The convergence of better tools and more data will allow us much more visibility into and control over the customers’ journey. Up to this point, it’s always been difficult to measure and model attribution: How does a Google search from a few days ago play into a purchase decision today? How does interacting with a specific piece of content change someone’s perspective on a product? In the next few years, as we’re better able to understand how our customers move across the web and interact with content, we’ll be able to see them coming much earlier and can lay out a tailored, personalized path that provides a lot of value to customers as they make purchasing decisions.

Maria Seaver, Chief Experience Officer and head of Digital Experience practice, Springbox

Online retailers will have to get better with personalized shopping experiences and communication, meaning they need to allow customers to browse, purchase, and experience products as easily as possible. As ecommerce continues to become more crowded and larger companies up their game, brand affinity and loyalty will continue to be a differentiator. From a technology standpoint, more mobile, more faster and much more easy to shop.

Augmented Reality will become more prevalent, especially in B2B applications. It’s already coming to B2B in various forms especially in manufacturing processes. People are experimenting with how AR can help people point out dangerous mistakes before they occur. As AR becomes more of a norm in business, I assume it will become more prevalent in Ecommerce.

I think Amazon’s going to continue to flex its dominance over all aspects of Ecommerce, but my hope is we will make some inroads to solving some personalization for B2B. It’s currently in its infancy, and very inaccurately predicts what people need or want to purchase. I think artificial intelligence is going to take a leap and be more helpful and useful for buyers and suppliers getting their jobs done.

A great eCommerce experience is a highly personalized one. Shoppers today are smart, digitally-savvy and used to near instant gratification. Any eCommerce company worth its salt will have easy intuitive navigation and a smooth checkout process - but a truly memorable experience requires more. I believe AI and machine learning will play an even greater role in providing more helpful product recommendations, use and care tips, product bundles and loyalty programs that give consumers an exceptional shopping experience and retailers a competitive edge.

Brands in the next 5-10 years will require a full ecommerce ecosystem which seamlessly provides not only customer insight into behavior, but also intelligence within product offerings in the form of AI-powered product attribute tagging. This combination of customer and product knowledge will take personalization to the next level, especially when combined with advances in augmented reality and voice interactions. The accuracy of the data collected will raise the visual and audio experience to new levels.

Augmented reality is going to be huge in the next five to ten years and it will revolutionize eCommerce. Augmented reality will allow customers to project products virtually in the comfort of their own homes so that they can interact with them and make the best purchasing decisions. Need to try on a shirt, but you’re not sure if it fits? You won’t even have to leave your bedroom. Need to see how much counter space a toaster will take up? Project it onto your kitchen counter and buy it right in the app. This is the wave of the future.

I’m sure that eCommerce becomes more personalized day after day. The online user wants exceptional personalized experience, such as they can get at the offline store: where you have shop assistants, the showcases, fitting rooms. There you can understand how the product looks and works; decide whether it's right for you. I think that the next level of eCommerce is the virtual rooms, the creation of 3D models of products, and the use of the augmented reality that allows you to get a life-like experience. AR technology enables online shoppers to understand their needs, get a feel of products, and better visualize their choice before making up the decision. You can try this technology by interacting with many famous brands. Let’s take an example of IKEA. They help customers decide whether the desired model of the furniture fits their interior by offering their AR app. It enhances the online experience and helps brands showcase their products in the best possible way.

The continued personalization of eCommerce in balance with increased demands for privacy will create significant opportunities for eCommerce brands that build trust with their customers while continuing to invest in providing personalized shopping experiences.

We are entering into an age of “Me-Commerce” where everything about eCommerce is personalized for the buyer. This is only being accelerated with the adoption of AI, Machine Learning, VR/AR technologies and advances in logistics allowing products to arrive in literally minutes from purchasing. Whereas today only a small percentage of merchants are taking advantage of these due to some of the barriers to adoption such as high costs. These barriers are lowering at a rapid rate and we’re beginning to see wide-scale adoption across all merchants.

In 5 to 10 years, we will see larger data sets that make AI and Automation more effective. Leveraging those technologies will give us further insight into the consumer and their shopping experience browsing to shipping.