Rapid development of e-commerce has, on the one hand, led to an increase of sales in the online channel, but also presented the industry with a number of challenges.
One of the key areas is time and quality of service. The easing of pandemic restrictions made the customers see once again the alternative for shopping in stationary shops, and expect 'here and now' results from e-commerce. It is important to be aware that users require a smooth shop’s operations with system response times adapted to the performed activity, immediate order delivery and response from customer service, as well as unproblematic returns.
Customers of online shops pay much more attention to online security. It is becoming important for them not only how their data is secured, but also what kind of information they want to share when contacting a brand. This is also followed by legal changes and the approach of digital giants such as Google to the use of, for example, Third-Party Cookies. This presents a challenge for digital marketing in its current form and will require fast adaptation to the new situation.
Trade, including e-commerce, is affected by the geopolitical and economic situation of our region. The closure of the Russian and Belarusian markets, disruption of supply chains, deterioration of the customer’s financial situation on one hand, and the increase of prices on the other, cause Poles to declare their willingness to save on, among others, furniture, footwear, electronics, sporting goods and clothing.
Trends
One of the many trends seen in e-commerce is the increasing experimentation with Augmented Reality. This technology allows you to get to know a product better while shopping online. 3D visualisations, virtual salespeople or fitting rooms can help increase conversions in an online shop or mobile app, but also reduce the number of returns due to, for example, wrong size.
One example was the use of a virtual fitting room for one of Robert Lewandowski's collections at 4F. AR,- combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, Big Data, chatbots, voice search and smart devices, may soon allow E-commerce to be transformed into true aCommerce (augmented commerce), where it is much better and faster to respond with the right offer to a specific individual need.
Another trend that has been around for a long time and all indications are that it will not change is mobile first. E-commerce should be designed primarily for mobile devices, mainly smartphones. Mobile applications are now practically a standard, and PWA (Progressive Web App) technology is being introduced more and more widely.
Re-commerce cannot be excluded from this list. Apart from buying new clothes, customers are increasingly willing to buy second-hand products. They expect their favourite brands to offer second-hand clothes, as well as support in donating or recycling unwanted clothes.
At OTCF we are aware of the importance of this area and consumer expectations. Ultimately,- we want the 4f.com.pl website to give customers the opportunity not only to buy and rent new clothes, but also to get second-hand items. As of now we have organized clothes’ collection (online + stationary in 10 locations) and sale of second-hand items in several 4F shops. We are also starting to work on UPCYCLING projects, where new products will be created from old ones and then sold.
Wojciech Mikulski
Member of the Board
OTCF S.A.
