E-commerce accounts for more than $2 trillion in sales,and by 2021 global sales volume from e-commerce platforms are projected to reach $4.5 trillion. In addition, around 56% of in-store purchases are influenced by e-commerce. In the U.S, e-commerce represents almost 10% of all retail sales (a figure that is growing by nearly 15% annually). It is undeniable that the e-commerce market volume is increasing. However, just because you own or run an e-commerce website doesn’t mean you can bring that growth to your business without effort.
It is essential for the designers of online shopping platforms to evolve their website designs in ways which will not only boost their sales but also build lasting emotional relationships with their customers. Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, a great web design project, especially in e-commerce, could be worth a billion sales.
With many exciting developments taking place with e-commerce, we could gather over a hundred trends to discuss. Nonetheless, here are the top 5 e-commerce web design trends you could implement in your e-commerce website right now:
1. Simple Design:
Have you ever wondered why Amazon’s simple design has not changed much in such long time? Because it works!
You may want to show off everything you’ve learnt in your CSS class, but your customers reallywon’t notice that much. All they need is to get the items they are looking for, as quickly as possible. If they can’t get it with three clicks, you are definitely over-designing.
Just stick to simple CSS Grid layouts with easy to use search and navigation and your customers will thank you.
2. Speed and Security:
A website with a simple design loads faster. Though speed may not be considered a design element, according to Kissmetrics, half of your customers are likely to leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Yes, your customers are that “impatient”. They don’t want to feel like they are “in a queue”.
Your server capability and traffic load have a role to play, but as a web designer, you can definitely reduce the load on servers with code that is lean enough to ensure pages load as fast as possible.
As an online store, your customers need to be assured of the safety and security of your platform. Your e-commerce website should be designed in a way that creates the impression of safety right to the completion of an order.
3. Mobile-Friendly Design:
In case you’re unaware, 80% of internet users own a smartphone, and mobile sales are expected to account for 27% of all U.S. retail e-commerce sales by the end of 2018.
You cannot afford to lose these mobile customers with a “desktop-only ” website. You must make your website as mobile friendly as possible. You may even want to consider getting a dedicated mobile app for your e-commerce site.
4. Use of Video:
Video is a popular medium to connect with potential customers. Almost5 billion videos are viewed daily on YouTube alone.
Effective videos capture and maintain the attention of a viewer. They don’t only see the item they are buying but also see how it works in real life. Many e-commerce websites are embedding videos into almost every aspect of their product’s platform to help new customers understand what the item does and why they need one.
Simple videos are relatively inexpensive and can be recorded and edited quite easily. Typically, they should be short and light enough for easy streaming or downloading.
5. Content Is Still Key:
Not everyone customer will be an impulsive buyer. While some customers will see an item online and immediately want to hold it in their hands, you will often need to convince them that your product is worth their cash.
An effective way to interact with prospective customers is through consistent creative content. A website which provides rich content is a marketing itself. Through your content, you drive a lot of organic traffic to your site, and if what you shared is valuable, your readers are likely to become your customers.
Frequently updated blogs, RSS feeds or social media content are a crucial part of your e-commerce web design strategy in 2018.
There are a wide range of web design trends that you may implement in your e-commerce website to improve your conversion rate. However, the most popular trends are simpledesign, speed and security, mobile-friendly design, use of video and effective content creation. All of these, when done right, promise to put your e-commerce platform ahead of your competitors.
