If you run an eCommerce business and sell through large retailers, distributors, or B2B channels, there is a good chance you have already encountered EDI. Your trading partners require it, your retailers mandate it, and sooner or later your business cannot grow without it. But before diving into the challenges, it is worth understanding a fundamental difference between eCommerce and EDI that shapes everything else. 

With eCommerce, you are in control. Whether you sell on your own Shopify store or a marketplace like Amazon, you set the rules, your pricing, your product catalog, your fulfillment process. You decide how orders flow and how systems connect. 

With EDI, the retailer is in control. The moment you become a vendor to a large retail partner like Walmart, Home Depot, or Target, you are operating on their terms. They define the document formats, the compliance requirements, the timelines, and the penalties for getting it wrong. You adapt to them, not the other way around. 

This is the core tension that makes EDI challenging for eCommerce businesses. And critically, Alluvia does not solve it by connecting your eCommerce platform directly to EDI. Instead, Alluvia connects both your eCommerce channels and your EDI trading partners independently to your ERP, giving you a single platform where all your data flows accurately, regardless of which channel it comes from.

In this guide, we walk through the most common EDI integration challenges eCommerce businesses face, and exactly how to solve them. 

Meeting Retailer EDI Requirements Before You Can Sell

The Challenge 

One of the first EDI challenges eCommerce businesses run into is not a technical problem, it is a business requirement. Before a large retailer like Walmart, Target, or a major distributor will accept your products, they require you to be EDI-compliant. That means you need to exchange specific document types such as purchase orders (850), invoices (810), and advance shipping notices (856) in formats they define, on timelines they set, with penalties if you get it wrong. 

Each trading partner has its own mapping specifications, communication protocols, and compliance rules. What works for one retailer will not work for another, and for a growing eCommerce business onboarding multiple retail channels at once, this quickly becomes overwhelming.

The Solution 

A managed EDI automation platform handles end-to-end EDI document exchange, from inbound purchase orders to outbound invoices and shipping confirmations, with partner-specific mapping, compliance, and testing all handled on your behalf. Both your EDI trading partners and your eCommerce channels connect to your ERP through the same platform, so data flows accurately no matter where an order originates. New trading partner onboarding typically takes three to four weeks rather than months, and ongoing compliance updates are handled without your team needing to become EDI experts. 

Connecting Your eCommerce Store and EDI to One System

The Challenge 

Most eCommerce businesses manage two completely separate order flows. Orders from their Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento store come in through APIs in real time. Orders from EDI trading partners arrive as structured batch documents in formats like ANSI X12. These two flows look nothing like each other, and without the right architecture, teams end up managing them separately with manual work in between. 

The result is duplicate order entry, inventory that falls out of sync between channels, and no single view of what is happening across the business.

The Solution 

The right approach is to connect both channels independently to your ERP. eCommerce orders flow into the ERP. EDI orders flow into the ERP. The ERP becomes the single source of truth and every downstream system, from warehouse to finance, works from the same accurate data. Alluvia is built specifically around this architecture, handling both channels through one platform so your team never has to manually bridge the gap between them. 

EDI Drop Ship: The Hybrid Challenge

The Challenge 

One of the fastest-growing use cases at the intersection of eCommerce and EDI is drop ship. Drop ship is a hybrid model where a retailer sells a product on their website or in their store, and you fulfill the order directly to the end customer on their behalf. 

On the surface it looks like eCommerce, single line orders, high volume, direct-to-consumer fulfillment. But under the hood it is fully EDI-driven. The retailer sends you a purchase order via EDI, and you are required to send back an order acknowledgment, a shipping confirmation, and an invoice in their format, on their timeline. The retailer is in control from start to finish. 

For businesses managing both their own eCommerce channel and drop ship programs with multiple retailers, the operational complexity multiplies quickly. Orders are coming in from different sources in different formats, and every fulfillment step needs to feed back to the right trading partner in the right way.

