When Will Shopping Become Human?
By: Kate Mountz
Tags: Shopping, Ecommerce, Interactive Content, Interactive Video, Online Shopping

How one legacy retailer is deepening relationships with online customers through interactive technology.

We love ecommerce for its brutal efficiency and maximum convenience. But does it capture the full appeal of shopping?

Have you noticed a new shopping button on your favorite app? New tools seem to be popping up on every platform, no matter how unlikely: from Flipboard and Microsoft Edge, to Bleacher Report and of course Instagram (to some user consternation). This flood of new shopping channels has brought ease and immediacy for consumers, and exponentially more access to customers for retailers. But as with many of the recent advances in shopping ease and technology, few of them address the human, emotional connections we’re all missing even more than usual this year.

What’s so human and emotional about shopping? Let’s take a break from wistfully refreshing that holiday package tracking information and look at what’s really missing here.

By some estimates, the earth-shaking changes of 2020 “vaulted [us] ten years ahead in consumer and business digital penetration in less than three months,” leaving merchants scrambling to accommodate a decade of consumer behavior shifts packed into half a year, on top of the busiest season for shopping. (Not to mention about a decade of news packed into the same amount of time 😓)

Retailers with the infrastructure to match this shopping tsunami (like original ecommerce player Amazon) saw astronomical growth. But smaller DTC brands with the right niche and excellent customer personalization have been quietly thriving as well, even if their core offerings weren’t directly correlated to pandemic priorities (comfy sweatpants, anyone?). And even ignoring new shopping buttons, the shift toward social commerce is only accelerating, eroding some of the last remaining friction between inspiration and purchase.

But recent trends indicate deeper consumer needs that aren’t being met by seamless 1-click purchases, curbside pickups, and free shipping (though those features are table stakes for any ecommerce operation). Retail sales actually declined 1.1% in November, typically the zenith of the shopping calendar. As Halie LeSavage of Morning Brew put it, “November’s results indicate that even record breaking digital holidays haven’t bridged the brick and mortar gap yet.”

With the sharp declines in in-person retail, the stakes of bridging that gap are higher than ever.

One legacy retailer has shown they understand what’s missing from e-commerce better than many of their contemporaries. Although Walmart shattered earnings expectations this year, they continue to grow through innovative interactive experiences, powered by eko. These experiences entertain, deepen customer relationships, prioritize personalization, and help busy shoppers discover new brands. Among these many applications are “inspiration hub” Cookshop, and “discovery engine” Baby Gift Finder. Powered by eko’s proprietary interactive technology and featuring seamless add-to-cart integration, they both capture multiple elements of what we miss about shopping IRL.

Especially in 2020, online shopping can feel more like online buying, and people want to shop, not just buy. Shopping is personal, curated, full of surprise and delight. Buying is a transaction, with maximum efficiency but minimal emotional engagement. Particularly in a year where both novelty and joy are hard to come by, this engagement is more important than you might think — especially during the holidays. With these eko-powered experiences, Walmart is showing you can have the best of both worlds.

At eko, we’re building the world’s most fulfilling shopping experiences for customers and sellers. We believe shopping online can be more useful, more fun and ultimately more human, through technology. If you want to learn more about what eko’s interactive platform can do for your brand, drop us a line. And, happy shopping!

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