Shopify - the future leader in e-commerce?
foreword
Cross-border e-commerce now has two legs, mainstream e-commerce platforms and Shopify independent stations , which carry the cross-border e-commerce industry forward. But in the future, in the cross-border competition, which side will be able to dominate?
1. Great changes in the cross-border e-commerce industry
1. Prejudice of online shopping
For a long time, rich sensory experience has been regarded as the exclusive feature of offline brick-and-mortar sellers . On the contrary, online shopping is difficult for consumers to get a similar shopping experience.
Past experience tells us that online shoppers are almost completely influenced by economic and rational factors such as price, category and convenience. This view has been widely accepted, mainly due to people's stereotypes about mainstream e-commerce platforms.
2. Visitors and Traffic
However, we may soon be giving up on this perception. During the three-month period from July to September 2021, Shopify's stand-alone site saw a staggering 1.16 billion monthly visitors , compared with just 1.1 billion for mainstream e-commerce platforms during the same period .
In fact, since May 2020, the average monthly traffic of Shopify's independent site has increased by 108.5% year-on-year , while the traffic of mainstream e-commerce platforms has only increased by 9.9% during the same period .
3. E-commerce trends change
While mainstream e-commerce platforms are still far ahead of the DTC market in terms of total revenue, these extremely clear traffic growth trends tell a truth that matters more than data— they tell us exactly where consumers want to shop Shop online.
The change in data reflects a shift in e-commerce trends: from a cold, practical, efficiency-first e-commerce model to a warmer, more brick-and-mortar business model, where consumers place commodity content over money. , prioritizing brand over budget and engagement over convenience.
2. Shopify and mainstream e-commerce platforms
1. The opposite of both
There are many factors for the success of the Shopify independent station, but the fact that cannot be ignored is that the underlying logic and characteristics of the business operation of the Shopify independent station are diametrically opposed to the current mainstream e-commerce platforms.
2. Monomer and franchise
While mainstream e-commerce platforms have pushed the concept of “monolithic” to new extremes, website builders like Shopify have thrived by keeping a low profile and expanding outward.
3. Close and open
Whereas mainstream e-commerce platforms strengthen the walls of their closed ecosystems, Shopify embraces unity and interoperability in an open network.
4. Optimize technology and enhance experience
While mainstream e-commerce platforms focus on simplifying payments and optimizing recommendation algorithms, Shopify, the leader in decentralized e-commerce, is enabling unique brand experiences, omni-channel integration, and a more engaging and immersive shopping experience A thousand miles a day.
3. The future leader of cross-border e-commerce
1. Future trends
Going forward, it's unlikely that mainstream e-commerce platforms will lose favor quickly, but millions of consumers and businesses are flocking to Shopify.
Because Shopify provides a brand new and advanced road, on this road, enterprises will have more autonomy and more opportunities, can establish a corporate brand image, can obtain private domain traffic and customer base, and can also obtain and Analyze customer data.
2. Online live shopping industry
The rapid development and prosperity of China's online live shopping industry leads the development trend of world e-commerce. The online live shopping industry focuses on direct customer participation and authentic brand experience, etc. DTC brand merchants are the earliest adopters and most effective practitioners of this new media.
In contrast, although mainstream e-commerce platforms have also begun to try to reshape and improve their customers’ online shopping experience and set up online shopping live broadcasts, the results have been poor.
Among the 100 million average daily visitors of mainstream e-commerce platforms, only 300 watched live shopping. On the contrary, consumers on the Shopify stand-alone station are more willing to watch live shopping, and then add products to the shopping cart to complete the transaction and place an order.
3. A touchstone for future competition
" If there's anything that will serve as a touchstone for the future of these two rivals (Shopify and mainstream e-commerce platforms), it's live online shopping !
Live shopping online represents the biggest and most promising growth direction in e-commerce today — and it has proven itself to be the decentralized future of Web 3.0.”