25 Ecom & CRO experts give trends & tips for 2024

In the ever-evolving world of eCommerce, 2024 promises to be a year of transformative trends and strategies. 

To help you prepare for success in the coming year, we interviewed 25 eCommerce and CRO experts and practitioners. 

This blog will summarize their top predictions and advice in seven key areas: 

1. Ecommerce trends that will shape online retail in 2024

2. Customer journey: The #1 thing merchants should do

3. CRO: The best strategies to boost conversion rates

4. Mobile commerce: predictions and advice

5. Ecommerce challenges: in the new year

6. Customer loyalty: trends and advice

7. Campaign ideas for marketing/sales

While this blog summarizes the key points - within each section, there is a link to an additional article.

Each linked blog goes into even more detail on that specific topic, with full quotes from our experts!

Now, let’s dive into their advice so you can make the most out of 2024!

1. Emerging ecommerce trends for 2024

We asked: What is one eCommerce trend you predict will shape online retail in 2024?

👉 Go to full blog: key eCommerce trends to watch in 2024.  

Featured quotes:

Sagrika Agrawal, CRO Specialist, predicts that having ads and a site that is on trend and attention-grabbing is the only way to stay competitive in 2024. 

Theo Kanellopoulos, Co-founder of Competitors App, highlights the integration of AI in personalizing the customer experience, including tailored marketing, AI pricing, and enhanced customer support.

Sameer Fiaz, CRO Specialist & Full Stack Shopify Developer, thinks that virtual engagement will allow shoppers to make better buying decisions online. 

AJ Saunders, Founder of Audacious Commerce, predicts that more small businesses will turn to e-commerce in 2024 to reach customers beyond traditional business hours.

Additional key takeaways:

• Leveraging AI for customer experience - Rebecca Worsley, Director at Rainy City Agency, predicts that AI will continue to surge in 2024, and businesses should use AI tools strategically to enhance the overall customer experience.

  
  

• AI in CRO - Theodore Odita, CRO & Growth Marketing Specialist, foresees businesses using AI to analyze user data for Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and suggests the use of AI-CRO audit tools like Jaimie.

  
  

• Seamless Integration of AI - Mehdi BOUFOUS, Founder of Panoramata.co, predicts AI will become seamlessly integrated into various marketing assets, provided businesses collect more first-party customer data.

  
  

• AI as a game-changer - Indrikis Jansons, Senior Marketing Strategist at YOCTO, emphasizes that AI will revolutionize e-commerce, enabling highly personalized shopping experiences and driving the need for a culture of innovation within companies.

  
  

• Shopify checkout updates - Linda Bustos, Founder of Ecom Ideas, points out that Shopify merchants need to prepare for the platform's checkout updates in 2024 and recommends addressing compatibility issues well in advance.

  
  

• Ethical marketing - Gintare Forshaw, Co-founder & CRO consultant at Convertex Digital, highlights the growing importance of ethical marketing as customers become more discerning and value honesty in brands.

  
  

• Community-led growth - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, suggests that community-led growth will be significant, emphasizing the need for connection, community-driven product roadmaps, and a focus on customer loyalty.

  
  

• Omnichannel strategy - Coen Fredriks, E-commerce Strategist at Code, emphasizes the trend of adopting an omnichannel approach, bringing together B2B, B2C, and in-store solutions, and structuring data for effective e-commerce strategies with AI.

2. Customer journey trends for 2024 

We asked: What is the #1 thing merchants should do to improve their customer journey in 2024?

👉 Read our expert’s full predictions for customer journey trends in 2024. 

Featured quotes:

Nils Koppelmann, Experimentation Consultant at 3tech, advises merchants to improve customer journeys from a holistic standpoint.

Kanika Misra, CEO at BedaBeda Growth, believes that brands need to focus on getting to figure out what your customers value, and applying that to your CRO testing is essential! 

Rebecca Worsley, Director at Rainy City Agency, emphasizes that hyper-personalization, driven by real-time customer data and AI, will be vital in 2024 to enhance customer engagement and relevance.

Additional key takeaways:

• Provide value beyond products - Brian Becker, co-founder at FlowCandy, suggests that brands should focus on offering value beyond their products by creating engaging content, unique experiences, and delight to attract and retain customers.

