5 Online Shopping Business Trends in 2015

As the growth of mobile commerce that continues to push the overall online shopping, e-commerce sales are expected to increase 20.1% at the end of 2014 - exceeded $ 1.5 trillion in transactions for the first time globally.

In Asia Pacific, B2C e-commerce market as a whole has grown almost doubled from USD 300 billion to USD 525 billion in the last two years, while the sale of e-commerce in Indonesia is expected to rise 45.1% before closing in 2014.

Although the growth rate slightly decreased in 2015 globally, retailers can expect to see e-commerce sales rose 17.7% to $ 1.77 billion due to a maturing market.

Asia Pacific is expected to contribute USD 680 billion, while Indonesia is expected to grow to USD 10 billion by the end of 2015.

Along with the increasing sophistication of retailers in looking for opportunities to promote higher growth, next year will provide a lot of results for those who take the right steps and implement new strategies that fit with the target to win the hearts of consumers.

Coming to the turn of the year, Masaya Ueno, Director of Rakuten Asia Pte Ltd, Head of Business Development Division and Country Head of Indonesia summarizes some predictions about how the global retail industry will evolve over the next 12 months.

1. Opportunities and Risks
The growth of cross-border trade will be faster in 2015 in accordance with the opportunity given the global marketplace for consumers to purchase from the retailer from anywhere in the world.

This paves the way for merchants who want to access the world market and expand internationally, offers significant opportunities for growth, especially for markets where the smaller less potential to grow in the region.

2. Consumer Loyalty

Retail and entertainment world that used to separate now been closely linked. Consumers today want to buy a brand experience that reflects their lifestyle, both online and offline.

To achieve this, retailers have sought to diversify their offerings, but often not in line. As we enter 2015, the retailer will bring their unique offerings under one roof, both online and in the central store.

This not only will allow retailers give consumers a seamless connected experience, but also open up great opportunities for cross-selling and strengthen customer loyalty throughout the retail and entertainment ecosystem.

3. Social Shopping
Social media plays an increasingly important role in the shopping process, affecting the product search stage up to the buying decision.

In 2015, online marketing techniques will be increasingly important to reach the consumer mindshare, involving spectrum broader social channels.

Not only Twitter and Facebook, but also applications such as Viber and Pinterest, which allows interactivity that even higher and richer content.

With consumers find products to buy while they share pictures and curated the things they love, retailers get a great chance to make shopping an experience more entertaining and enjoyable.

4. m-Commerce Grows Rapidly

As online consumers shifting from shopping via the desktop to the discovery and purchase products through mobile devices, retailers can no longer ignore the changes in consumer behavior.

In 2014 it is estimated 25% of consumers in Indonesia using mobile devices to shopping online. Meanwhile, mobile-first phenomenon also enters the Asia Pacific region where online users access the Internet only through mobile devices.
As this trend grows, Rakuten expects more and more retailers to invest in mobile marketing and retailing next year to capitalize on the rapid growth of m-commerce segment.

This is according to Masaya will encourage greater adoption of the omni-channel commerce, because businesses want to provide the same experience across multiple platforms.

"Indonesian people aged 16-44 years spent more than half his waking time on the gadget, because it is no wonder mobile commerce is on the rise," he said.

In the first quarter of 2014, Rakuten Online Shopping enjoy increased 546.8% to 587.1% mobile and visit the mobile booking, compared to the first quarter of 2013. This trend is likely to increase because the Indonesian telecom operator will further strengthen its 4G LTE service in early 2015.

"4G LTE paves the way for mobile devices to become a major gateway for Internet access more Indonesia users, and make it part and parcel of everyday life," said Masaya.

5. Tight Competition

E-commerce market value of USD 680 billion is obviously very tempting. And of course, there will be intense competition in 2015 for fighting over.
In addition to local players, e-commerce players regional and global rushed to get a piece of the pie, with the opening of local branches or by investing in the local market.

As a result, it becomes imperative for online merchants to improve their game, using technologies such as data analytics to gain valuable insights. Armed with market trends and consumer behavior, businesses can create a unique offering and develop effective strategies.

Nevertheless, intense competition also encourages innovation and creativity for the long-term benefits for the entire industry.

"With e-commerce market of Indonesia is predicted to reach USD 10 billion in 2015, the competition will be fierce as more industry leaders who see Indonesia as the next battlefield for e-commerce," said Masaya.

According to him, an investment of USD 100 million were recently disbursed by Sequoia on Tokopedia which follows a similar move made other major players, such as Elevenia (SK Telecom of Korea), Lazada (arugula), and the equivalent local players like Blibli.

Not to mention the giant players like eBay are cooperating with Telkom Group through Blanja.com portal. Competition e-commerce in 2015 was believed to be louder. Nevertheless, the opportunity remains open to all.

"To be able to stand out in this competition is becoming increasingly difficult, unless you have a unique proposition for merchants and consumers," said Masaya as quoted in a statement on Wednesday (12/31/2014).