Enhancing customer engagement with brands is one of the key objectives of any eCommerce website. An eCommerce website that targets core markets and creates customer experiences that are satisfying and rewarding will ensure maximum return on investment. To obtain this objective, your eCommerce web design needs to be on point to generate business. Let’s take a look at e-Commerce web design trends that are current and relative to today’s demanding and informed consumers.
Buy Online Pick up in Store (BOPIS)
From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen the trend of BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store) grow inequitably in popularity. Pre-pandemic this trend was a niche delivery option, but now is becoming the delivery method of choice for consumers as we become more familiar with the ease of use and convenience that BOPIS brings to the marketplace.
Customers can have the best of both worlds by shopping online and then in person picking up from the store. This method alleviates the problems for consumers of shipping costs and waiting for their items to be delivered. Retailers across the globe are using the BOPIS method to meet today’s customers needs and expectations.
Make menus the main event
Navigation – the cornerstone of website ease of use. The old school way of thinking about menus was to make them accessible but keep them out of the way. A new wave of thinking, which is taking new sites by storm, is to make menus the main event. You can turn your menu into a visual attraction show, using your brand to create a vibrant memorable first impression.
Visual menus are so much more impressive than using just words, for example when creating an eCommerce site for beauty products, make the main menu your homepage and have pictures of products related to each category making navigation easier, clearer and more visually interesting.
Neutral background
Yes, it’s making a comeback. When using a neutral background, visuals will stand out so much better than in an overly colourful setting. Videos and product images will pop. Neutrals that work well are taupes, sand tones, cool greys and warm cream. The neutral background allows you to be creative with your main visuals, ensuring they get the most attention.
Ovals are in
Gone are the days of the ordinary circle in eCommerce web design trends, in 2021 we are all about ovals. Stretch out the circle and it is proving to be a huge success. Use ovals to make great image frames, focal points and call-to-action buttons, to name a few uses.
Combining ovals with rectangles to make a ‘church window’ style shape with rounded corners at the top and straight lines at the bottom is also in. An edgy difference to the common circle is definitely a way to freshen up any site that needs a more modern look.
Dynamic imagery
Moving product images are going to make more of an impact than stationery ones. Consumers love seeing products in action before making a decision to purchase. So make use of GIF’s, animation, micro-animation and videos to show off the functionality of your products and bringing them to life. Keep in mind that you don’t want to overwhelm viewers, so be mindful of not overdoing this feature.
Long scrolls
Gone are the days of clicking on the next page when viewing a site’s products and waiting for them to load. We now expect to have better user eXperiences and website performance. Pages that can scroll to great lengths with loads of products is the trend and is dominating eCommerce sites. Viewers like to see products and then be able to scroll or swipe to see more products which are lazy loaded to the current page without having to load or select a new page.
Minimalism
This flat design or minimalistic approach to design is ever increasingly popular. Combining simple designs with bold colours can work to highlight your brand. Applying this trend to a website can help viewers to navigate better. Simple design with punching typography or bright colours used sparingly is a popular trend right now.
Design for mobile
Most website traffic nowadays is coming from mobiles. The trend towards mobile friendly design is ever increasing and should be a priority for any designer. Your design should look good across multiple devices including mobiles and tablets. When designing, keep checking how your site looks on desktop and mobile.
Conclusion
Whether you’re upgrading or building a new eCommerce website, understanding your client’s needs and being able to generate business, whilst boosting your brand, is paramount to its success. In order for your site to become a lucrative retail channel, it needs to be trendy and engaging with the right look and feel for your brand. Creativity is the name of the game and following trends can be fun and exciting.
Keeping up to date with the latest eCommerce trends may require the use of experts, such as Digital Noir. We are experts in designing eCommerce strategies to suit your business and increase your online presence, giving you the edge over your competitors.