Mobile dominance is the key word to describe 2016. With 50 percent of consumers choosing to make transactions via their mobile devices, this year will witness an unprecedented hegemony of mobile techs in retail.

Market competition is aggressive and relentless, while bricks, faced with unabated popularity of e-stores, desperately try to fight back. Smart retailers focus their efforts on developing a strategy that addresses current market tendencies. Check out these major trends in e-commerce to stay ahead of your competition.

Reign of mobile

   Mobile devices are a tool of choice when it comes to online shopping, with 33 percent of purchases on Internet being made via mobile gadgets. What does it mean for e-commerce retailers? They must optimize content for mobile viewing and mobile search, including voice search. Boosting content on geo-apps such as Google My Business and Facebook may help you win Siri's heart and highlight your business.   

Retail warms up to viral videos

    By the end of this year, video content may account for almost 66 percent of all online traffic. And while Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other streaming services will be mostly responsible for this phenomenon, retailers are also part of the game. Think of the ads that debut on network TV only to go viral online. Retailers are now sharing short web series and spoofs on pop culture in a bid to make their video offering more imaginative. Lesson learned from Internet: viral video content plays a huge role in building brand enthusiasm, differentiating products and making consumers thrilled about a new service or product.

Content consumption reaching its peak

    Soaring consumption of digital content turned content marketing into a key tool for reinforcing brand loyalty and tightening consumer relationships. Mobile channel offers the biggest potential for digital engagement as a total time spent by grown-ups on their mobile devices totals an impressive three hours per day. Does it mean that we reached the stage of content saturation? While this could be the case, retailers will double their efforts to create content which truly connects with consumers and addresses their real needs.

Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269933