In 1991, the creation of the first-ever website took the internet by storm. Countless experts were fascinated by the innovation and users were intrigued by this new application. But most importantly, businesses were exhilarated knowing that such a trend could go a long way in helping their business operations, and that’s precisely what’s been happening in the years that followed.
Chances are, you’re also operating an online business right now. But it’s essential to know that, since the introduction of websites on the internet, newer digital trends have been introduced. It’s about time you repeat what got you started in the first place—capitalize on these trends. On that note, here are six digital trends that may prove to be quite beneficial for your online business:
- Reseller Hosting
Websites have always been an important asset to many companies. Some use websites to establish their online presence, while others directly capitalize on websites by offering web services. If you belong to the latter category, it might be a good idea to consider reseller hosting.
Simply put, reseller hosting involves renting bandwidth and hard drive space from a web hosting provider, and using these resources for whatever purpose matches your goals. Companies usually engage in reseller hosting to sell web hosting resources to other clients at a favorable price, but you can also use this trend to gain access to your own server for a lower price.
Reseller hosting options might not be as popular as other trends like artificial intelligence or augmented reality, but it’s still a noteworthy digital trend that will benefit your online business.
- Chatbots
If you’ve been keeping up with industry news, you’re probably already familiar with the term ‘artificial intelligence.’ Artificial intelligence refers to the development of machines and applications capable of performing tasks that usually require human intelligence. There have been numerous trends brought about by this technology, one of which is chatbots.
As the name implies, chatbots are robots or applications that chat with website visitors, or more specifically, online shoppers. But how will these do you any good?
To begin with, online shoppers tend to have numerous questions about specific products and the like. If their questions are left unanswered, they’d naturally feel frustrated, and that’s not the way to go if you want to convert them into regular customers. That’s when chatbots come in. They guide your customers throughout their entire shopping experience.
- Augmented Reality
Another problem that customers often face when viewing products online is that they can’t be 100% sure what the product looks like and if the description provided is accurate.
However, that will no longer be the case with the introduction of augmented reality (AR). For your reference, augmented reality is a technology that captures the real-world environment and embeds computer-generated objects. One great example of this is the popular mobile game Pokémon Go.
With the Pokémon Go app, you can see a computer-generated Pokémon in the real-world environment. Now think of that Pokémon as the product that your business is selling. By utilizing augmented reality, you can improve your customers’ shopping experience by allowing them to get a better feel of the items they’re about to buy.
- Digital Payment Platforms
Every customer has their own preferences depending on their individual needs. One significant preference is how they pay for your products.
Traditionally, payments can be made using a debit card, credit card, cash, or even a check. If a customer finds out that your online business only accepts credit card payments, they’re likely to cancel their purchase if they only own a debit card.
However, that’s no longer the case today. Customers can now purchase products through other methods, specifically via digital payment accounts, such as PayPal and Venmo.
In that case, you’d want to prepare your website so it can handle such transactions. You can start by making sure digital payment platforms, like the ones mentioned earlier, are supported. For good measure, you can also support mobile payments through QR codes and pins.
- Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms have always been a great source of traffic for online businesses. They’re home to hundreds of millions of internet users, so you’ve probably considered capitalizing on them sometime in the future, and this might be that time.
Recently, internet giants like Facebook, Instagram, and even Tiktok have added numerous ecommerce features to their platforms. One example is the Buy button on Facebook and the Checkout feature on Instagram. These changes show that social media is becoming more and more relevant to online businesses. So, if you’re not yet capitalizing on these platforms, you probably should start doing so right away.
Conclusion
An online business’s most significant asset has always lied in the digital world. Your website is a testament to that. But while web pages have served you for so long, you wouldn’t want to be stuck in the past. You need to embrace newer and possibly greater digital trends, and this guide should provide you with some ideas on the next steps you can take.
