2010 is considered the year with the biggest Internet progress made ever. In 2010 the power of Internet exceeded all the expectations, but what could we expect in 2011?

Every single part of the Internet has its trends including, SEO , Web design, E-commerce, etc. There are several E commerce trends that are being discussed.

Mobile Commerce
The world market reported a great increase in smart phones sales in 2010; they are becoming cheaper and more and more popular amongst the people. These devices are enabled for mobile commerce and more and more consumers are comfortable with mobile commerce. In addition to that many e-commerce websites are developing mobile-friendly versions of their website, or dedicated apps to provide the consumer with ultimate experience. If you are an e-commerce website owner, and you are not considering mobile commerce for your 2011 strategy plan, we strongly advice you to re-think that. Having an e-commerce website, without mobile commerce in 2011, will give your competitors better business opportunities.

Co –creation
On line shopping is not something new, but as everything it changes rapidly. There are more and more e commerce websites on the market every day and each one is striving to attract and keep customers. This variety of e-commerce websites, gives a consumer the opportunity to be “picky”. If they cannot find exactly what they want on a certain website, they will just go to the next one. That`s why it is highly recommended that you include as many features for customization as possible. Think as a prospective client, listen to your clients- what they want to see, what they do not like etc. In these competitive times, you cannot afford being dismissive of clients wishes.

Group Buying
Group buying websites have been a hot topic in 2010.Group buying, offers products and services at significantly reduced prices on the condition that a minimum number of buyers would make the purchase. This way of shopping enables the clients to get a desirable product in a cheaper price. There are group buying websites, which specialize in Group buying only, but you could consider posting group buying offers on your website, which will be valid only for certain products. As this was a hot topic in 2010, we believe it will become even hotter in 2011, so …hurry up!

Social Commerce
Social Media does not miss the e commerce as well. In 2010 there was a massive increase of E-commerce websites, being advertised in Facebook and mentioned in other social media. Social commerce is comparatively new phenomenon, which becomes more and more popular, as many people have started realizing the benefits of Social Commerce. Social Media is considered the most powerful weapon of 2011, not only in e-commerce, but everywhere, so do add this in your 2010 e –commerce strategy.

Video & Visual Search
The more popular online shopping becomes, the more customers are trying to expand their online shopping experience. Researches show that people process information faster, when presented in a multimedia way – video, rich images etc. In addition to that about 65% of the people learn better visually. Then, there is no doubt that e commerce website owners will focus on visual affection over the customer. Having done so, they will bring their products closer to the consumers, which will affect positively their sales. On the other hand product videos will affect the SEO, allowing the website to target the main keywords in another way- via videos.

In our opinion these the main trends, which will affect online market this year. There are some other trends, which have not been pointed out in here such as:

Private Sale Sites – great deals on a certain products as a part of free or paid membership
Expansion of Virtual Goods and Currencies- Facebook is an example – you could buy some credits in a traditional retailer store and then use them as a virtual currency in the website.
Online + Offline Integration- order something online and go to see it/try it/take it in a real store
Push Shopping-consumers pay a set monthly subscription fee, and then the sites periodically send suggested products to that consumer.
Consumer Focus Is On Price- discounts, promotions, special offers and free shipping, that`s what you need to know for 2011

If you know about these trends, at least you`d know what to expect from your competitors. They would also be using these trends in 2011, because it is trendy … and it works!