The Solution 

A platform that handles end-to-end EDI for drop ship connects each retailer’s purchase order flow directly to your fulfillment process and routes the correct EDI documents back automatically. Because drop ship orders connect through the ERP rather than directly through your eCommerce platform, the workflow stays clean and scalable as you add more retail drop ship partners. Alluvia manages the full document cycle for each retailer so your team fulfills orders without managing EDI manually. 

Inventory Sync Across Multiple Sales Channels

The Challenge 

Most growing eCommerce businesses sell across multiple channels simultaneously, their own online store, Amazon, wholesale EDI partners, and drop ship programs. The challenge is keeping inventory accurate across all of them at the same time. 

EDI trading partners rely on the EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice document to stay informed about your stock levels. If your inventory data is not syncing in real time across your channels and feeding back to the right systems, you end up overselling, disappointing retail partners, and triggering compliance violations. One oversell to a major retailer can result in chargebacks and damage to the business relationship.

The Solution 

A centralized ERP integration platform acts as a single source of truth for inventory across all your sales channels. When stock changes in one system it updates everywhere automatically, including the EDI 846 feeds going to your trading partners. The result is accurate inventory visibility across every channel without manual reconciliation. 

Data Mapping Errors Between EDI and Your ERP 

The Challenge 

EDI documents use highly structured formats like ANSI X12 and EDIFACT that look nothing like the data formats used inside your ERP. Every field has to map precisely to the right place in your internal systems, and every trading partner defines those mappings differently. 

A mismatched SKU, an incorrect unit of measure, or a missing field can cause an entire order to be rejected by a trading partner. Tracking down where the error occurred and fixing it manually is time-consuming, and in a high-volume operation it can bring fulfillment to a halt.

The Solution 

A no-code mapping engine with visual drag-and-drop functionality makes it possible to configure and manage data mappings without developer involvement. Automated error detection flags issues in real time before they cause rejections, and a monitoring dashboard gives your team full visibility into every transaction flowing through the platform. When something goes wrong, you know immediately and can resolve it before it escalates. 

Chargebacks from Non-Compliance

The Challenge 

Retail trading partners enforce their EDI requirements strictly. A late ASN (856), a missing barcode, an incorrect invoice format, or an order acknowledgment that arrives outside the required window can all trigger chargebacks deductions from your payment that can add up quickly and erode your margins.

For eCommerce businesses new to wholesale or retail EDI, chargebacks often come as a shock. The requirements are detailed, vary by partner, and change without much notice. Without a system that stays on top of compliance automatically, avoiding chargebacks becomes a full-time job.

The Solution 

A managed EDI platform tracks partner-specific compliance requirements and keeps your document exchange aligned with them automatically. Timing windows, document formats, label specifications, and acknowledgment requirements are built into the platform and updated as partners change their specs. The result is fewer chargebacks, cleaner transactions, and stronger trading partner relationships. 

Scaling EDI as Your Business Grows

The Challenge 

What starts as a single EDI connection to one retail partner quickly multiplies. You add more retailers, more wholesale buyers, a drop ship program, a 3PL partner, and a new marketplace. Each new connection adds complexity, and if your EDI setup is built on point-to-point integrations or an aging VAN, every addition becomes a custom project.

Many businesses hit a scaling wall where adding new channels slows down rather than speeds up, because the underlying EDI infrastructure was not built to grow.

The Solution 

A hub-and-spoke integration architecture routes all your EDI connections through a central platform rather than managing them individually. Adding a new trading partner, drop ship program, or sales channel does not require building a new integration from scratch. The platform handles the routing and translation logic, and your operation stays stable and efficient no matter how many connections you add.

How Alluvia Solves EDI Integration for eCommerce Businesses 

Alluvia is an ERP integration and EDI automation platform that connects both your eCommerce channels and your EDI trading partners to your ERP through a single platform. Whether orders come from Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, or a retail EDI partner, they all flow into your ERP accurately and automatically. 

Alluvia manages the complete EDI lifecycle end-to-end, from inbound purchase orders and order acknowledgments to outbound invoices, advance ship notices, and inventory updates, with compliance, real-time data sync, and error monitoring all handled through one platform. This includes full support for EDI drop ship programs, giving you a single place to manage every fulfillment channel regardless of how the order originated. 

