2016 was a divisive year, and most people seem more than eager to see it in the rearview mirror as they speed ahead toward the new year and its inherent promise of fresh starts and new beginnings. But before you count down the final moments of this year, whether it’s the Waterford crystal ball drop in NYC, the electric Moon Pie drop in Mobile, AL, or the Up the Cup celebration here in Savannah, GA, there are a lot of good things to review from 2016 as well as lots of e-commerce trends to look ahead to next year.

Forecasts for 2017 don’t anticipate any out-of-the-blue surprises, but rather a continuation and evolution of trends cemented this year, from omnichannel as the new norm to using common UI patterns to increase conversions. Mobile use for research will continue to increase, while many of those same shoppers will complete the sale via PC or tablet, whether for safety concerns or convenience. Having a seamless UI that works across all channels and platforms increases the likelihood of these conversions from initial research, especially in terms of more expensive purchases. For 2017, China’s impact on the e-commerce market will boost global sales while previous powerhouses like the U.S. are nearing plateau levels in the amount of consumers shopping online. Marketing tools continue to explode, up from about 150 choices in 2011 to over 3,500 just 5 years later. Sometimes this level of choice can lead to analysis paralysis, so be sure to use the options that work best for your business vs just the most popular one.

If you consider that last year’s “must have” gadget was a hover board, which later proved to be dangerous, and Samsung had similar explosive issues with their launch of the Note 7, sometimes it’s worth a little more R&D getting a product to market that is safe and reliable as well as the latest tech. No matter what 2017 holds, you can count on Fulfillment.com to save you time and money on your e-commerce order fulfillment!

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