  
  

• Enhance communication - Irina Poddubnaia, Founder at TrackMage, emphasizes the importance of smooth and customer-focused communication at every step of the journey, from browsing to after-sales, to improve the shopping experience and build stronger relationships with customers.

  
  

• Start with product finders - Coen Fredriks, E-commerce Strategist at Code, recommends using product finders or quizzes as an ideal starting point after arranging customer service, which can help improve conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and retention.

  
  

• Double down on owned retention channels - Mehdi BOUFOUS, Founder at Panoramata.co, advises doubling down on retention channels like email marketing, post mail, and SMS, as they will become the safest and most effective ways to engage with customers in light of regulatory changes.

  
  

• Humanize the customer - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, encourages brands to understand the customer journey from a human perspective, tailoring messages and content to their awareness level and specific needs at different stages.

  
  

• Mobile optimization is key - Gintare Forshaw, Co-founder & CRO consultant at Convertex Digital, stresses the importance of mobile optimization for product pages, carts, and checkout to avoid conversion problems.

  
  

• Leverage direct messaging - Filippo Casavecchia, Email Marketing Expert, highlights the significance of using direct messaging on platforms frequented by customers for assistance, potentially turning them into repeat purchasers and brand ambassadors.

  
  

• Keep it simple - Thomas Kimura, Founder of Brickspace Lab, advises keeping the customer journey simple and clear, focusing on key selling points and addressing customer objections effectively.

  
  

• Listen to customer feedback - AJ Saunders, Founder of Audacious Commerce, suggests actively listening to customer feedback to improve the ecommerce store's usability and effectiveness.

3. CRO strategies for 2024

We asked: What strategies would you recommend for boosting conversion rates in 2024?

👉 Read our expert’s complete list of CRO strategies 2024. 

Featured quotes:

Niklas Bräutigam, CRO Manager & Co-Founder at Conversion Stash, highlights the strategy of conducting qualitative user research through surveys to uncover barriers to purchase and suggests using AI tools like ChatGPT for analysis.

Theodore Odita, CRO & Growth Marketing Specialist, advises focusing on testing cognitive biases rather than best practices to understand user behavior and improve conversion rates effectively.

Linda Bustos, Founder of Ecom Ideas, advises that CRO efforts should extend beyond UI and front-end components to include factors like site speed, product merchandising, order fulfillment, and minimizing returns in the post-purchase experience.

Teodor Petrovic, CEO at Seven Ecom, emphasizes the importance of clarity, simplicity, and effective communication in offers and marketing messages to cater to shorter attention spans.

Additional key takeaways:

• Empathy and listening to customers - Nils Koppelmann, Experimentation Consultant at 3tech, emphasizes the importance of talking to customers, listening, and empathizing with their needs as a fundamental strategy for improving conversion rates.

  
  

• Ecommerce perspective for retention - Coen Fredriks, E-commerce Strategist at Code, suggests that merchants should think from an e-commerce perspective, considering what the next purchase of their customers might be and creating products or services to enhance customer retention and conversion.

  
  

• Start with your checkout flow - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, recommends beginning CRO efforts with the checkout flow to achieve quick wins and then addressing product discovery for more substantial improvements.

  
  

• Surveys for customer insights - Filippo Casavecchia, Email Marketing Expert and Founder of the Popup Project, suggests conducting surveys to gather customer insights, including demographics, preferences, and hobbies, and using this data to customize website content and communications.

  
  

• Utilize UGC in product descriptions - AJ Saunders, Founder of Audacious Commerce, recommends building long-form product descriptions that combine branded media with User-Generated Content (UGC) to help customers visualize owning the products.

  
  

• Multifaceted CRO approach - Theo Kanellopoulos, Co-founder of Competitors App, outlines a multifaceted CRO approach, including data analysis, competitor analysis, AI in email marketing, and optimizing landing pages.

  
  

• Importance of statistics - Niklas Bräutigam, CRO Manager and Co-founder at Conversion Stash, highlights the role of statistics in CRO and suggests investing in developing statistical skills for better decision-making.

  
  

• Avoid testing during Black Friday - Deborah O'Malley, Founder of GuessTheTest, advises against running tests during Black Friday to avoid potential disruptions and maximize sales during this crucial period.

  
  

• Diversify your strategy - Sameer Fiaz, CRO Specialist, believes that combining strategies like personalization, mobile optimization, AI chatbots, and social commerce will help brands to convert more customers in 2024. 

