All Blogs
6 Ecommerce Web Design Trends to Embrace in 2017
The trends in web design may not be as fleeting as in the fashion industry, but an ecommerce business that wants to gain an edge has to follow them. Constantly upgrading your website is as important as improving your products as this will draw more customers to your door.
Check out the web design trend predictions for the upcoming year to work out a plan for your own business.
#1 Flat design evolution
Flat design has been a huge hit, but its popularity has started to decrease, and this trend is sure to continue in 2017. With the ascension of the virtual reality technology, the material design patterns we are used to is getting more complex.
This evolution will inevitably result in more creative multi-dimensional schemes, that charm the viewer on many levels. Experts predict that the ‘card’ layout, one of the hottest trends of the moment, will remain strong for mobile devices. However, as it’s not very effective for large screens, we should expect some more creative patterns in this area.
#2 Filling out the interstitial anxiety with previews
‘Interstitial anxiety’ is the delay between action and response. In the case of an ecommerce site, it’s the period of time it takes for a new page to load. The longer the delay, the poorer is the quality of the customer experience.
At the moment, the majority of websites try to fight this problem by optimizing pages for increased loading speed. However, a creative web designer can help you turn this ‘negative’ delay into a positive experience for the customer. The emerging trend is to fill out these pauses with page previews so that the customer switches to the ‘anticipation’ mode instead of ‘anxiety’.
#3 Introducing hand-drawn elements
We are definitely past the age of cookie-cutter websites. Today creativity rules the world of design, which means you have to be original in every element. Hand-drawn elements, in particular, are gaining a lot of popularity.
They are not only unique, but also charming in their imperfections. Flash animations with custom drawn elements seem to be a particular favourite for this rapidly growing trend.
#4 The rise of microinteractions
Originally, the term ‘microinteractions’ defines an interaction based on a singular task. For example, you click a button and an alarm for the week is set. This principle of combining simplicity and functionality is making its way into ecommerce website design.
With the ‘swipe’ technology on a roll, packing your pages with helpful icons and buttons is a must for any business that wants to stay on top. If you still don’t have a single click cart, you definitely should discuss creating one with your web designer.
#5 Progress in adaptable and responsive design
At the moment, we have a responsive design based on geolocation and the type of device used (desktop, mobile, etc.). However, this functionality is no longer enough and today developers work on adding more customization options.
The age-responsive design seems to be the focus now, but we can look forward to more similar trends emerging in 2017. An ecommerce website that adjusts to the visitor’s specific needs upon loading is sure to be a success as personalization is one of the main attraction for buyers.
#6 Going beyond the landing pages
In 2015 and 2016, landing pages were the main focus of many designers. It’s definitely a good thing as the first impression is extremely important. This trend isn’t losing its popularity, but it’s complemented with the growing interest of making every page just as beautiful and impressive.
For ecommerce businesses embracing this new wave can be tricky because they have to ensure product pages load as fast as possible. You also need to remember to keep some pages toned down to prevent the buyers from an information overload. Therefore, you need to choose which pages to ‘upgrade’ with extreme care.
Melissa Burns is an entrepreneur with six years of experience in marketing and SEO. Burns began her career as an independent journalist, right after graduating from Iowa State University in 2008. Her favorite fields of research are startups, marketing, and IT--in particular, IT implementation in the sphere of education.
Check out the web design trend predictions for the upcoming year to work out a plan for your own business.
#1 Flat design evolution
Flat design has been a huge hit, but its popularity has started to decrease, and this trend is sure to continue in 2017. With the ascension of the virtual reality technology, the material design patterns we are used to is getting more complex.
This evolution will inevitably result in more creative multi-dimensional schemes, that charm the viewer on many levels. Experts predict that the ‘card’ layout, one of the hottest trends of the moment, will remain strong for mobile devices. However, as it’s not very effective for large screens, we should expect some more creative patterns in this area.
#2 Filling out the interstitial anxiety with previews
‘Interstitial anxiety’ is the delay between action and response. In the case of an ecommerce site, it’s the period of time it takes for a new page to load. The longer the delay, the poorer is the quality of the customer experience.
At the moment, the majority of websites try to fight this problem by optimizing pages for increased loading speed. However, a creative web designer can help you turn this ‘negative’ delay into a positive experience for the customer. The emerging trend is to fill out these pauses with page previews so that the customer switches to the ‘anticipation’ mode instead of ‘anxiety’.
#3 Introducing hand-drawn elements
We are definitely past the age of cookie-cutter websites. Today creativity rules the world of design, which means you have to be original in every element. Hand-drawn elements, in particular, are gaining a lot of popularity.
They are not only unique, but also charming in their imperfections. Flash animations with custom drawn elements seem to be a particular favourite for this rapidly growing trend.
#4 The rise of microinteractions
Originally, the term ‘microinteractions’ defines an interaction based on a singular task. For example, you click a button and an alarm for the week is set. This principle of combining simplicity and functionality is making its way into ecommerce website design.
With the ‘swipe’ technology on a roll, packing your pages with helpful icons and buttons is a must for any business that wants to stay on top. If you still don’t have a single click cart, you definitely should discuss creating one with your web designer.
#5 Progress in adaptable and responsive design
At the moment, we have a responsive design based on geolocation and the type of device used (desktop, mobile, etc.). However, this functionality is no longer enough and today developers work on adding more customization options.
The age-responsive design seems to be the focus now, but we can look forward to more similar trends emerging in 2017. An ecommerce website that adjusts to the visitor’s specific needs upon loading is sure to be a success as personalization is one of the main attraction for buyers.
#6 Going beyond the landing pages
In 2015 and 2016, landing pages were the main focus of many designers. It’s definitely a good thing as the first impression is extremely important. This trend isn’t losing its popularity, but it’s complemented with the growing interest of making every page just as beautiful and impressive.
For ecommerce businesses embracing this new wave can be tricky because they have to ensure product pages load as fast as possible. You also need to remember to keep some pages toned down to prevent the buyers from an information overload. Therefore, you need to choose which pages to ‘upgrade’ with extreme care.
Melissa Burns is an entrepreneur with six years of experience in marketing and SEO. Burns began her career as an independent journalist, right after graduating from Iowa State University in 2008. Her favorite fields of research are startups, marketing, and IT--in particular, IT implementation in the sphere of education.