Online commerce is now an integral part of our lives and new e-commerce sites open every day. 2024 promises to be a year full of news, both from the point of view of trends and with regards to legislative innovations. Let's look at them more closely.
E-commerce trend forecasts in 2024
As far as trends go, 2024 will see the expansion of trends that already kicked off in 2023.
In first place there is certainly the theme of sustainability, very dear especially to the new generations. For some time now, consumers have been more inclined to support companies that demonstrate environmental awareness, perhaps by favoring ethical materials and sustainable packaging, or collaborating with organizations that are committed to protecting the environment.
Then follows the social commerce, i.e. sales via social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. More and more e-commerce companies are relying on social media as their first sales channel, thanks also to more natural and immediate communication that allows them to reach the customer directly. It therefore becomes essential optimize the shopping experience for mobile devices, to make it more fluid and simple.
The explosion ofArtificial intelligence and ChatGPT has also touched online stores, with the now widespread use of chatbot. These tools allow you to automate various processes, simplifying the experience for both the e-commerce owner and the customer. Furthermore, if used correctly, artificial intelligence can also help personalize the shopping experience, increasing the chances of a sale.
Finally, still remaining on the subject of personalization, we can expect to see e-commerce increasingly optimized for a multi-local commerce. It's not simply about adapting the shopping experience to language and currency, but also adapting the site to different cultures, through localization. In this regard, i. will be essential first-party data, i.e. acquired directly from customers, because 2024 will also be the year of the deprecation of third-party cookies. It will therefore become more complicated to acquire insights and statistics through tools such as Google Analytics.
Legislative news 2024: what changes for e-commerce?
From the point of view of legislative innovations, we can expect important changes in the European panorama, due to the entry into force of new regulations.
- Digital Services Act (DSA) e Digital Markets Act (DMA): The Digital Services and Digital Markets Act aim to create a safer digital space for European users and ensure fairer competition, to promote innovation and growth. The direct effects of these two laws specifically affect large online platforms (such as Google, Amazon, Meta), which will have to implement measures to limit their dominant position on the market. However, the indirect consequences could fall on users and smaller sites that perhaps rely on large platforms such as Amazon. If this is your case, pay attention to the communications that may arrive.
- DataAct: The Data Act aims to regulate the use of data generated by the use of products or services, allowing users to access and re-use this data. This legislation is particularly relevant for data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT) and strengthens the right to data portability, facilitating the transfer of data between service providers.
In general, if you are the owner of a small e-commerce, there will not be too substantial changes. You may need to update your legal documents, such as the Privacy policy o terms and conditions, and facilitate your users' privacy requests.
Furthermore, the EU is also introducing stricter regulations to improve the safety of products sold online. In particular, these regulations aim to improve the rules on product returns – extending the obligations of economic operators. Among other things, these rules They also require that products can only be sold by an EU-based manufacturer, importer or distributor who takes responsibility for the safety of products placed on the market.
In conclusion, 2024 promises to be a year full of challenges and innovations for e-commerce owners, but by adapting to trends and keeping an eye on the latest legislative news you will be able to transform them into opportunities for your business!