years meet the changes that 2020 initiated in e-Commerce? If you want to take a small glimpse into the future, here are 5 different products that will take 2021 by storm and become a trend.

1. Smart Home Assistants

Alexa and Google Home are great products for turning on the lights, telling you the weather and playing your favorite radio stations. But they are also quietly taking over the e-commerce industry.

Akıllı ev asistanı ürünlerinin sahiplerinin yaklaşık olarak %20’si bu ürünleri sipariş etme, hatırlatma oluşturma, araştırma yapma veya teslimatları izleme gibi alışverişle ilgili faaliyetler için kullanmaktadır. Önümüzdeki dört yıl içinde bu rakamın % 52’ye çıkması bekleniyor. Şu anda e-ticaret ve yerine getirme süreçlerinizi sesli arama için optimize etmiyorsanız, harekete geçin veya geride kalın.

So how can you benefit from this trend?

If 2020 taught us anything, it's to always prepare for the unexpected. Whether you accept that this e-commerce trend will take off in 2021 or you think they have a few years left, preparing your sales, marketing and fulfillment strategies for tomorrow's e-commerce world will ensure your business doesn't get left behind.

2. Advanced Customization

Have you been on the Nike brand website lately? Now you can customize every aspect of your Nike Airs, even the wording on the back. Product customization is not new, but it has entered the category of "trending products" because it allows you to program the quality of product you want at an affordable cost.

The most relevant product example of advanced customization would be 3D printers. With 3D printers becoming more affordable and available, it is only a matter of time before customization becomes a trend.

3. Rental Products

The biggest problem for eCommerce brands is "returned" products. While dishonest customers generally use their right to return products to embellish their Instagram stories or fulfill their fast fashion needs, honest consumers return products out of conscious consumerism. As a result, brands face big problems due to "returns".

Can the rental system be a salve for this wound of brands?

Following significant growth on their platforms, many retailers are looking to expand into rental e-commerce in 2021. By offering consumers the opportunity to rent clothes, furniture or electronics, they aim to increase audience reach while reducing returns.

4. Second Hand Products

ReCommerce, also known as second-hand trade, will see a renewed revival in 2021. This is due to the fact that factories are unable to produce products due to disruptions in the product supply chain due to the pandemic. Recent research predicts that the second-hand market will double in the next five years.

With consumers motivated by sustainability rather than price, second-hand sales of luxury goods will once again shake up the retail sector. This will present an interesting opportunity for businesses to open their own second-hand markets and turn second-hand shopping into an exciting shopping experience.

5. New Payment Options

With the effect of the pandemic, people started to hesitate to use hand-to-hand money. This was replaced by contactless credit cards. In 2021 and the following years "new payment options" seems to be emerging. What you need to do for the sake of your business will be to keep up with this trend.

If you don't offer your customers the ability to shop with their preferred payment method, they won't buy from your e-commerce store. As of now, most e-commerce businesses offer digital wallets (Google Pay, Samsung or Apple Pay and PayPal). Cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin, have many advantages for online store owners, such as low transaction fees and no reverse transactions.

In 2021, we could see more e-commerce businesses start accepting cryptocurrencies for transactions.