Comments on: Dust Off Your Crystal Ball: 2009 E-commerce Predictions

By: Rashmi

Rashmi — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:49:40 +0000

I think 2009 people will start with smart shopping and buy products that they really need. With the going recession people may not go for the brands but look at the actual value of the products and buy products according to there need.

By: Adam Weinroth | Pluck

Adam Weinroth | Pluck — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:50:59 +0000

Great input everyone. I also came across this year-end summary from E-commerce Guide that includes a few predictive nuggets

http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/trends/article.php/3793346

Will incorporate into the wrap-up.

By: Karl Long

Karl Long — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:15:56 +0000

I’ve decided to expand upon the idea that I started in the comment earlier “from growth to value as a strategy”
http://experiencecurve.com/archives/my-2009-prediction-on-social-media-and-beyond-the-flight-from-growth-to-value

By: Sam Decker

Sam Decker — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:21:30 +0000

Last year I made four predictions (http://budurl.com/tpku):

1) SOCIAL CONTENT IS GOING MULTI-CHANNEL
2) EXPANDING SOCIAL INTERACTIONS & CONTENT – “Micro UGC”
3) SOCIAL COMMERCE WILL DRIVE PRODUCT DISCOVERY
4) DECENTRALATION OF DATA & CONTENT

I think #1, 3 and 4 have dramatically taken off, and will continue to grow. #2 is slower to adopt.

This year I agree with Ann, we will see more adoptions of reviews and other forms of UGC, and also more rigorous use of UGC. Teaser alert: we have a study coming out next month that suggests reviews are the #1 factor for customers to buy products in a tough economy.

There will still be experimentation in smaller investment levels, even in mobile. Retailers will double-down on measurable online marketing (such as paid search) and that may cause a faster shift & focus to online marketing for multi-channel retailers. Jupiter study suggests 89% of CMOs are facing increased pressure to show ROI. When I was at Dell, we dramatically shifted budget to online in 2001 because of the predictability and measurability.

Finally, focus on customer service and experience will be critical to preserve customer base and grow out of this mess. As WOM will rule for products, such is the same for WOM for your business. Amazon and Zappos are doing great — they share great customer service in common. Measure your customer satisfaction — NetPromoter and Foresee will be more important.

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:29:41 +0000

Customer reviews are already an important research tool for online consumers, says Nielsen. So here’s my prediction: In 2009, the most successful online retailers will do what some are already doing, and move toward incorporating consumer-written product or retailer reviews.

The smarter retailers aren’t threatened by the thought, but instead see see the reviews as a cornerstone of building relationships with consumers, and vice-versa, as consumers increasingly trust stores that move in this direction.

By: Karl Long

Karl Long — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:19:40 +0000

This is not so much a prediction as much as an imperative, but companies must focus on creating value and stop worshiping growth. Growth is not a strategy unless you have some mechanism to profit from that growth and right now facebook, twitter, and youtube are growing like crazy but that growth comes with an enormous burn rate. If your business model is to grow so you can monetize primarily through advertising you are DOA.

By: Peter Kim

Peter Kim — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:14:58 +0000

I’ll paraphrase the experts:

“2009 will be the year we rediscover the appeal of ‘live intimacy’ in customer service” – Pete Blackshaw

“Retailers will investigate how to insert people and social connections into the buying process, illuminating and influencing the Black Hole Of Consideration” – Charlene Li

“With new connective technologies, shoppers will now be able to see reviews, experiences, and critiques from people they actually know and trust” – Jeremiah Owyang

Pretty feasible in my opinion – and I’ll add one of my own. The global economic crisis will provide momentum for e-commerce business units. In multi-channel retailers, politics are no longer an option and resources will be shifted to lower overhead/higher margin operations in order to survive. Those who shift will be rewarded with a robust support infrastructure once the economy returns to health.