Unlike legacy EDI providers that require months of setup and in-house technical expertise, Alluvia comes with managed onboarding, a no-code mapping engine, and transparent usage-based pricing so you can go live quickly and scale without disruption.

If you are dealing with any of the challenges above, we would love to show you how Alluvia works

Book a Demo Today and see how we can simplify your EDI

A lot goes into setting up your ecommerce business. It can become overwhelming, especially for beginners or smaller businesses that operate with a small staff. But shipping and order fulfillment are critical to success, as many customers will abandon their cart if they are not offered fair prices and timely delivery.

It is worth spending a little time researching shipping, packaging, and fulfillment options to help your business get off to the right start. If you’re already an established ecommerce business, it’s never too late to revisit your shipping strategy to see how you can improve the customer experience.

Check out this post from Shopify for a detailed view of what to consider when planning your shipping and fulfillment strategy. It provides a clean and concise walk-through of everything you need to provide affordable and efficient services for your online customers.

You’ve got a strong ecommerce presence and are growing your business at a healthy pace. You’ve also got a CRM system managing your customer data, promotions, and marketing. And you’ve implemented an ERP system to handle your finances and logistics.

It’s perfectly acceptable to run your business using different software for specific needs, and you may be comfortable doing so—but there are a vast number of ways to streamline your business and simplify your processes just by integrating your ecommerce solution with your CRM and ERP systems.

The biggest (but not only) advantage to integrating your ecommerce site with your CRM and ERP systems is that your customers will have an easy and enjoyable shopping experience. A large part of this positive experience is the ability to perform self-service tasks on your ecommerce sites, such as viewing order history or creating a return.

Failing to properly implement self-service can have drastic implications for your business. According to StellaService, “Customer self-service isn’t just a courtesy: it’s an organizational imperative. Over half of shopping carts are abandoned due to hidden or hard-to-find product, price, and/or policy details—costing retailers $4 trillion in sales revenue each year.”

It’s easy to forget that even though your back end systems aren’t visible to customers, they play an extremely important role in the rhythm of your business.

Tackling an integration project such as this will no doubt involve some effort—but the many advantages of integrating your ecommerce, CRM, and ERP systems will be more than worth it in the end. Let’s take a look, one integration at a time, to see what these advantages are.

ERP and Ecommerce Integration

When most people think about ERP systems, they picture behemoth software packages that manage finances, payroll, logistics, and more. There is no question: ERP systems are extremely powerful. But they can also give your business an extra boost when your ERP and ecommerce systems are integrated.

Productivity

ERP and ecommerce integration can enhance productivity by streamlining your product data management. Setting up and managing your products is challenging enough; duplicating this effort across different systems is an unnecessary burden. When your ERP data flows directly into your ecommerce system, all the work put into setting up new products, adding descriptions and images, and attaching pricing models will be incorporated into your site for customers to consume.

On top of that efficiency, you can sell the same products configured in your ERP system across all your selling channels (e.g., online, brick and mortar stores, call centers, and catalogs) effortlessly, by managing it all in a single system.

Finances

Keeping a single system of record for your financial postings is a no-brainer. However, when you’ve got separate systems for your back-end ERP and front-facing ecommerce site, integration can seem like needless task.

But imagine this scenario—a customer places an order on your site for three different items. He wants two of the items sent to his house in Portland, OR. The third item is a gift, and should be sent to his friend in Los Angeles, CA.

Your business model calculates tax on a destination-based taxing schema, so your ecommerce site should calculate zero percent for the items shipping to Oregon and 9.5 percent for the item going to California. At checkout, the customer decides to use a gift card for $20 and puts the remaining payment amount on a credit card.

This scenario might be achieved with a stand-alone ecommerce system, but when the quarter ends and you need to report on your taxes charged—or when you need to reconcile customer payments against accounts receivable statements—you’ll need to extract all this data to create your reports.

If your ERP and ecommerce systems are integrated, tax and payment data can flow easily from one system to another, and reports can be generated in a cinch.

