Hey there, fellow eCommerce enthusiasts! In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, customers' expectations are always changing. Adopting the latest website design trends helps your online store stand out, engage visitors, and ultimately boost sales.
As we step into the exciting world of 2023, it's time to buckle up and explore the top-notch trends that are shaping the future of eCommerce website design. Keeping up with these trends is not just about staying fashionable, it's about delivering an exceptional user experience and driving conversions.
So, let's dive in and discover the top 7 website design trends with Shopify store examples that will elevate your online store to new heights!
1. Mobile First Design
Mobile devices are continuing to dominate how people shop online; here is the proof:
- 60% of global internet traffic comes from mobile users
- 56% of eCommerce transactions are fulfilled on mobile devices
Therefore, mobile optimization should be prioritized by all eCommerce businesses. An effective way to ensure mobile optimization is executing a mobile first design approach.
The mobile-first design is all about prioritizing the mobile view when creating your website. It means your website must dynamically adjust to different screen sizes, delivering an optimal layout and navigation experience for each device.
Benefits:
- Enhance User Experience: With more people using mobile devices, mobile-first website design trends ensure that your website is user-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate on smaller screens. This leads to higher engagement and increased conversions.
- Boost Search Engine Rankings: Search engines now prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their rankings (Google mobile-first indexing). By adopting a mobile-first design, you'll improve your website's visibility in search engine results, driving more organic traffic.
Among Shopify store examples, BeardBrand is an online store that flawlessly incorporates the mobile-first website design trend. Their website's mobile version provides an intuitive navigation with the hamburger menu bar on the top right corner. Their text and images are legible and smoothly transformed from the desktop version. Every detail is designed with the mobile first approach, which definitely creates a delightful shopping experience for mobile shoppers.
What You Can Do:
- Have a mobile-first mindset: Train your team to think mobile-first during the design and development process. Put mobile users at the forefront of your strategy.
- Audit your site to ensure responsiveness: Regularly test your website on various mobile devices and screen sizes to ensure it adapts seamlessly. Fix any responsiveness issues promptly.
- A pro but easy tip: If you're using Shopify, consider leveraging the "Zest" theme. It's known not only for its flexible design style but also for its mobile optimization capabilities. By applying Zest, your online store will be taken to the next level of responsive experience and mobile conversion.
2. Ultra-Minimalism
Ultra-minimalism is a design approach characterized by extreme simplicity and the deliberate removal of unnecessary elements. In a world cluttered with information, ultra-minimalism emerges as a breath of fresh air. Ultra-minimal website design trend advocates for simplicity and embraces the "less is more" philosophy.
Ultra-minimalism encourages designers to create websites that are sleek, elegant, and uncluttered. In which, simplicity is the key. Keep the design style clean without any non-essential elements such as unnecessary graphics, flashy animations, complex navigation, etc.
Benefits:
- Improve customers’ attention: Ultra-minimalism places the focus on what truly matters: your products and content. By eliminating distractions, you create an intuitive user experience and then boost customers' attention to achieve more likelihood of purchasing.
- Boost Loading Time: With fewer elements to load, ultra-minimalist websites tend to have faster loading times. Recent research by Google indicates that 53% of mobile users will abandon a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load. So, by optimizing loading time with minimalism, your website can significantly reduce bounce rates and keep visitors engaged.
To illustrate the ultra-minimalism design style, let’s take a look at the website of B14. This design agency’s website follows the text-only style, using a pair of high contrast colors (black and white) to create an impression for visitors, make them pay attention, and read the paragraph right when accessing the website.
What You Can Do:
- Consider Your Customers' Preferences: Ultra-minimalism may not resonate with all customer segments. Before fully adopting this trend, analyze your target audience and gather feedback to ensure it aligns with their preferences and expectations.
- Stand Out with Maximalism: While minimalism is trendy and effective for many brands, sometimes standing out means going against the grain. Explore maximalism, a bold and eclectic design approach that embraces abundance and extravagance. Be daring and find your unique voice in the crowded eCommerce landscape.
3. 3D design/ AR/ VR
As technology continues to advance, integrating 3D website design/ AR/ VR elements into eCommerce design has become more accessible and rewarding. This captivating trend transforms traditional 2D visuals into interactive and engaging experiences, enriching the way customers interact with your products.
Gone are the days of static product images. 3D website design breathes life into your products, offering customers a more comprehensive and realistic understanding of their features and dimensions.
While AR and VR were initially popular in gaming and entertainment, their application in eCommerce has revolutionized the way customers shop. With AR and VR, customers can visualize products in their physical environment or immerse themselves in a virtual showroom. For example, customers can virtually try on clothing, visualize furniture in their living rooms, or even see how a new car looks in their driveway.
Benefits:
- Catch up with the world’s demand: According to a report by McKinsey&Company survey, 48% of customers say they are more likely to buy from brands that offer AR experiences. By embracing 3D website design and AR/VR, you demonstrate your brand's commitment to innovation and customer-centric experiences.
