Three out of five European e-commerce experiences online end in failure if they involve shipping product to a consumer’s home from another EU member country. This from an EU e-commerce study released just recently in which the European Commission explored the e-commerce industry through a series of secret shopper transactions in which it found that “…there are widespread problems with refusals of orders for EU consumers trying to purchase goods online in another Member state”.  Can you imagine customers from California not being able to order something from Washington? Or Canadian e-commerce customers buying from U.S. companies and not being able to ship to Canada? There would be outrage the likes of which only movies portray. So to help the EU and it’s member states fix their klunky e-commerce problems I offer this list of crucial e-commerce trends released by FFP Global, titled 10 Ecommerce Trends for 2010. There are five of the ten  listed below that I have borrowed and re-interpreted from CIO Today who highlight the list on their page recently. They are re-interpreted for the European market by myself, having traveled extensively throughout that continent as a train hopping bohemian, rich Canadian tourist and a Marxist revolutionary in a past life.

Five of ten  ecommerce trends for the coming year that the EU should keep an eye on:

Increasing Mobility: Yes, we are no longer chained to our desktop computers, office computers, not even our laptops. You need to design pages and shopping carts that look good and work great on mobile hand held devices. Seriously Europe…three out of five.

Regional fulfillment centres and maximization of materials (reverse logistics): Because of rising fuel costs and decreasing landfill availability, and because your consumers are tired of feeling guilty about destroying the planet, you benefit from maximizing every step of your shipping process and finding ways to turn a profit from what 15 years ago would’ve been thrown in a nearby canal or ravine. Regional fulfillment centres disperse the distribution chain so that fuel can be saved while product can remain closer to markets and reach it more effectively. Finding ways to re-use product or recycle it into a saleable situation (one man’s junk is another’s treasure) are also recommended. In my opinion this is really most effective though when you have a constant flow of product, it’s not meant for one-offs or low volume product and is especially useful for larger chains with several (or several hundred) products that move regularly. In Europe’s case, language may be a serious barrier for companies shipping between states. This is only a minor problem in America too, as New Englanders have a hard time understanding those from the deep south, while folks from North Dakota or Minnesota and Californians with a thick hispanic flavour on their tongue can also experience delays in their comprehension of one-another. Nevertheless, English (or American if you ask most of them) is the unifying business tongue. This is why I suggest a new multi-national European shipping and receiving language. You can call it “shop-talk” or “fork-lift tongue” although I’m sure it will sound  far more cultured and intelligent once spoken in any number of European languages.

Customer service exists at every step of the process: Your webpage might look incredible, your logo is seductive and classy, your shopping cart is quick and easy to use, but after I order a product I’m left with an empty feeling. When will it arrive? Is it safe? What else can I buy to take this empty feeling away? I need to be coddled…this is why the old model of communications centres are being replaced with Customer Experience Centres that offer consistent contact with customers through all relevent communications platforms. Your customer needs to know that you’re a friend for life (or until bankruptcy or hostile takeover and dismantling)

Being relevant is virally important: Much like H1N1 vaccine makers, being relevant is virally important to companies that want to cash in on consumer hysteria, general concern, or the din of pop culture chatter that consumes social media.  It’s also an opportunity for companies to really build an identity in the public mind. To be relevant is to be present. Brand presence is important, so keep tweeting and friending people. Corporations are given the legal rights of people, they might as well go the distance and have a facebook page.

Turn your process into intelligence: So many companies fly blindly ( and some with a measure of success) not realizing that a wealth of quantifiable information is slipping through their fingers every fiscal year. Create synergie between your e-commerce business process and the intelligence it gathers you. Make sure you utilize analytical tools to understand your consumer, and your company. And understand why 60% of the time you’re losing out on a sale. Holy $hit  Europe, come on…get it together.

And maybe most importantly, don’t sabotage a potential sale on your site or e-commerce platform. If a sale comes in, find a way to ship it. Just find a way. I’m sorry to say it, but as a Canadian I feel like an objective party in this process Europe. This is what an American business owner would do. They would scratch and claw and fight to find a way to send that thing to you and make a profit in the process. You won’t make money by having your e-commerce platform take a siesta or go for a latte/absinthe/crepe/hash-laced marijuana pancake or whatever else you guys eat and drink on lunch breaks over there. And the beautiful thing about e-commerce is that your site doesn’t have to ever take such a break. So please Europe, get your eCommerce act together. I want to move to you one day, but I don’t want to have to move back in time too.

Related posts:

1. Pinc Giving’s E-Commerce Project Goes Live
2. Just a reminder. E-commerce is growing really, really fast.
3. Booksellers blur the lines between eComm and offline

Tags: Canadian e-commerce, CIO Today, Corporations are given the legal rights of people, e-commerce business, e-commerce problems, EU e-commerce study, European e-commerce, FFP Global, H1N1 Vaccine

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