As eCommerce continues to take center stage in the way consumers and businesses operate these trends are must haves for successful Ecommerce websites. Whether you are currently using a eCommerce website that needs a few updates or considering getting a new eCommerce website designed.
Enhanced mobile responsive design
What is mobile responsive design? This method of web design helps optimize the customer experience by adapting the layout and content to the user’s device (e.g. desktop, laptop, phone, etc.). Although mobile responsive design is not new, there is a steady increase of using mobile devices for browsing and shopping. It is highly recommended if not mandatory that your site be built with responsive design in mind. As this demand continues to increase, it will be important to consider developing websites for mobile platforms first, with other devices made responsive and adaptive second.
Semi-flat design
Flat design uses stylistic elements like typography and flat colors in a minimal way to provide a two-dimensional illusion. In 2016, flat design was popular, but the trend is moving toward semi-flat design. This design style enhances the functionality and simplicity of a flat design, with a more attractive and engaging user experience. Semi-flat design in conductive to responsive design and can aid in speeding up loading times, an important consideration for customer ease of use and Google ranking alike.
Material design
This is a design language that was developed by Google for Android devices in 2014. Material design quickly caught on with the masses because the design is so simple and clean, and the trend continues to grow. From an eCommerce standpoint, online stores are embracing this card-like layout and incorporating responsive animations and transitions, and lighting and shadows to create an enriching experience for their shoppers.
Long scroll pages
Look for this to be a huge trend in 2017, as customers now prefer to scroll through the entire product category rather than paging through subsets of content. For mobile devices, this design style is critical as it provides a more elegant and simple user experience. With laptops getting lighter and smaller and mobile devices like the Apple Watch depending on scrolling users have to come to expect long pages.
Typography
Typography is how typefaces, font size, tracking, kerning, color and other elements affect the design type. This trend continues to evolve toward the use of large and flexible typography, as using the right message with this tactic has a huge impact on customers. This aids in steering customers towards your products and services while developing a strong brand identity.
Imagery and Bright Colors
Buyers are visual, and that’s no secret. However, research indicates 92.6% of consumers use visuals as a major influencer in their purchasing decision. It only take two seconds to make a good impression, so clear, crisp, and interesting images that tell a story about your brand, products and services is important. Additionally, you want to consider how these design elements connect to your audience and their demographic. You’ll want to choose these elements wisely.
Animations and cinemagraphs
Customer like to be engaged and entertained, and the use of animations, cinemagraphs, and GIFs are becoming an integral part of eCommerce websites. What, exactly, is a cinemagraph? Cinemagraphs are still photographs of repeated movements used to form a video clip. They can be an animated GIF or some other video format that mirrors animation. User interest and engagement are key, and using these elements on homepage banners, within product images and other areas of the website usually gain a lot of traction.
We feel that these are important trends to embrace with your eCommerce website design. If you’re looking to launch a new site or enhance your existing web presence, please give us a call. Iceberg Web Design is ready and able to assist at one of our locations in the Minneapolis, Chicago, and Toronto areas. Contact us today!