  
  

• Big swings will get big results - Kanika Misra, CEO at BedaBeda Growth, foresees a need to use careful decision-making to work towards bigger tests with more impactful results & ROI rather than just small UI tests. 

4. Mobile commerce: predictions and advice

We asked: With the ongoing rise in mobile commerce, what key strategies should businesses adopt to optimize for mobile users?

👉 Read our expert’s complete list of mobile commerce optimization strategies.  

Featured quotes:

Thomas Kimura, Founder of Brickspace Lab, advises businesses to prioritize website speed. Ensuring that the website loads quickly is crucial for supporting mobile users and providing a smooth browsing experience.

Léa Samrani, Fractional CPO, reminds us that the right push notification at the right time can greatly improve your mobile commerce potential. 

Reema Singh, Lead Software QA at Webtrends Optimize, suggests that businesses focus on identifying and addressing checkout friction spots to enhance the mobile user experience and improve conversion rates.

Additional key takeaways:

• Paid social = mobile focus - Gintare Forshaw, Co-founder & CRO consultant at Convertex Digital, advises businesses to focus on mobile users when a significant portion of their traffic comes from paid social sources. Ethical practices and user research are key to serving mobile users effectively.

  
  

• Convenience and customization - Reema Singh, Lead Software QA at Webtrends Optimize, emphasizes the importance of convenience and customization for mobile users. This involves optimizing text readability, using more graphics, improving filters and navigation menus, offering product recommendations, implementing click-to-call functionality, and customizing form fields and checkout funnel pages for mobile devices.

  
  

• Cross-device compatibility - Linda Bustos, Founder of Ecom Ideas, recommends ensuring that text is large enough to read and clickable elements have sufficient padding for easy tapping. Regularly previewing the site across various devices and screen resolutions is essential to ensure a positive experience for all mobile visitors.

  
  

• Mobile-first product page design - Mehdi BOUFOUS, Founder at Panoramata.co, suggests rethinking product pages while reviewing mobile UX, emphasizing a mobile-first approach rather than simply rearranging the desktop design.

5. Ecommerce challenges and solutions 

We asked: What are the biggest challenges you foresee in eCommerce for 2024, and how can they be addressed?

👉 Read our expert’s full breakdown of top ecommerce challenges for 2024.  

Featured quotes:

Karlijn Löwik, CEO at RUMvision, discusses the third-party effect on user experience and its impact on performance metrics.

Deborah O’Malley, Founder of GuessTheTest, recommends communicating the ROI and value of testing. This involves showcasing successful test examples, organizing educational sessions, and speaking management's language to secure resources for testing efforts.

Gintare Forshaw, Co-founder & CRO consultant at Convertex Digital, suggests embedding experimentation into the company culture for businesses seeking real growth.

Additional key takeaways:

• Cookie restrictions and data-driven decisions - Nils Koppelmann, Experimentation Consultant at 3tech, highlights the challenge of cookie restrictions affecting consumer behavior tracking and data-driven decisions. The solution is to adopt server-side tracking to overcome tracking limitations and invest in continuously demonstrating value to compensate for high acquisition costs.

  
  

• Data structuring and AI - Coen Fredriks, Ecommerce Strategist at Code, emphasizes the importance of data structuring and collecting high-quality data to fuel AI. Structured data is essential for effective AI utilization.

  
  

• European Accessibility Act compliance - Niklas Bräutigam, CRO Manager & Co-Founder at Conversion Stash, points out the challenge of complying with the European Accessibility Act (EAA). To address this, businesses should prioritize website and platform accessibility, implement features for users with different needs, and work with accessibility experts and technology solutions to meet the regulations.

  
  

• Increased workload with fewer team members - Linda Bustos, Founder of Ecom Ideas, mentions the challenge of reduced team sizes and the need to do more with less. The solution involves leveraging AI and no-code tools to boost productivity and empower site administrators to handle tasks traditionally outsourced to agencies or designers/developers.

  
  

• Phasing out of cookies and data depreciation - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, highlights the continued phasing out of cookies and depreciation of data assets borrowed from platforms. Businesses should use surveys and polls to understand customer perspectives and leverage their website and CRM data for more effective PPC campaigns and experimentation.

6. Customer loyalty in 2024

We asked: How can eCommerce businesses build and maintain customer loyalty in 2024?

👉 Go to the full blog: Advice for increasing customer loyalty in 2024.

