The time to complete the purchase is getting shorter and shorter Customers want to choose, order, pay and receive their goods in the shortest possible time. This is a huge challenge for suppliers, both on the side of sales and inventory management, as well as on the side of delivery logistics. The result is investments in efficient and friendly online stores, functional product configurators and the development of a range of delivery options. Over the last several months, the number of parcel machines in Poland has increased by about 60%. They are offered not only by InPost, but also by Allegro, AliExpress and others. The market of fast deliveries (the same day or the day after ordering), often carried out by bicycle courier companies, is also growing strongly.

Supporting sales through social media Customers spend a lot of time each week browsing numerous social media. Giving these places a sales function strengthens the position of the seller. An Internet user watching an interesting room arrangement on Pinterest or Instagram should be able to immediately, when he likes a given piece of furniture, go to the online store, configure the best solution for himself and complete the purchase. The head of the company, reading on LinkedIn about ventilation or air-conditioning systems for the office, will be happy to use the possibility of quick configuration and preliminary calculation of the option suitable for him. If he is told to leave the social profile earlier and find the online store on the seller's website, he may lose his enthusiasm and give up his intention. You should also take into account that more and more people watch social media using smartphones and will also want to make a purchase from them. The rhetoric of the content should be developed and online sales solutions configured so that they fully use the possibilities of this form of communication, e.g. implement voice search or connect to the payment system.

Attitude to the marketplace Manufacturers want customers to be able to find their products not only in their own online store, but also from other suppliers. It is a convenience for the customer when he can order and buy several different products in one place. It is also a chance for more sales, because the trace of a given product may be found by a customer who has not considered buying it before, but willing to reach for it "by the way". In response to this trend, shopping platforms such as Zalando and Allegro are developing. It can be expected that there will be more and more of them on the market. A big challenge for sellers will be to follow this market and invest their money in cooperation with the best-chosen platforms.

In 2020, the winner was those who already had or could quickly transfer their trade to the Internet. We wrote about it in one of the previous articles.Today, customer expectations are much higher. Although more and more people are convinced to buy via telephone or computer, the choice of suppliers is also increasing. The advantages of digitization of sales have already been noticed by even small, family-owned enterprises, so far completely uninterested in e-commerce. This is due to increased competition, especially regarding the time of purchase and delivery, more attractive payment methods and a friendly return policy. Sellers will also look for innovative solutions that will attract the customer's attention and add value to the purchasing process. These challenges concern both sellers on the B2C market and those offering their solutions to business and institutional clients.