Logistics

Nothing leaves a bad impression like a broken promise. Providing accurate inventory positions and delivery dates to your customers is key to high customer satisfaction. Even better, allowing them to track the progress of their orders online empowers shoppers to control their shopping experience. This is where ERP integration provides a huge advantage.

If you manufacture your own products, you can give realistic expectations to your customers regarding when items will be available, based on calculations your ERP system can perform. Most ERP systems have built-in capable-to-promise (CTP) or available-to-promise (ATP) algorithms that take into account your production and fulfillment time. When your ecommerce and ERP systems are integrated, these dates can be shown to customers on your site to give them more information while shopping.

ERP integration can boost confidence that inventory information displayed on your ecommerce site accurately reflects your warehouse inventory. If your systems are integrated, inventory levels can be automatically increased whenever your warehouse receives a purchase order, or decreased any time shipments are picked up. Better yet, when shipments leave the warehouse, you can notify your customers so they can be excited about receiving your goods.

When your ERP and ecommerce systems are integrated, logistics information is passed back and forth in near real time—providing your customers the best possible information about your goods and their orders.

CRM and Ecommerce Integration

CRM systems have become essential to running a business in the ecommerce space, and they are utilized by nearly every ecommerce business. CRM systems are perfect for capturing contact information for leads, managing customer data, and creating targeted promotions. But CRM systems alone are incomplete. They don’t contain the transactional and financial information that can help managers track customer trends and identify new sales opportunities.

An ecommerce and CRM integration can have a huge, positive impact on your business. It helps you establish a sense of loyalty among your current customers, maximizes your sales, and makes the shopping experience exceptional.

Loyalty

Loyalty programs incentivize existing customers to come back to your ecommerce site, thus strengthening your impact on those customers. A good loyalty program allows customers to accrue points, participate in campaigns, and get rewarded with special promotions and offers. Most CRM systems come with out-of-the-box functionality to create, manage, and monitor loyalty programs. Integrating your ecommerce and CRM systems will make it easy for customers to go online and look up their available rewards and points balances.

Maximizing sales

Another great benefit to sharing your data across ecommerce and CRM systems is the ability to save customer shipping and payment information for convenience at checkout. Taking away any hurdles that stand between a customer putting an item in their cart and checking out is a huge advantage on its own—and making it extra convenient allows customer to check out with ease. With this customer data, you can also implement abandoned cart recovery, maximizing your sales and delivering a personalized shopping experience.

Customer experience

Aside from loyalty scenarios, there are several other situations in which you’d want to display data from your CRM system on your ecommerce site. For example, let’s say a customer received numerous compliments on a new lip color she purchased from your site. She wants to recommend it to her friends, but she can’t remember the name of the shade. If her order history was available online (fetched from the CRM system), she could easily pull up the exact shade to share with her friends.

Another scenario where CRM data is extremely useful on your ecommerce site is when a customer wants to make a return. A 2017 study from UPS found that two-thirds of shoppers surveyed take the time to review a return policy before purchasing. When your CRM and ecommerce systems are integrated, you can make your returns process smooth and simple. Data from CRM can be auto populated in the return form, such as item identifiers and customer email addresses and phone numbers, saving your customers time (and headaches).

When your ecommerce, ERP, and CRM systems are talking to each other, your operations are greatly simplified. And you will benefit from three huge advantages: your data will be synchronized; your business will be able to grow more easily; and you will be providing an exceptional shopping experience for your customers.

It is becoming more and more common for ecommerce retailers to work with a third party for their technology needs rather than build in-house.

The 2019 Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 E-Retailers report is an in-depth look at the top technology vendors being used for ecommerce technology.

The report breaks the leading vendors down across 30 categories, and also includes interviews with leading companies such as Zulily and case studies. A free download is available for a limited time, so be sure to get your copy today.

Managing a successful ecommerce business has become increasingly complicated as more online platforms emerge. With so many options, retailers can struggle to make the right decisions regarding where to sell and how to sell.

Since its inception in 2001, ChannelAdvisor has been committed to helping ecommerce sellers connect their products to as many channels as possible and stay on the cutting edge of ecommerce technology offerings. Let’s take a closer look at how ChannelAdvisor can help your business grow and what you need to do to maximize sales and operational efficiencies.

