A look at the state of the 2019 online retail sector in the United States

According to official statistics, one new home-based business is created every 12 seconds within the United States (1). While not all of these ventures will succeed, this observation brings up a handful of important points. First and foremost, this industry has tended to closely follow the state of the online retail sector. It therefore stands to reason that Internet-based sales have risen dramatically over the past few years. We can also extrapolate that more citizens are appreciating the opportunities associated with working from home when compared to traditional employment opportunities. In order to appreciate where we may be headed in 2019, it is first important to examine some of the main reasons behind this notable paradigm shift.

The Prevalence of Home-Based Retailers

We should first briefly mention the psychological and personal benefits that can be directly attributed to successful home-based sales. Many entrepreneurs will cite situations such as:

A greater degree of professional flexibility.
There are thousands of unique products to market.
Modern e-commerce interfaces are more intuitive than ever before.
Both part- and full-time positions can be chosen.

Looking at the other side of the retail coin is also wise. Consumers are searching for great deals on everyday products. However, many do not possess the time to spend browsing through the selections offered at physical retail locations. They instead utilize the power of the Internet to perform quick searches in terms of price, availability and shipping charges.

The final reason why 2018 has witnessed a stellar year in regards to online retail sales involves the nearly ubiquitous presence of portable devices such as tablets and smartphones. Nearly everyone now possesses a capacity to access the online community while outside of the office or away from home. Thus, major retailers are experiencing a notable increase of inbound hits. If they focus their efforts in the right direction, this could very well equate to a more robust return on investment.

However, it should be pointed out that an increasing number of home-based businesses will inevitably correlate with a greater degree of online competition. This is great news for the average shopper, as he or she will enjoy lower prices and more flexible contact options. Still, the average online enterprise must take into account the means by which they can supersede this competition in order to remain on a solid financial footing. This is when the prospect of bespoke e-commerce software and the use of innovative retail tools should be taken very seriously. What options should rise to the top of the community in 2019?

Turnkey Approaches for Modern Times

User-friendly software platforms will continue to enjoy an increased prominence within the online retail community. Much like in 2018, they will illustrate a decidedly user-friendly appeal so that little prior experience is necessary in order to leverage their tools. Some are even predicting that major providers such as Big Commerce and Magento will be replaced by more intuitive bundles including Shopify. The key takeaway point is that the days of outdated and/or clumsy e-commerce applications are quickly drawing to a close.

Logistics will also serve to reflect the success or failure of a home-based online business. As a growing number of customers can now be reached within seconds, concerns such as shipping and inventory storage need to be addressed in a timely fashion. Many traditional in-house techniques are being replaced by third-party drop shipping services. Not only does this method provide a greater degree of logistical agility, but many of the products offered can be found at significantly reduced prices; a benefit to be passed on to the customer.

Marketing represents the final piece of the 2019 e-commerce puzzle. Antiquated efforts will no longer produce viable results. They instead need to be supplanted by more cutting-edge and dynamic approaches. Some examples of this mentality can include:

Cross-channel marketing.
The inclusion of high-quality media content.
Understanding the changing role of SEO.
Abandoning generic campaigns in favor of those which target the discrete buyer.

Such modifications are due in no small part to the fact that retailers will be dealing with highly educated shoppers; particularly when referring to the millennial generation. No longer will “cookie-cutter” approaches suffice. Efforts should be centered around providing fresh, relevant and insightful content.

Of course, all of the observations mentioned above are nothing more than educated predictions about what 2019 might have in store. Regardless of which ones come to pass, there is no doubt that the online retail sector will continue to perform extremely well during the next 12 months. Those who are interested in starting a home-based business should take advantage of all of the tools at their disposal if they hope to achieve success in the digital age.