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18 Strategies to Stay Updated With the Latest E-Commerce Trends for Your Online Business
18 Strategies to Stay Updated With the Latest E-Commerce Trends for Your Online Business
To navigate the dynamic world of e-commerce, we’ve gathered eighteen insights from founders, CEOs, and other industry leaders. From exploring daily e-commerce newsletter insights to considering marketing magazines and industry networking, discover a spectrum of strategies to keep your online business at the forefront of the digital marketplace.
Explore Daily E-Commerce Newsletter Insights
Listen to Podcasts
Leverage Free E-Commerce Resources
Use Social Media for Industry Updates
Conduct a Competitive Analysis
Review Gartner Reports
Manage Newsletter Subscriptions Effectively
Try RSS Readers
Check Search Engine Resources
Perform an AI Analysis
Join Expert Webinars
Monitor the Customer Journey
Look into News Aggregators
Promote Active Discussions Amongst Peers
Gain Tech Stack Insights with BuiltWith
Analyze Feedback from Consumers
Read Industry Reports
Consider Marketing Magazines and Industry Networking
Explore Daily E-Commerce Newsletter Insights
I subscribed to the E-Commerce Minute newsletter several years ago, and I get a daily update in my email every morning. I start my day by reading the update while sipping coffee.
The newsletter provides comprehensive but concise details of the latest happenings and trends in e-commerce, which helps me strategize our marketing operations at Ammo.com. For example, a few years ago, they published an article about the surge in mobile commerce. Based on these insights, we prioritized mobile optimization tasks, which we had earlier been postponing as we focused on other strategies.
Over the years, the E-Commerce Times newsletter has equipped me with up-to-date information and knowledge I need to keep Ammo.com at the forefront of the online ammunition market.
Alex Horsman, Head of Marketing, Ammo.com
Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are my go-to resource for staying updated with the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape. Shows like “The Jason & Scot Show” offer incredible insights straight from industry experts and thought leaders.
I find podcasts incredibly convenient; I can listen in while I’m on the move, whether I’m commuting or getting things done around the house. The depth of content in these podcasts is amazing. They cover a wide spectrum of e-commerce topics—from marketing strategies and customer engagement to the latest trends and technologies.
The discussions and interviews with guests who have hands-on experience in various niches provide a diverse range of perspectives. It’s like having a conversation with seasoned professionals in the industry. It gives me a front-row seat to the latest trends and strategies that I can apply directly to my online business to stay ahead in the competitive e-commerce space.
Mike Stuzzi, Founder, Mike Stuzzi
Leverage Free E-Commerce Resources
Staying ahead in e-commerce involves smartly utilizing free resources, which are crucial for small businesses in America. Active engagement in online forums and communities like Reddit’s r/ecommerce and LinkedIn groups is part of our strategy. These platforms offer real-time insights and practical advice from a diverse array of e-commerce professionals and entrepreneurs.
Regular attendance at free webinars and virtual conferences hosted by industry leaders is also a key practice. These events provide the latest trends and networking opportunities with peers.
Dependence on free reports and whitepapers from reputable sources like Shopify and BigCommerce is another aspect of our approach. These documents offer in-depth analyses of current trends and consumer behaviors.
This strategy helps us stay informed and adapt to the dynamic e-commerce landscape, ensuring we offer value-driven, cost-effective services to our clients.
Rick Young, Founder and COO, Promotional Product Inc.
Use Social Media for Industry Updates
Following a variety of industry leaders on X (formerly Twitter) has been pivotal for learning about e-commerce trends.
Timely news about Google algorithm updates, product launches, and case studies published by e-commerce marketers make the platform the best place to stay on top of changing trends in the industry. I find Brodie Clark (@brodieseo) particularly insightful; he shares amazing insights from hands-on tests and similar experiences.
Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Director, Sixth City Marketing
Conduct a Competitive Analysis
I conduct competitive analyses of other online stores to keep my online business at the forefront of e-commerce. This includes exploring websites, studying marketing strategies, user interface design, and customer service approaches.
I also monitor how they handle customer interactions on social media, what promotions drive engagement, and which technologies they implement to enhance the shopping experience. This constant benchmarking allows me to identify and adopt practices that could benefit my store, ensuring I stay competitive in the digital marketplace.
Nikhil Jogia, Managing Director, Jogia Diamonds
Review Gartner Reports
Though I like to browse eCommerce sites and social media to see the trends happening in real-time, my most trusted resource is Gartner. Their reports are well-researched and impartial, so I’m not making marketing decisions based on instinct or hunch but on the real e-commerce data that’s informing and shifting industry standards.
The best approach for any e-commerce business is a holistic one, with deep research findings like Gartner’s working hand-in-hand with the trends you see happening on the ground.
Hardy Desai, Founder, Supple Digital
Manage Newsletter Subscriptions Effectively
Create a new email account, then subscribe to many newsletters from leaders in your industry. You’ll want a new email address for this to ensure it doesn’t flood your primary email, since oftentimes they can be hard to successfully unsubscribe from. See which ones are helpful, and try to unsubscribe from the rest.
Justin Silverman, Founder and CEO, Merchynt
Try RSS Readers
While it has been a decade since Google Reader was discontinued, I never stopped using RSS readers—the free version of Netvibes is my longtime choice—to help me scan relevant blogs and online publications.
Whether it’s resources like Ecommerce Guide and Practical Ecommerce, or other blogs of interest, I can quickly read from dozens of sources to kill the fear of missing out. If there is an article that I am really interested in, I’ll bookmark it with the free version of Pocket so that I can refer to it later, tagging it so that I have a chance of finding it among all my bookmarks.