ChannelAdvisor: What you need for success

ChannelAdvisor was named the #1 marketplace management provider by Internet Retailer by making it easy for sellers to connect to multiple ecommerce platforms. Retailers only need to enter their information once, and the ChannelAdvisor engine harmonizes the data across more than 100 supported marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, and Jet.

Integration with new ecommerce channels helps retailers expand sales quickly and efficiently. But integration cannot stop there. When selling across multiple platforms, inventory and order management become even more critical.

Your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software must be kept up to date in real time so you don’t risk selling an out-of-stock item. Manually updating your ERP with sales made across multiple channels is time-consuming and error-prone. Updates need to be done quickly and accurately.

The optimal approach is to integrate ChannelAdvisor with your ERP. Research has shown that many small and medium-sized businesses are choosing SAP Business One for their ERP needs. While this particular ERP system remains a popular choice, we have found that many businesses have struggled to integrate SAP Business One and ChannelAdvisor. Expensive projects requiring custom consulting work drag on for months. You lose out on sales and waste precious dollars on what seems to be a never-ending consulting engagement. Our goal at Alluvia was to create a new solution to this all-too-common problem.

Cloud-based automated integration: The perfect pairing of ChannelAdvisor and SAP Business One

The result is automated integration through a cloud-based managed platform. SAP Business One and ChannelAdvisor integration is now possible in a few simple clicks.

Automated integration enables ecommerce retailers to:

• Eliminate manual data entry—Manually entering data from multiple sales channels results in duplicate entries and errors. Automated integration does away with these errors and creates more time for your employees to focus on higher value-added tasks.

• Synchronize inventory and data in real-time—Managing sales across multiple channels requires a real-time view of orders and inventory. This ensures you do not make a sale you cannot fill and helps you properly manage inventory.

• Faster order fulfillment—Automated data synchronization allows your employees to fill and ship orders faster.

• Improve the customer experience—When orders are filled faster and with fewer errors, customers are more satisfied. Happy customers become loyal and are more likely to refer your business to others.

The cloud-based, managed Alluvia integration platform is both affordable and easy to use. A mapping wizard provides pre-built templates that allow you to match your data elements to ChannelAdvisor in less than a day. A cloud solution means you do not need to worry about software or IT maintenance requirements. Changes and updates to the data in the system are simple and can be done in-house. Of course, if you need assistance from an integration specialist, it is always available.

ChannelAdvisor opens many doors for ecommerce retailers who want to leverage multiple sales platforms. But to truly grow your sales and optimize your operations, you need to integrate ChannelAdvisor with SAP Business One. Only then can you unlock the true potential of your ecommerce business and efficiently manage your orders and inventory across multiple channels. The automated integration solution from Alluvia makes what has often seemed impossible—or too complicated—a reality for ecommerce businesses of all sizes.

As the holidays approach, online retailers are gearing up for two of the biggest shopping days—Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

A recent survey from BlackFriday.com found that shoppers will spend $57 more on Black Friday than on Cyber Monday. What’s even more interesting is that 68 percent of shoppers plan on doing most of their shopping online.

This trend of Black Friday moving online is an opportunity that ecommerce retailers should be ready to capitalize on. Attractive promotions and an impactful website with simple checkout are critical. It is just as important to make sure your inventory is up to date and maintained in real time so you don’t disappoint customers. We recommend taking a few minutes to read the survey results so you can properly strategize for the biggest shopping day of the year.

Ecommerce retailers spend a lot of time and money on marketing and advertising campaigns to attract new customers and increase sales. But are you giving the pricing page on your website enough attention?

The pricing page is one of the most important pages of your site. This is where potential customers arrive to obtain clear information about cost. The page needs to be simple, informative, and easy to navigate. There are other tips and tricks you can implement to actually help increase sales through this page, such as using a Call To Action (CTA) and recommended pricing plans. HubSpot provides additional details on these and other best practices to help ecommerce retailers convert more shoppers into buyers. 

