In episode 163 of our podcast, our last show of 2019, I have asked a few knowledgable peeps in the WordPress/eCommerce space for their predictions for 2020. Although there are tons of people who I am sure would have some great insights to add, time was limited and it was a bit of a challenge finding anyone that had a little spare time during this season.

2020 / eCommerce / WordPress

Of course we could have reflected on the last year and what we’ve seen. I’m sure there will be plenty of those posts. Instead, being more of a what-we-could-see rather than a what-we-have-seen kind of guy, I took this route.

So enjoy and thank you for being one of our loyal listeners this last year. Here’s to a fantastic 2020!

Brad Williams – WebDev Studios | @williamsba

(and also co-host with me at Do the Woo Podcast)

I have two predictions. First up, AI and machine learning. Imagine what the eCommerce market could gain from understanding customer needs and serving them. in the past, recommendations were set manually based on your purchase history or others who purchased similar items. But integrating AI and machine learning can take that further and can actually understand who you are. Learn about your customers, learn the brands they like, the colors they like, maybe their gender, the general budget they spend. All these different factors to give them recommendations that they actually care about and will spend money on. These AI services are becoming easier to integrate. They’re cheaper, they’re faster and much more important, to be integrated into your eCommerce store. So look out for that in 2020.

Second, voice commerce, Amazon, Alexa, Apple, Siri, Google assistant. We all have one of these devices if not more than one in our house and in our pocket and in our cars. It’s estimated that by 2023, there will be over 8 billion devices with voice assistants in them. And voice shopping is expected to hit $40 billion by 2022. You want to make it easy for your customers to purchase your products however they want. Mobile has been the trend for years. Now we know that continues to grow, but purchasing things with your voice, using voice assistance is the next big trend. So get on it. Make sure people can order your products through Alexa, through Siri, through Google. Reach out to your eCommerce provider or your developers and talk to them about it. These are my recommendations for 2020.

Beka Rice – SkyVerge / Jilt | @Beka_Rice

For eCommerce in 2020, I think there are a lot of really interesting trends. One of the things I’ve loved for a long time is virtual reality and augmented reality and I think that’ll continue to grow in 2020.

But for a more immediate trend, I think multi-platform selling is going to make some big gains this year with new technologies like Instagram checkout coming soon. I think this will make it much easier for merchants to sell directly to customers in the marketing channels they’re using, which is pretty unique and interesting.

So I think that we’ll see the rise of more platforms like Instagram checkout change the concept of purchasing and how brands engage with their customers, and how they build brand awareness with their customers.

Kyle Maurer – Sandhills Development | @MrKyleMaurer

My prediction is more consolidation. Venture capital is entering WordPress, which is proving to be a ripe market for investment. I believe many product creators in WordPress are overworked, overwhelmed, undervalued, and inexperienced when it comes to turning the fruits of their labors into longterm enterprises. Investors do know this and are aggressively scouring the landscape for businesses with potential which can be acquired for amounts far less than similar businesses outside of WordPress.

In 2020, even more of the brands you know and love will finally give in and accept investment from either larg