Over the past decade, E-Commerce has come a long way. And, undoubtedly, the time is not far when this would be as popular as brick-and-mortar retail. Last year in 2018, the number of digital buyers worldwide reached 1.79 billion. And even more was expected for this year, with the promising numbers that are around 1.92 billion.
Plus it was expected that the interactivity would drive the 2019 Ecommerce web design trends. And, the reason is, designing user-friendly websites helps facilitate smooth navigation that lives up to customer expectations. Hence once might face challenges in their business journey, especially if they don’t have an updated website in-line with the contemporary eCommerce design trends.
There is no doubt that the e-Commerce industry now has worldwide sales of more than a trillion dollars. And, eCommerce is fulfilling various roles in the online selling world.
There was a time when we were only making purchases from our laptops at home, but we are now purchasing things through our mobile devices with the rise in technology. No wonder this increase in mobile nature of the e-commerce market has given a rise in apps. It also encourages users to buy and sell things online.
Looking at the scenario of how e-commerce is trending, it is no surprise that why an entrepreneur would choose to invest in an e-commerce website.
It is important to remember that a site can become cheesy in less than a year, meaning websites can easily become outdated. Therefore, to stay ahead of your competition, it is very important to always look at new trends in e-commerce website design.
So, following a brief introduction to E-commerce, we will study the latest E-commerce web design trends every designer must know.
What is Ecommerce?
For all who might not understand the term Ecommerce well, also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, it refers to the selling or buying of goods or services by using the internet. The process includes the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions.
Well, often, E-Commerce is used to refer to the sale of physical products online, but it is not limited to that. It can also describe any commercial transaction that is facilitated using the internet.
You might get confused between e-business and e-commerce. So, e-business refers to all aspects of operating an online business, while e-commerce is all about the transactions of goods and services.
With the first-ever online sale on August 11, 1994, the history of e-commerce begins, where a man sold a CD by the band Sting to his friend through his website NetMarket, an American retail platform. Well, this was the first instance where a consumer purchased a product from a business through the World Wide Web—or “e-commerce.”
And, we can see that e-commerce has evolved to make products easier to discover and purchase through online marketplaces as well as retailers since then. E-commerce has benefited all, whether it is independent freelancers, small businesses, or large corporations, which allows them to sell their goods and services at a range which was not possible with traditional offline retail.
According to the surveys, global retail e-commerce sales are forecasted to reach $27 trillion by 2020.
Latest E-Commerce Web Design Trends
As we reach towards the end of 2019, we need to ask ourselves what the future for e-commerce will bring in 2020. Well, one fact is clear to all of us that the improved user experience is always in high demand.
However, developers should keep in mind that web features should be simple but enticing when designing e-commerce websites for audiences in 2020. Functionality should also be preserved.
So, let’s have a look at some e-commerce website design trends for 2019-20, along with the best e-commerce web design inspirations for any business owner looking to capitalize in the coming year.
1. Give a Thought to the Background
We are listening to the idiom since ages, “the first impression is the last impression.” Well, that’s what we need for our website. That means we need the ability to keep users interacting with it. And, a good first impression can do this well. Therefore paying attention to the background is one of the best ways of attracting the users, and it can also help in making them stay on your site.
Well, a very important design element one can choose is Minimalism. But, it might sometimes get in the way of creativity. Besides, for 2019 and upcoming years, the use of video or animated content in the backgrounds of the website’s layout for the website design will be seen even more.
As a result, you can not only expect a spike in traffic to your website but can also expect the conversion rates to go high.
2. Machine Learning and Chatbots
Initially, people were not accepting chatbots that easily. Yes, they might be feeling weird while communicating with bots. But, in the past few years, this has dramatically changed. Well, thanks to the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Nowadays, almost every site is using bots to help them improve communication between the seller and the buyer. It not only helps your customers but also helps your sales team to be more effective at finding promising prospects for your business.
And, as a result, enhanced interaction between the customer and your site will create more opportunities for you to grow your brand further.