A majority of consumers—73 percent—consider the customer experience an important factor in the decision to purchase a product or service.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans consider speed, convenience, and knowledgeable service as the most critical aspects of a positive customer experience. But fewer than half of U.S. consumers say companies provide a good customer experience, according to a recent PWC survey. Online retailers have an opportunity to capitalize on and profit from this gap by delivering a more elevated customer experience.

Many ecommerce businesses are already taking steps to create a high-end online shopping experience. Smaller online businesses can learn from these examples and stay competitive by embracing these ecommerce technology trends that are re-shaping the customer experience in a personalized, highly convenient way.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these ecommerce trends, the companies that are using them, and why it is important for all online retailers to start thinking high-end.

Ecommerce technology trends for high-end online shopping

Here are ten ecommerce technology trends online retailers are using to create a high-end online shopping experience.

1. Subscription services

Customers can subscribe to a weekly or monthly delivery of products without having to go through the hassle of selecting specific items and placing an order. Items are selected based on the customer’s profile and preferences.

The Gap is one of the online retailers jumping into this space with its OutfitBox service for its line of baby clothing. A delivery of six pieces is delivered every three months based on a child’s style, size, and gender.

Customers pay a lower price for the bundle than they would if they had purchased each piece individually, and unwanted items can be returned. Parents no longer need to worry about not having stylish clothes for their little ones as they quickly outgrow clothes every few months.

A subscription service is a great way to introduce new items and increase product and brand awareness. It also adds an ongoing level of excitement for customers as they await their package, increasing customer engagement.

Online retailers are also able to obtain more data on customers’ preferences, which can be used for future product development and targeted marketing campaigns.

2. Product customization

Enabling customers to create a personalized version of a product increases engagement while creating a luxury experience.

Barneys is an example of a luxury retailer offering this service. Customers can create custom handbags by selecting their preferred colors and accessories.

But luxury brands are not the only place where customization is in demand. Customization allows consumers of all economic levels express their personality and become more engaged with your brand.

Customization can also help increase sales, as 25-30 percent of shoppers have expressed interest in customization options. Giving some control to customers in the design process creates a unique shopping experience that helps your business stand out.

3. Customer-controlled delivery

When it comes to delivery, the most common customer complaints revolve around waiting for packages or packages being lost or stolen. Customer-controlled delivery eases these pain points.

Amazon now offers same-day delivery in some areas, giving customers immediate gratification. The company also offers pickup locations where items can be picked up and returned quickly and easily.

Amazon’s Instant Pickup for Prime and Prime Student members even offers pickup in as little as two minutes for certain items. This service is being offered at some college campuses.

Amazon is not the only company offering more delivery options. Office Depot is offering same-day delivery of online orders. PetSmart allows customers to schedule delivery in anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on their needs. Deliveries can also be tracked with GPS so customers know exactly when their package will arrive.

When it comes to delivery, customers care about speed and control. Allowing customers to select their preferences makes them feel more valued.

4. Voice-assisted shopping

Walmart has partnered with Google Home to bring voice-assisted shopping to customers. This service can be used for one-time purchases or reorders from Walmart.

It demonstrates the innovative use of ecommerce technology trends by Walmart to elevate the customer experience to a new level of ease and luxury. Walmart proves you don’t have to be a luxury brand to create a high-end experience.

Online retailers can use ecommerce technology to create efficiencies for customers in the ordering process, whether it be through voice-assisted ordering or simpler means such as easy reordering—the next trend on our list.

5. Easy reorder

Walmart is again a leader here, unveiling its “Easy Reorder” feature in 2017. Purchases made both in-store and online are recorded in the system. A list of the most frequently purchased items is generated, with the most common items listed first. Customers can then easily reorder items with a simple click from the Walmart app or website.

Simple reordering demonstrates that you understand your customers’ time is valuable. It also helps increase sales, as shoppers are more likely to make repeat purchases when it is easy to do so.

6. Interactive product modeling

Another way to deliver a high-end online shopping experience is to enable customers to get a better sense of how a given product looks or works. This can apply to many areas of online retail.