Dan Ketterick, Growth Manager, FleetNow
Check Search Engine Resources
Search Engine News, Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land, and Shopifreaks—a Shopify/e-commerce newsletter—pretty much keep me up to date on all things digital marketing, as well as e-commerce related.
I normally check each of these sites every day, and in about three minutes, I get a snapshot of what’s new in my industry. The Shopifreaks newsletter comes out every Monday and does a good job of wrapping up what’s new in e-commerce.
John Frigo, Ecommerce Manager, Best Price Nutrition
Perform an AI Analysis
Now that ChatGPT can search the internet, I’m constantly on OpenAI’s cutting-edge system to learn about e-commerce trends. I’ll ask ChatGPT to give advice and feedback based on our internal data.
Then, I’ll ask it to assess how current trends in e-commerce may relate to what the AI is seeing in our data. By synthesizing the internal and the external, our team is better able to understand where we stand in a competitive and ever-evolving marketplace.
Mark Varnas, Principal SQL Server DBA and Consultant, Red9
Join Expert Webinars
As an automotive entrepreneur, staying on top of the latest e-commerce trends is essential for my business. I’ve found the best way to stay in touch with what’s going on in the industry is to be a part of different online communities and networks related to e-commerce.
I’m active in social media groups such as Facebook Automotive Entrepreneurs and Twitter e-Commerce Trends, which keeps me informed about key news items or important changes taking place around me.
I also attend various webinars hosted by experts like Shopify Webinars and Magento Masterclass every week so that I can stay ahead of the curve when it comes to trends or strategies related to digital commerce.
David Bui, Director and Business Specialist, Schmicko
Monitor the Customer Journey
At our video editing agency, staying on top of the latest e-commerce trends is crucial for delivering cutting-edge content to our clients. One key resource we rely on is diligently monitoring both our clients’ customers and their competitors. We employ a tailored approach, utilizing analytics tools and social media insights to track customer behaviors, preferences, and engagement patterns.
Simultaneously, we keep a keen eye on the competition, studying their content strategies, visual styles, and overall branding efforts. This dual focus allows us to not only align our video editing services with current market demands but also proactively suggest creative solutions that give our clients a competitive edge in the dynamic e-commerce landscape.
Daniel Willmott, Founder, Shortformvideo.co
Look into News Aggregators
I use industry news aggregators to stay up-to-date on the newest e-commerce developments for my online business. Feedly and Flipboard select a wide range of articles, blogs, and insights from credible sources, providing a complete picture of developing technology, consumer behaviors, and market strategies.
This method allows me to quickly skim through essential information, ensuring that my online firm remains nimble and adaptable to the ever-changing e-commerce industry.
Jessica Shee, Marketing Manager, iBoysoft
Promote Active Discussions Amongst Peers
In order to maintain awareness of the dynamic e-commerce environment for our apparel brand, I place a high value on ongoing education achieved through subscriptions to reputable online resources and industry-specific publications.
Engaging in active participation in pertinent webinars, subscribing to newsletters from prominent e-commerce platforms, and attending industry conferences are all ways to gain invaluable insights.
Furthermore, in an effort to cultivate a culture of knowledge sharing within the e-commerce community, I actively promote collaborative discussions among my team members. Consistently monitoring analytics of consumer behavior, trends in social media, and emergent technologies are also critical components.
Our clothing company maintains its agility, adaptability, and knowledge by integrating these varied resources, thereby ensuring that our online business strategies are effectively aligned with the most recent e-commerce trends.
Tadas Pukas, Founder and CEO, MinimalisticLinen
Gain Tech Stack Insights with BuiltWith
Every month, I conduct a competitive analysis of both direct competitors and high-growth e-commerce brands from 2022 to 2023, using a free service called BuiltWith. This tool uncovers the tech stack behind these websites, revealing new technologies they’ve adopted for sales, tracking, marketing, speed enhancements, and user experience.
At Dozy, my team and I review these insights to reverse-engineer the most promising tools. We then discuss whether implementing these solutions could drive our own business forward. This strategy ensures that Dozy stays at the cutting edge of e-commerce technology.
David Owen, Founder, Dozy
Analyze Feedback from Consumer Interactions
A distinctive approach to staying informed about e-commerce trends is to delve into customer feedback and examine the data derived from consumer interactions, particularly regarding discount and purchasing patterns.
By analyzing this feedback and data, we can identify shifts in consumer preferences, identify high-demand periods, and understand the offers that drive engagements. This strategy turns customer interactions into a learning tool, providing direct insights that can guide the development of strategies and ensure the business aligns with the latest trends and consumer needs.
Gary Gray, CFO, CouponChief.com
Read Industry Reports
To stay updated with the latest e-commerce trends, I regularly follow industry reports and insights from platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce. These resources provide comprehensive analyses of current market trends, consumer behavior, and technological advancements.
Additionally, attending e-commerce webinars and networking events has been invaluable for gaining firsthand insights and strategies from other industry leaders. This blend of theoretical knowledge and practical insights ensures that our e-commerce strategies remain innovative and customer-centric.
Einav Biri, CEO, FARUZO
Consider Marketing Magazines and Industry Networking
As a watchful marketer, I stay updated on the latest trends by subscribing to leading marketing magazines.
Moreover, my collaboration with a leading marketplace in the fashion industry, which hosts various brands, gives me a wide variety of perspectives in terms of marketing strategies. Maintaining a strong connection with key figures in the industry is essential to being aware of the latest market trends.
Gabriel Kaam, CEO, KNR Agency