![Instagram Influence [INFOGRAPHIC]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/instagram-influence-150x150.png)
This infographic from X-Cart illustrates the many ways in which Instagram is exerting its influence as a social media channel.
eCommerce Sales Growth By Category [CHART]
![eCommerce Sales Growth By Category [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ecommerce-sales-growth-by-category-150x150.jpg)
Despite persistent gloom and doom surrounding the retail industry, the first half of the year has been positive for most product categories. According to the newly released monthly retail sales report from the US Census Bureau, for H1 2018, retail sales (excluding auto parts and gasoline) totaled $2.06 billion, up 4.9% year over year.
Voice-Activated Shopping Behavior [CHART]
![Voice-Activated Shopping Behavior [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/voice-shopping-150x150.jpg)
Nearly 21% of shoppers said they would ask their voice assistant for in-store help, while 17.6% would use their voice assistant to self-checkout.
Why People Go To The Mall [CHART]
![Why People Go To The Mall [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/why-people-go-to-the-mall-150x150.jpg)
It’s true, merchants can no longer rely on traditional anchors—usually department stores—to attract crowds. According to Coresight Research, the number of full-line department stores will shrink to 4,750 by 2023, down 19.5% from 2017.
How To Decrease Your Website Bounce Rate [INFOGRAPHIC]
![How To Decrease Your Website Bounce Rate [INFOGRAPHIC]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/decrease-bounce-rate-infographic-150x150.jpg)
This infographic from Quicksprout illustrates 20 tips for keeping visitors on your website and in the process, minimize your bounce rates.
Industries Where VR Will Have The Most Impact [CHART]
![Industries Where VR Will Have The Most Impact [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/industries-where-VR-will-have-most-impact-150x150.png)
Despite the hype, it’s not yet clear if or when virtual reality (VR) technology will reach mass-market status. However, specialized applications are showing promise in a variety of industries.
Social Retail By Age & Plaform [TABLE]
![Social Retail By Age & Plaform [TABLE]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Social-Retail-By-Age-Platform-150x150.jpg)
Millennials had higher incidences of being inspired by Instagram to make a purchase, though buying spurred by Snapchat was more evenly distributed by age.
Time Spent With eTailers [CHART]
![Time Spent With eTailers [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Time-Spent-With-etailers-150x150.png)
Americans spent 22.6 billion minutes on Amazon during December 2017, more than the combined total spent on the rest of the top 10 e-commerce retailers (16.6 billion).
Purchase Inspiration By Channel [CHART]
![Purchase Inspiration By Channel [CHART]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Purchase-Inspiration-By-Channel-150x150.png)
Social networks are the most influential online media used by shoppers around the world when finding inspiration for their purchases.
Consumer Trust By Industry [TABLE]
![Consumer Trust By Industry [TABLE]](http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/consumer-trust-by-industry-150x150.png)
Consumers are more likely to trust banks—and even insurance firms—than marketing or advertising companies. That’s according to a September 2017 PwC survey, which found that just 6% of US internet users said they trusted media and entertainment companies.