Modern handheld tech and improvements within existing devices have significantly impacted the human parts of daily lives, and shopping is one of them. Even though shopping has evolved massively, it continues to evolve to make it more convenient.
We have come a long way from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to complete website-based shopping. Nowadays, shopping is done from an application on your smartphone, and a virtual assistant guides you and helps you choose the right product.
There are many other ways tech improves the online shopping experience; some of those ways are highlighted below.
- Web-based marketplace:
One of the most integral ways tech has made shopping easier is by making it fully web-based. This means you can now access an entire library of products from the comfort of your home simply by using your phone and visiting a site or opening an app.
For example, websites like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay are entirely web-based platforms that make shopping more accessible and convenient for consumers. Even from more minor local sellers, customers can access a wide variety of products from home and order and receive them at their doorstep.
As technology advances rapidly, online shop owners are making their websites faster and more consumer-friendly. As a result, customers have an easier and quicker shopping experience than before.
- Fast-paced Store experience:
For those looking to shop in a more traditional style, tech has made their experience more manageable, seamless, and consumer friendly. Shop owners have introduced many features to their stores to make checking out as quick as possible.
One way it has done so is through devices such as a price scanner, which scans the product’s barcode to tell its price. Another way it has done so is by introducing “self-checkout,” with which customers can now pay for their purchased items by scanning them.
As customers do it by themselves, it eliminates the need to wait in line for the cashier. Retailers are also using technologies such as Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and advanced sensor networks to keep track of inventory in real-time. Store owners can also track their lists much more efficiently now.
- Efficient payment gateway:
The traditional way of buying something was for the customer to give cash to the shop owners and purchase whatever item they fancied. As technology advanced, the “card system” was introduced through which you can pay for your bought items through a credit or debit card.
The whole point was to eliminate the cash aspect of the economy. But now, modern payment gateways have improved significantly, facilitating you to pay for your purchased commodities directly from your phone.
You can make payments with a few taps on your device and buy the item successfully. There are a variety of companies offering such services; the most evident are as follows:
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Venmo
- Google Pay
- Stripe
The digital payment system continues to grow significantly, and people find it much more convenient than conventional methods. As per a report, the entire segment of digital payments is estimated to reach $9.7tn, and it is expected to show a growth of 11.79% annually.
These indicators show that people vastly prefer digital payments over traditional ones.
- Curbside pick-up:
To speed up delivery, retailers have also introduced curbside pick-up options, which allow consumers to place orders using websites on their phones and then pick them up directly from the stores skipping waiting times.
This way, even those looking for faster deliveries or even prefer getting the item themselves are facilitated.
- Voice Shopping:
If you need help browsing through a website for shopping, you can place an order by speaking to virtual home assistant devices. It is a technology that detects your voice for commands, interprets it using AI and other methods then responds accordingly.
You can tell it to do tasks like add something to your shopping list or order this product, which will save you all the hassle of browsing. As our surroundings become more integrated with modern technologies, we’ll continue to resolve these issues using advanced, more efficient methods.
- Reviews:
Everybody feels skeptical about a product when purchasing it. To solve this issue, the retailers have added reviews of the people who have already purchased the item. These reviews are written primarily under a product page, like a comment section.
People describing their experience and opinions of the product fill up these sections you can use to decide on purchasing it. Usually, only people who have tried/purchased the items can leave a review.
- Chat Assistant Service:
In a more traditional way of shopping, you’ll usually find a salesperson to guide you through your shopping and answer your queries regarding a product. Retailers have introduced online chat assistants to make their service online and available at all times and improve the online shopping experience.
Unlike in-person assistants, they’re always available and contact you through email if you have any questions regarding the product. It’ll even guide you through all the order placement procedures too.
- Social Media Marketplace:
Many retailers have moved on to social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to showcase and promote their products. This way, consumers can discover and shop for items alongside socializing with friends or even getting a second opinion.
Many businesses also use the chat feature of social media platforms as their online assistant chat service, which we discussed earlier.
- Recommendation System:
A Recommendation System sometimes referred to as a Recommendation Engine, is a great tool that has made shopping easier.
It will suggest additional products based on your browsing and purchase history, making it easy for shoppers to find products that may interest them. Most international businesses are already using it, and many others are also adopting it.
- Behavioural Analytics:
Modern commercial businesses also use Behavioural Analytics, which uses consumer data to determine future trends. Keeping track of it, they can understand which product will suit their customers better.
Such advanced methods allow them to tailor shopping more to the customers’ needs. It helps businesses meet their customers’ demands while ensuring an even better shopping experience when they return.
Conclusion
Modern tech has revolutionized shopping in its true essence. It has made shopping more accessible, such as ordering from the comfort of your home to curbside picking, efficient payment gateways, and more.
It has completely changed how humans used to shop and will continue to do so. Tools like Recommendation Systems, Behavioural Analytics, Virtual Assistant Services, and Voice Shopping are still in their early forms.
We will surely improve the online shopping experience with the continued development of new technologies. This way, we know the online shopping experience will continue to evolve and improve.