Featured quotes:

Irina Poddubnaia, Founder at TrackMage, emphasizes the importance of consistently delivering on promises.

Mehdi BOUFOUS, Founder at Panoramata.co, advises businesses to build a sense of community among their customers. Involving the audience in various activities like interviews, UGC, and collaborative projects can strengthen the bond and loyalty.

Brian Becker, Co-founder at FlowCandy, advises businesses to focus on their brand identity. Loyalty is not just about rewards; it's about customers identifying with brands that stand for something they believe in.

Ugo Balestrazzi, eCommerce Retention Marketing Consultant of Corbulo Star Media, highlights the importance of the post-purchase experience.

Additional key takeaways:

• Create outstanding customer experiences - Indrikis Jansons, Senior Marketing Strategist at YOCTO, suggests that businesses should focus on providing exceptional customer experiences. Going above and beyond, from the website experience to customer support and shipping, can set a brand apart. Building a strong brand narrative, values, and a sense of community can also foster loyalty.

  
  

• Engage through incentives and personalization - Linda Bustos, Founder of Ecom Ideas, recommends capturing email and SMS subscribers, growing social following, and turning customers into brand evangelists through great experiences and incentives. Loyalty programs, referral programs, and personalization can help collect 1st party data for better remarketing.

  
  

• Customize loyalty strategies - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, suggests that businesses should avoid one-size-fits-all loyalty approaches. Research and understand what customers truly value. Offer personalized rewards, exceptional customer service, transparency, and a sense of belonging to loyal customers.

  
  

• Find a strategy that works for you - Sameer Fiaz, Full Stack Shopify Developer, suggests trying tactics like limited-time offers, upselling/cross-selling, abandoned cart recovery, or referral programs to foster customer loyalty. 

7. Ecommerce marketing and sales ideas for 2024

We asked: What are campaign ideas that online merchants can use in 2024?

👉 Read our full list of ecommerce campaign ideas for 2024. 

Featured quotes:

Coen Fredriks, Ecommerce Strategist at Code, encourages merchants to leverage AI in their marketing efforts.

Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, also recommends sharing candid and vulnerable stories that resonate with your audience, as people are drawn to authentic narratives.

Filippo Casavecchia, an Email Marketing Expert, notes that text-only emails are gaining popularity. Text-only emails can be particularly effective during heavy promotional periods or as reminders for sales events.

Indrikis Jansons, Senior Marketing Strategist at YOCTO, recommends having a second Black Friday sale during gaps in major retail events.

Additional key takeaways:

• Explore adjacent topics - Brian Becker, Co-founder at FlowCandy, suggests that the best campaign ideas often have nothing to do with your brand or product. Instead, explore topics or stories that are interesting and adjacent to your niche. Build campaigns around these stories, experiences, videos, blogs, or photos that your customers will find enjoyable and engaging.

  
  

• Gamification elements - Mehdi BOUFOUS, Founder at Panoramata.co, advises incorporating gamification elements into your campaigns, both in emails and ads. Gamified campaigns, such as crosswords or find-the-differences games, are on the rise and can help engage users and create interactive experiences.

  
  

• Review mining campaigns - Trina Moitra, Head of Growth at Convert.com, suggests running review mining campaigns. Categorize the themes that emerge from your product reviews and use these insights to boost unique selling propositions (USPs) or address customer concerns effectively.

  
  

• Experiment with incentives - Trina Moitra further advises experimenting with incentives by testing various types of incentives through email campaigns. Determine which incentive resonates best with your audience and then use it in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. For Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BF/CM), consider innovative approaches.

Conclusion

As we traverse the dynamic landscape of eCommerce in 2024, it's clear that embracing change and innovation will be key to success. This blog has illuminated the pathways laid out by industry experts, from the rising tide of AI in enhancing customer experience to the burgeoning importance of community-driven growth and omnichannel presence. 

By adopting these insights, businesses can look forward to not just adapting but thriving in the evolving digital marketplace. With a blend of technological advancement and human-centric approaches, the future of eCommerce shines bright, offering a realm of possibilities for those ready to explore and engage.

About the author

Rebecca Anderson is the host of the Click To Buy podcast and the Content Marketing Manager at Instant. She loves collaborating with industry experts to co-create high-value content that will help merchants sell more online by creating winning customer experiences. If you would like to be featured in future content, feel free to reach out to her!