Quick Summary:  There are over 4.12 million stores on the Shopify platform. The company was founded in 2004 and within a year, they had received $100k in funding. It has now reached over 200 employees with the number of stores growing by 100,000 per month. It is currently the most popular online store for many small businesses and entrepreneurs. Shopify is the leading platform for e-commerce. It claims to provide a comprehensive set of tools needed to create and sell an endless variety of products online. If you’re targeting this online market, it’s important to stay informed of trends and developments so that you can capitalize on them. Below are some of the most relevant Shopify development trends that businesses must discuss with their developers right now.

Must-Know Shopify Development Trends for eCommerce Success in 2023

Mobile-friendly Checkout Experience: Shopify has released two new features that will enhance the checkout experience on mobile devices and boost conversions. The first is a new hybrid checkout feature which will reduce abandoned carts through an embedded shopping cart experience. The second is a re-design of the current checkout process, which Shopify claims reduces friction and boosts conversion rates.

Using Pre-built Themes: Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 is an update to its theme customization system which allows online sellers to easily manage their store’s presentation to customers. Coupled with the commerce platform, it offers more flexibility and better ways to manage the site without having to develop the themes from scratch, which can help develop a store that suits sellers’ specific requirements.

Voice Search: As users increasingly adopt voice search over text search, businesses are getting a sense of urgency to integrate voice search in their eCommerce portals. This is because customers these days prefer using their own voice for shopping as they are too busy to type for every product they want to buy. They can simply speak out the product they want and save time.

AR and VR: Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are just two of the latest buzzwords in mobile marketing. Through the use of your mobile device, AR allows you to merge 2D objects with a live video stream from your camera while VR puts your users inside another world. These revolutionizing technologies are expanding the distance between brands and customers by providing users with a realistic product experience.

Chatbots and Virtual Customer Support: Chatbots and virtual support have gained a lot of popularity lately in the world of e-commerce. And for good reason: they are efficient, cost-effective, and offer a superior level of service. A chatbot is not human; it can’t respond to every type of query or solve every problem your customers might have. However, with a consistent stream of quality answers, your chatbot will become smarter over time, building your customer’s trust and loyalty towards your brand. For most online businesses, 24/7 availability is a crucial advantage over brick-and-mortar. Virtual support enables you to give your customers this competitive edge; providing faster assistance and the ability to answer their questions when they need it most.

3D Product Visualization: Consumers’ expectations for high-quality images and realistic 3D product visualization have increased considerably over the years. It’s becoming almost impossible to satisfy shoppers’ visual perception of products while maintaining competitive pricing in online marketplaces. This is where 3D product visualization comes into play, helping you to meet both customers’ needs and store owners’ demands.

Social Commerce: Social commerce can be a boon for eCommerce businesses as it offers many advantages over traditional channels, including lower costs and increased brand awareness. As the global value of social commerce is projected to reach approximately $2.9 trillion by 2026, eCommerce businesses must leverage this trend.

Micro-influencer Marketing: Micro-influencer marketing is an ideal alternative to the traditional influencer marketing. It has been proven that micro-influencers are more effective in building a loyal customer base for the business and generate more sales than the larger, yet less engaged influencers.

Subscription-based eCommerce: Subscription-based e-commerce is trending and if you haven’t used this approach in your store yet, you need to start implementing it in no time. Developing a subscription-based ecommerce site can certainly be a daunting task as there are numerous factors to consider. However, Shopify has put together an app that automates the entire development process.

Conclusion  

E-commerce continues to evolve as a booming industry, and with that evolution comes new trends. Shopify is keeping its ear to the ground, as are online retailers who want to be successful. The essence of a successful business and store is to keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the industry, from mobile commerce apps to new marketing channels. This post will cover some of the e-commerce development trends that you should take note of for 2023! If you are looking to hire app developers for your Shopify store, then you have come to the right place. Brain Inventory has been helping app developers successfully create Shopify apps for over a year now. Our team has great exposure to different methods of building apps which means we always recommend the best possible options to our clients.