We just published our predictions report for global eCommerce in which we identify 10 trends and discuss the impact they’ll have on the industry in 2015. We look at key commerce topics such as mobile and omnichannel and also address what we expect to see from some of the global eCommerce giants in terms of their international efforts in 2015.  In addition, we explore topics such as:
 
  • The B(R)IC markets will continue to attract attention, but smaller ones will also gain traction. Next year, we expect to see continued interest in Brazil, India and China (the political situation in Russia means it will be bumped down the list for many US and European brands). However, all of these markets will remain challenging for varying reasons and we expect that other emerging markets will gain traction with brands in 2015. Indeed, a look at the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index shows the BRIC markets falling well below other markets like Malaysia, Thailand, the UAE, Mexico and Colombia. Many eCommerce organizations won’t yet be able to justify the cost of launching direct-to-consumer sites in these smaller markets, but a handful of large global organizations will jump in to establish a brand for themselves before their counterparts do the same. Brands looking to sell cross-border will also turn their attention to smaller but fast-growing eCommerce markets.
  • Demands for profitability will grow. In 2015, we will see far greater scrutiny on companies’ paths to profitability in new global markets. In the past, brands struggled to get reliable data on the markets they were planning to enter and often erroneously applied KPIs from their home markets to their new international operations. Many business plans included wildly inaccurate assumptions about the amount of time it would take to see a return on new global initiatives. As a result, eCommerce professionals were forced to extend their profitability timelines repeatedly and operate their businesses in the red for years. However, as digital leaders gain access to more accurate information about the markets they’re targeting and learn from the mistakes of others, they will be expected to launch in new markets with more realistic scenarios – and to cut bait if profitability remains elusive.
We would love to hear from you about the global eCommerce topics that are top of mind for your organization in 2015, and encourage you to read  predictions research on European and US eCommerce. Let us know in the comments below or contact us. You can also the see the other Predictions 2015 reports Forrester has in store over the next few weeks.