3. Micro-Interactions
Micro-interaction technology is a relatively new trend in web design that will also make its way into 2019-20. Well, the small interactions between a particular user and a site are what we call micro-interactions. Through these interactions, they help users accomplish certain tasks by acting like directions. There are several benefits to this feature. Yes, it aids users in various ways:
a. It helps users to get important feedback or the consequence of an action they did on the website.
b. It also helps to inform users when they complete a task.
c. It makes users stay engaged on the website.
d. And, by showing users every step of the process, it also prevents errors of operation.
In all, the use of micro-interactions could become a reason for any user to travel on the site. Plus, you will also have the power to influence the user to make quicker decisions in your favor with this kind of feature.
4. Use of Different Geometric Shapes and Figures
Use of geometrical designs on websites is not at all a new trend. Yes, since few years, designers are already using these in their sites.
The reason could be that the designers may have noticed that sites using geometric shapes and figures receive friendly reactions from individuals that visit them. Another vital reason for this trend is that it is very cheap to implement.
So, if you are not interested in adding animated or video content to the design of your site, using shapes or cinemagraphs is the next best thing you can choose.
5. Different Grid Layouts
It is always important to think out of the box to perform something unique, and, the same rule applies to web designing. Two distinct patterns will make up the base for all grid designs on websites. These cover the broken grid as well as the asymmetrical layout.
Such grid layouts also make it possible for business owners to structure their sites. Another benefit it offers is that the broken grid allows easy adding of content such as video, images, or any other form of typed content.
However, you need to make sure to take into consideration the various devices your users have at their disposal when you use various grid layouts. That means a grid layout on a mobile device like a smartphone must not have a lot of content added to it. Although, if in case you have extra content added to your page, then you can give the user the option to scroll down and find it.
6. Attention to the Brand
No doubt, designing an app or site for your online business indicates that all you are trying to do is make your brand available to a bigger audience. It implies your site and brand should be inseparable.
So, all you need is to take your time to identify all the important characteristics of your brand before you begin the design process. In all, you should highlight all the things that make your company what it is. After you complete this process, the next thing you can do is to figure out how to make them a reality plus introduce them to the rest of the world.
Another great way to focus on your company website is by adding original content to it. For instance, you can avoid using stock content from other websites if you want to add a picture or video content. That means all you need is to be as authentic as possible. Hence, highlight that content more, which is created by you.
7. Material Design
You need to have the right tools when it comes to user interface design so that your site can easily interact with users. And, the Material design extends the tools one can use to complement their user interface so that they can get the most out of it.
Based on various design features such as grids, space, colors of a webpage, the typography used, and the images, material design works. All such design features are taken into consideration to create a site that will help your business well.
Another benefit the material design offers for your e-commerce site is its ability to express your brand and flexibility across various operating systems like iOS and Android.
8. Minimalism
It could be said that a minimalistic approach to web design is also not a new trend but very much beneficial for this period.
Some websites may do well with complex features, but having a minimalistic website will surely not harm your business. That is because, nowadays, users are more likely to stay on a site designed around simplicity without much mess. It is because users feel uncomfortable exploring complex website designs due to much clutter.
Another most important reason why you should follow the minimalistic approach is that the site would act as a guide to the user. As the site is simple, they will have no problems navigating your site, conducting product searches, and finding the information they are seeking.
Do not forget that less is more, and this is very much true for e-commerce web design.
9. Hamburger Menu
The icons made up of three parallel lines is what we call the Hamburger menu. These are usually located at the top left or top right part of a webpage. One will get a different menu once the user clicks the icon, which allows them to navigate the website.
If you look at the list, the website designers have coined various names for it, such as the options button, the side menu, Faq, Contact, etc., and all of these perform some respective function. In all, it makes the site easier to navigate and keep the users connected to the site.
Takeaway Thoughts
There is no doubt that online retail or e-commerce is one very competitive sector. Still, it does not suggest that startups cannot make it, but they surely can. As a fact, we can say, businesses have a lot to apply if they only implement the right tactics into running their business with the current growth of the online buying population.
So, in all, investing in your site, making more user-friendly, and also being updated with the trends are great ways to start. But, you have to stay updated with what is trending and how you can apply it to your website design. We hope these web design trends for 2019-20 will help you get started.
Follow These New Trends in E-commerce Website Design, and Stay Ahead of Your Competition!
