While Savvik says to shop online and shop often, our vastly growing buying group is simply on target with what is considered the norm, especially moving into 2018.  With one day leading into the next, and not a typical start and end to shifts, Savvik is aware of the importance of catering to the needs of those in the EMS industry.

On a recent top 5 list, Forbes explains that we are used to supercomputers in our pockets and consider item availability to be second nature, considering what seems like limitless inventory and an easy delivery process on just about anything. Providers, like Savvik, are finding increasingly creative ways to raise the bar and realize that simply putting ‘stuff’ on shelves no longer cuts it.  Same as just leaving products on a site with no description or collaborative effort to engage others.  Luckily, 2018 is pegged as the year that online buying overtakes shopping.

Below are the 5 ways online shopping will change your customers’ lives:

5.  Experiential shopping, minus the gimmicks: Retailers that are winning in the realm of experiential shopping are doing their homework to ensure the experiences offer real value to their core clientele. 

4. Next level personalization: By leveraging rich customer data, plus the rise of in-app shopping, means social media is finally bringing one of the time-honored traditions in retail online: the impulse buy.

3. AR that’s actually useful (and AI that’s not annoying): Relegating digital agents to the grunt work, like sending out tracking numbers and shipping updates, is freeing up human capital for complex tasks, like handling customer concerns, dealing with special requests or building business strategies. Finally, human and machine are working in harmony to create a better experience for the customer.

2.  Mobile goes mainstream:  For retailers looking to keep up, embracing new technology like Siri, Alexa and other voice detecting options are key, and making e-comm on mobile frictionless should be priority number one.

1. Social shopping (finally) finds its niche: Fueled by technology, shopping is evolving in ways we couldn’t have anticipated even a few years ago. But for retailers who can keep up—and leverage new tools to give people what they want, when they want it—the promise may well be more customers and higher sales than ever in the year ahead.