7 Latest Ecommerce Trends

The COVID-19 global pandemic was a hard hit that completely changed the life we had before. And although we are all getting used to the new reality, it is not clear what tendencies will encompass the rest of 2021. Statistics on the latest e-commerce trends in the furniture industry say that home and garden goods sales grew up by 75%. Obviously, people focused on renovations and home improvements early in the pandemic. However, the situation remains unpredictable and very complex.

Moreover, in light of the pandemic, the competition among manufacturers became the battle for life and death. Many brands closed their brick-and-mortar stores and went online on e-commerce platforms like Amazon. Therefore, to stay in the business, manufacturers and retailers simply must develop a strategy that will help them to stand out. However, first, they have to learn about the current trends in e-commerce.

As a product 3D rendering company, we would like to help our clients to navigate through these challenging times by analyzing the latest e-commerce trends in the furniture industry.

#1. Online Sales Skyrocket Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

Recent e-commerce studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to online commerce by 5 years. Of course, with lockdown, people don’t visit brick-and-mortar stores as much as before and are more focused on safety and healthcare instead. The same e-commerce statistics claim that many customers plan to continue to shop online in 2021-2022. Also, only 28% said they would go to physical stores if the pandemic will still be active. And although the global pandemic affected the latest e-commerce trends, the tendency of turning retail business to e-commerce has existed even before.

#2. Product Customization Fuels the Sales

The latest e-commerce trends include product customization that buyers can do on their own. Using 3D configurators and VR/AR apps, customers can create their own designs by changing the colors and materials of the goods manually. With such an e-commerce tool, buyers can tailor the furniture pieces to their interiors and get them shipped to their door. With the customization trend, everyone wins. Surely, buyers get a personalized experience and products they like. As for manufacturers, e-commerce brands can increase their conversions, reduce goods returns and avoid having leftovers in stock.

#3. Social Commerce Moves at Light Speed

Social media shopping started in the pre-COVID era but it became ubiquitous and of the most popular latest Ecommerce trends these days. As the research shows, over 60% of shoppers learn about new products from Instagram. Other popular e-commerce platforms are Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat work no less effectively. Today, customers want to get a seamless shopping experience without redirecting to other pages. So many buyers don’t even open the pages of online stores to buy goods if they can do it directly from Instagram Stories or DMs. 

#4. People Rely on Visual Search to Buy Products

Speaking of the latest ecommerce trends in the furniture industry, visual search has become an integral part of e-shopping. Modern buyers find it difficult to rely on text-based search while looking for furniture and decor simply because it is limited. With text search, you have to manually type in all the key features of a product such as the name of a furniture piece, color, style, materials, and so on. In the end, your Google search becomes too complicated and the engine can’t provide relevant results.

Visual search based on product photos is much more effective. Let’s say, customers want to find goods from the picture they like on Pinterest. To do so, they can select furniture pieces or event carpet and tiles on the pic with Visual Search Tool and get visually similar results. Using this Pinterest feature, buyers also help the engine to define their tastes and, as the result, they see more products they like in their feed.

#5. Sustainability and Mindfulness in Brand Messaging

The term Sustainability is not something completely new — we’ve been hearing it everywhere a lot in the latest years. But as time went by, global warming and ecological disasters kept hitting more and more headlines. Therefore, sustainability became one of the latest e-commerce trends and more customers are now cautious with their impulsive buying. 

People have started really analyzing their footprint on this planet. And even bloggers and influencers, who usually make money off selling any sponsored products, actively promote second-hand and thrift shopping, eco-friendly goods, etc. With such a shift in consumer mindset, innovative e-commerce brands reconsidered their manufacturing and delivery processes. Now they opt for the latest sustainable technologies for both their furniture production and packaging.  

#6. Today’s Social Context Matters

Not only Coronavirus changed our lives this year. A few previous years were full of turbulent social and political events that have made a huge impact on businesses. For example, the Black Lives Matter movement raised the issue of racism, injustice and inequality in all aspects of life including business. According to NY Times ecommerce research, COVID-19 hits Black-owned businesses hardest. In 2021, it is still difficult for black business owners to find banking partners and get loans simply because of their skin color.

As a response to the demonstrations and latest events, celebrities and popular media such as Elle Decor, CNN, USA Today, etc. started using their platforms to promote black designers and manufacturers. Consequently, more people around the globe learned about Black-owned fashion, furniture, and decor companies and got interested in their products. Firstly, of course, because of the good design. And secondly, customers want to show their support to the Black community and creators by purchasing their goods. No doubt, we have to learn more and stay proactive to fight racial injustice. However, even making social activism one of the latest e-commerce trends might help Black-owned businesses to get the attention and respect they deserve.

#7. More Brands Switch to CGI for Product Pictures

In the last couple of years, many brands have stopped using traditional photography for product catalogs. Firstly, actual photo sessions are laborious and time-consuming. Because of that, taking pictures of every item in the catalog turns out to be a very expensive endeavor. But in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it got even more complicated. When it comes to organizing photo sessions, it involves many people — photo studio administrators, movers, stylists, a photographer, you name it. But with quarantine and social distancing, one simply can’t gather such a large team in one place without risking their health.

Because of all the aforementioned factors, using CGI for product images naturally became of the latest e-commerce trends. CG imagery is a fast, budget-friendly, and, most importantly, safe option. Furniture 3D renders can be done by one or several CG specialists working remotely. They simply don’t need any other specialists or equipment to take images for the entire catalog — only their computers and 3D software. Considering these factors and the ongoing pandemic, fully switching to CGI is not only one of the latest trends in e-commerce but a smart and well-thought-out move for any business.

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It goes without saying that COVID-19 messed up 2020/2021 and is still raging. Thus, all the trends and statistics we counted on in January are almost irrelevant now. However, it is already crystal clear that offline sales and brick-and-mortar shops are in a much worse position than e-commerce platforms. Evidently, the latter thrive during the pandemic. It’s also obvious that buyers expect more customization options and advanced shopping experiences from manufacturers and retailers. Hence, direct sales through social networks, sustainability and the use of CGI are among other latest ecommerce trends.

Want successful sales in 2021/2022? You need innovative 3D solutions for your business! Contact us for 3D rendering services and we will provide you with mind-blowing CGI that will boost your revenue!

Irene Lewis

Content Writer

Irene is a content writer. She previously worked for interior and chess magazines. When not writing articles, Irene finds great pleasure in collecting Star Trek memorabilia, reading Medieval poetry and playing banjo.