Top eCommerce Web Design Tips, Tricks, and Trends in 2018

 Valued today at approximately $2 trillion in annual sales internationally and expected to grow to $4.5 trillion by the end of 2021, ecommerce and online shopping continues to make big business for small and large retailers.

 

That said, just because the potential is there to make big money does not mean that setting up an ecommerce site guarantees anyone success. It still requires key marketing strategies to generate buzz, direct consumers to your online store, and to entice users to the point of closing a sale. Here’s the top eCommerce web design tips, tricks, and trends leading into the remainder of 2018.

 

Mobile-friendliness

 Almost as much as 70 percent of the US population own smartphones and by 2022, that number is expected to each 80 percent. No ecommerce site is complete without a mobile-responsive web design, easy to navigate on any mobile device, including smartphones and tablets.

 

Voice-activated interfaces

 Voice-activated interfaces continue to grow in popularity. Many consumers already interact with their devices via vocal commands and as voice-activated interfaces are just making their way into ecommerce, expect to see increased integration. Though you may not see 100 percent voice-enabled ecommerce interfaces, as consumer interest shifts, product descriptions and similar content will have a huge impact on how ecommerce sites perform.

 

A fixed navigation menu

 By including a navigation menu that sticks with a user as they scroll an ecommerce site, it makes the user experience more positive overall. More importantly though, it keeps the shopping cart button at the top of the page, ensuring that CTA is always in the foreground.

 

Increased security

 Due to the private, financial information being exchanged via ecommerce sites, there’s a major need to ensure security standards are upheld. Consider researching different methods of keeping personal information secure throughout the purchase and post-purchase process.

 

Increased speed

 Speed in ecommerce sites actually counts for a lot. More than half of ecommerce website users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less, and will abandon it if it requires longer than three seconds to load a page. More than 79 percent of shoppers will not return to an ecommerce site to buy again if they experienced a slow website performance or difficulty ordering the first time. It’s important to find out how to make your ecommerce site load faster and identify the elements that are slowing you down.

 

More personalization and branding

 The more personalized ecommerce interactions are, the more likely a brand is to close a sale with a new or existing customer. Personalization begins with knowing what you want to communicate with your logo, typography, and visual elements. It continues with identifying prior product purchases and using information you have about the customer to ultimately make them a product or service offer that they simply can’t turn down.

 

More video

 Video content that highlights product descriptions and/or product reviews can help elevate sales in a way that text-based descriptions can’t. By including professionally shot videos featuring helpful tips or how-to guides for the customer, there’s also opportunity for some product categories to outdo prior performance on some ecommerce platforms.

 

There are dozens of different types of ecommerce sites, selling everything you can imagine. What’s important to all of them and what will define their success in 2018 comes down to these trends and strategies. Become a better ecommerce marketer by using these tips and tricks, and see higher revenues and more consumer engagement in no time.