What consumers expect from eCommerce sites in 2023

Lockdown restrictions were a catalyst for digitising the shopping experience, with consumers spending a total of £113 billion online throughout 2020 alone - a rise of 48% from the year before. This shift in behaviour has resulted in a transformative period for online merchants, with 20.8% of retail purchases expected to be online in 2023.

As the demand for online shopping continues to grow, so do the expectations surrounding the digital shopping experience. With trends constantly evolving, knowing where to focus your eCommerce efforts can be overwhelming. We've rounded up the latest trends online shoppers expect in 2023 to help you optimise your online shopping experience.

1. It's all about the mobile experience

With mobile sales predicted to reach over £100bn by 2024, providing a seamless mobile experience is pivotal to maximising sales generated from your eCommerce site.

A recent report stated mobile devices generated 61% of online shopping orders. Exploring the user's journey and identifying any barriers to purchasing from your mobile website enables you to make tangible improvements to your site's UX.

A great place to start is by testing the usability of your navigation bar and search function on your mobile eCommerce site.

Other elements including image sizes and call-to-action buttons also impact the user experience. Ensuring that all elements of the user journey are responsive and optimised for mobile devices should be at the top of your eCommerce to-do list.

2. Making it personal

With 67% of consumers stating they expect eCommerce sites to give them relevant product/service recommendations, 2023 will see the importance of personalisation for eCommerce websites.

Combining data with your eCommerce site's UI can improve usability, achieving a competitive advantage. This level of personalisation directly impacts repeat business with 78% of consumers stating they are more likely to make repeat purchases from companies that personalise their service offering to their needs and interests.

Some of the most effective personalisation features include product recommendations, upsell and cross-sell recommendations and the utilisation of geolocation data which can be added to new or existing eCommerce sites.

3. Convenience over credit cards

Consumers are becoming reliant on online functionality with only 40% of eCommerce shoppers having their credit cards within easy reach whilst online shopping.

Online merchants who fail to optimise their checkout process for this change in user behaviour may risk increasing cart abandonment rates. If there are no integrated payment options - such as ApplePay or PayPal - this can create a barrier to conversion. Ensuring that your eCommerce site has convenient payment options is an easy way to guide users through the checkout journey.

4. The importance of a frictionless checkout process

39% of consumers say they would abandon purchases if the checkout process is too complicated, 2023 will see an emphasis on a frictionless checkout.

A frictionless checkout removes all barriers, enabling users to quickly add something to their cart and check out with minimal steps. A recent report found the fewer checkout steps the better as 24% of online shoppers abandon their cart if they're required to create an account at the checkout stage.

Although the convenience of payment options plays a significant role, a truly frictionless checkout process should consider all information required from the user. Components such as the ability to enter promo codes, auto-filling content and enabling users to checkout as a guest instead of creating an account are small considerations to enhance the user's checkout experience.

5. B2B will jump on the eCommerce bandwagon

Direct-to-consumer brands have paved the way for eCommerce, with many B2B brands failing to see the benefit of shifting their manual sales processes to a streamlined digital journey.

B2B transactions are typically more complex than B2C transactions - making the set-up of these platforms more sophisticated in comparison. However, eCommerce has surpassed in-person as the single most effective channel for B2B sales.

With 70% of businesses relying on digital and remote channels to make and receive goods from their wholesalers, B2B organisations need to consider if their customer base now expects online ordering capabilities and self-serve options.

Boost your eCommerce capabilities today

If you're puzzled about optimising your online presence for the next wave of user behaviour, our team can help. We've worked with brands such as Barbour and Superdrug to boost their online sales by identifying how their users interact with their eCommerce sites.

Check out our eCommerce projects below.