The success of your ecommerce website is determined by the quality of shopping experience it provides. In order to provide a satisfying shopping UX, your digital storefront should have an appearance that is in line with the latest web design trends. Since trends tend to change with each passing year, it is important to keep track of what’s popular and what’s out of vogue in order to keep your website looking fresh.
However, 2019 has only just started, the web design landscape is still in a state of transition – some trends from 2024 are starting to run their course and are being phased out in favor of new ones, whereas others are experiencing a growth in popularity, all while new ones are being added to the mix.
To bring you up to speed with the current state of e commerce web design, we’ve compiled a list of trends you should keep an eye on in the months to follow.
Mobile-First Design
In 2019, mobile-first web design is poised to become an industry standard rather than just a passing trend. According to recent website traffic data, consumers now spend more time browsing on mobile devices compared to desktop ones, a fact which has been causing a shift in design priorities. As a result, e commerce websites are now being built from the ground up with mobile users in mind.
In practical terms, this means that web designers are focusing on creating websites that are responsive, fast to load, and easy to use via a touchscreen user interface. Responsive design ensures that your storefront will display equally well on screens of various sizes, speed optimization is crucial for providing a seamless UX, and a touch-optimized interface makes it easy to navigate your store in an efficient manner.
Chatbots
While chatbots have been around for a while in web design space, in 2019 they are scheduled to enter the mainstream. Therefore these artificial conversation systems are a boon for e commerce store owners, who are frequently short on staff for tasks such as customer service and marketing. A chatbot can act as a sales representative, a customer support officer, and even as a virtual shopping assistant, giving you the ability to engage with customers on a larger scale.
E commerce chatbots
Ecommerce chatbots have been getting smarter and more capable over the years, and the latest models are becoming indistinguishable from their human counterparts in terms of their ability to perform conversation-related tasks. They are a clear signal that a new era of web design is about to begin, one where digital stores will be staffed and managed by digital employees.
Voice Search Optimization
One of the consequences of the shift towards mobile ecommerce is the rising popularity of voice-based search. Advances made in voice recognition technology mean that customers can now forgo the tedious process of scrolling through content and filling out forms in order to find items they wish to purchase. Instead, they can simply ask for what they want, and let the technology do its work. If your ecommerce website is built to accommodate voice search, you’ll be ahead of the curve.
To ensure that your e-store is voice search friendly, start by editing your website copy to be more in line with the grammar and vocabulary of everyday speech, and follow it up by inspecting your website HTML to see if meta-tags related to voice accessibility are properly filled in. Alternatively, check out a listing of professional web design agencies to find a partner which can accomplish these tasks in your stead.
Micro-interactions
The development of core web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and their various libraries and frameworks has enabled web designers to create more dynamic, interactive websites. The latest manifestation of this is a tendency to use micro-interactions, web page events whose purpose is to provide moment-to-moment engagement to website users.
In effect, every time a user takes a meaningful action on a website, it will get registered as an event, and a suitable response will be provided often in the form of subtle visual changes. These little bits of interactivity can go a long way towards keeping customers engaged while they travel through the conversion funnel. Micro-interactions are a part of of a larger trend towards gamification in ecommerce, which is a topic that we will cover in a future article.
Card Layouts
Card layoutsare a web design trend that has garnered a lot of popularity in ecommerce. That is not to say that card layouts are a recent invention – social media websites such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat have been using them for a while to great success, and the digital storefronts of today are only following suite. The main appeal of card-based layouts is the fact that they present information in an encapsulated, organized, easy to read format. This makes them especially advantageous for ecommerce websites that want to draw attention to their products as soon as someone arrives on the website.
When creating a card-based layout, make sure not to overload the cards with excessive content and visual details. A well designed card will have just the essential information needed for a conversion, with ample white space surrounding it.
Asymmetric Shapes
In contrast to the previous trend, a significant number of websites are starting to adopt more asymmetrical designs. Smooth, organic forms found in nature seem to be the inspiration. While geometric structures such as squares and rectangles have their distinct advantages when used for web design purposes, especially the sense of stability and order they can evoke, organic shapes are better at engendering feelings of openness and comfort, which are important aspects of website UX.
In terms of ecommerce, it’s the difference between walking into wholesale warehouse, and a small rustic shop – the latter will always feel more human and inviting. Asymmetric designs don’t have to be inspired by nature either – hand drawn elements of any sort can also provide a more authentic experience browsing experience.
Conclusion
2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year for e commerce web design, with new trends clashing with old ones in a fight for dominance. Keep a close eye on them, and look for opportunities to implement the most popular ones within your design. A