Bonobos is a high-end online clothing retailer that uses interactive modeling of products to help increase sales. Images show men interacting with each other and the environment so customers can see how products move. Walmart was so intrigued by the retailer that the company acquired Bonobos in 2017.

Wayfair took product interaction to a new level with 3D images of items in its mobile app. Customers can get a sense of how a piece of furniture or decoration will look in their home. They can then seamlessly purchase right from within the app.

Giving customers deeper insight into how products look, feel, and move makes customers feel more confident in their purchases. It also delivers a higher level of engagement.

7. Online styling services

Some online retailers are now providing personal stylists or a personal shopper online who will help you select the right products for your preferences. This is becoming common in the online clothing space and is great for customers who typically prefer to try clothes on before purchasing.

Stitch Fix provides an assistant who will hand-pick five items for customers who have filled out a style profile. Customers have three days to try on the merchandise. Returns are free with a prepaid envelope. There is a fee for this service, but the fee is applied to your purchase should you choose to buy the items.

A styling assistant takes some of the guesswork out of online shopping and encourages customers who typically prefer to see and feel merchandise in-store to order online. It also delivers a higher quality service they are not likely to get from other businesses.

An online personal shopper creates an element of trust—someone is looking out for your preferences and tastes, while keeping your budget in mind. Customers save time, making purchasing more convenient.

8. Click-free shopping

Walmart is the first to step into this space with its introduction of Jetblack. After signing up for the service, a customer participates in a short phone call to identify preferences, style, budget, and other relevant information. Customers can even have an associate visit their home to scan essential items that are used often.

Orders are placed via text message (with the option of using voice-to-text technology) to Walmart’s online personal shopper, “J.” Orders are delivered by a courier, either same-day or next-day. The service can also be used to return unwanted items.

This is truly a high-end experience for online shoppers and allows them to order just about anything and have it delivered almost immediately—without even having to go to a website to place an order.

9. Custom mobile experiences

Many online retailers are moving into the mobile app space as a means for customers to browse and shop for products. Mobile apps had the largest share of e-commerce sales among North American retailers that provide shopping apps in Q4 of 2017. Apps accounted for 44 percent of all e-commerce sales in the same quarter.

As mobile apps continue to be an important channel for ecommerce sales, online retailers can elevate the experience by offering more than just general purchasing. Some companies are using mobile apps to deliver customization and personalization.

True Gault has created an app that scans customers’ feet. Custom shoes are made and delivered within four weeks.

These types of offerings make your ecommerce app stand out. Shoppers are more likely to download it and use it to make purchases.

10. Concierge service

Online grocer Boxed offers a concierge service to ensure enrolled customers do not run out of standing items. Returns can also be easily processed through this service.

This type of functionality relies on predictive analytics to anticipate customers’ needs. Retailers can leverage this technology to show their customers how much they value their business and their time while increasing sales and reorders.

A high-end experience is worth the investment

An investment in ecommerce technology trends is required to create these high-end online shopping experiences. Predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality are just some of the technologies at work to bring these high-end services to life.

But investment is a necessary step to differentiate your business and compete with the bigger names in the online space and meet the expectations of the modern consumer.

The good news is customers are willing to pay for these services. The PWC survey revealed that 43 percent of consumers will pay more for greater convenience.

You don’t have to start big, but it’s important to understand what other players in the space are doing. You can then assess your business and decide which ecommerce technology is the best starting point for you to create a more luxurious shopping experience for your customers.

A small investment is often the wisest one, allowing you to test the waters. Adjust as you go and continue to test new technologies and expand your reach. With customers beginning to expect a higher level of service—and with many willing to pay for it—online retailers will find the investments made in ecommerce technology result in a measurable positive return.

Apps continue to grow in popularity, and when it comes to online shopping, many consumers are now using apps as a primary means of making purchases.

If your ecommerce business does not have an app, it may be time to consider one.

Internet Retailer compiled some infographics to provide online retailers with a quick overview of how U.S. shoppers are using apps. A key finding is that 46 percent of U.S. shoppers use an app at least once a month to make a purchase. It only takes a few minutes to review the findings presented here, and it can give online retailers some food for thought when it comes to