- More Interactive and Professional: Interactive 3D models engage customers on a deeper level, fostering a stronger emotional connection to your products. This heightened interactivity leads to increased time spent on your website, which in turn positively impacts your conversion rates.
- Leverage customers’ trust: 3D design and AR/VR allow customers to view products from multiple angles, zoom in, and examine intricate details. This transparency builds trust and reduces the risk of returns, as customers have a more accurate expectation of the product they will receive.
A Shopify store example is Heveya, a home decor business that embraces 3D design and AR technology. In which, this website design includes some 3D models of products and a virtual 360-degree showroom to provide a digital shopping-in-store experience.
What You Can Do:
- Start with 3D Product Photography: Begin by investing in high-quality 3D product photography. This will enable you to create dynamic and interactive product views that captivate your customers.
- Then Make a 3D Landing Page First to Test: To test the waters, start by creating a 3D landing page for a select set of products. Monitor customer engagement and feedback to gauge the effectiveness of 3D design on your website.
- Keep an eye on AR and VR: Although those technologies haven’t been applied to eCommerce stores popularly, you should pay attention to them to identify when and how to start dealing with it to be the leader in the market.
4. Gamified Design
As shoppers increasingly seek interactive and engaging experiences, gamification has emerged as a captivating strategy to make your website stand out from the crowd.
Gamified design is one of the rising eCommerce design trends that involve integrating game-like elements into your eCommerce website to create a sense of playfulness and excitement. Whether it's through interactive quizzes, challenges, or rewards, the aim is to captivate shoppers and keep them immersed in the shopping experience.
Benefits:
- Engage Shoppers More Effectively: Gamified design triggers the natural human desire for achievement and progression. By offering rewards or incentives for completing tasks, you keep customers engaged and encourage them to explore more of your products and offerings.
- Touch Emotions of Fun and Enthusiasm: Games evoke emotions of excitement and enthusiasm. By incorporating gamified elements, you create a positive and joyful association with your brand. This emotional connection can lead to increased customer loyalty and advocacy.
- Stand Out: In the competitive eCommerce landscape, standing out is crucial. Gamified design sets your website apart by offering a unique and memorable shopping experience. This differentiation can lead to increased word-of-mouth referrals and social media shares.
Pipcorn, one of the best Shopify store designs to look at, successfully embraces gamified design on the page “Build A Bundle”, where shoppers can customize their product bundles by adding items from the left product list to the right 9-boxes pack just like a mini-game. By making the shopping process enjoyable and fun, they enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.
What You Can Do:
- Gamify Your Page - Keep It Simple but Interesting: Start by incorporating simple gamified elements, such as quizzes, spin wheels, or reward points. Make sure the games align with your brand identity and product offerings.
- Boost excitement with visual effects: Visual effects and animations can enhance the gamified experience on your website. A tip for Shopify store design here is to choose a theme that provides customizable options to add engaging visual effects. Among themes that can do it, Zest is a must-try option.
5. Asymmetrical Layout
Asymmetrical layout challenges the status quo of neat grids and symmetrical designs. Instead, it allows designers to experiment freely and place elements in unconventional and unbalanced positions. This artistic approach injects excitement and unpredictability into your website, setting it apart from the crowd.
Benefits:
- Exciting Design: Asymmetry injects an element of surprise and excitement into your website. The dynamic and unconventional layout keeps users engaged and encourages exploration.
- Unique Brand Identity: By adopting an asymmetrical layout, your website becomes distinct and memorable. It communicates a sense of creativity and originality, setting your brand apart from competitors.
- Engage Shopper: Asymmetrical designs demand attention. Users are naturally drawn to visually intriguing layouts, which can lead to increased time spent on your website and a higher likelihood of converting visitors into customers.
"Death Wish Coffee" is a Shopify store example that sells strong coffee, demonstrating the magic of asymmetrical layout. Their website showcases handmade products with a dynamic and artistic arrangement of images and text, leaving a strong visual impact on visitors.
What You Can Do:
- It's Risky, So Be Careful: Asymmetrical layouts can be challenging to execute effectively. While they offer artistic freedom, be cautious not to create confusion or clutter. Strike the right balance between uniqueness and clarity.
- Some tips: Overlap contrast large headers with smaller images, use more white space, remove the gutters when designing, etc.
6. Layering
If you are seeking a way to add a touch of depth and sophistication to your eCommerce website, let’s try layering. Layering involves strategically placing elements on different planes, giving the illusion of depth and dimension. It's like arranging a beautiful collage where each layer serves a purpose in telling your brand's story and guiding users through their shopping journey.
Benefits:
- Make Product Stand Out: By placing products on the foreground layers, you give them prominence and make them the star of the show. According to Nielsen Norman Group, users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold. Layering strategically places important product information in this high-visibility area, increasing the likelihood of customers engaging with your products.
- Add Depth to Website: Layering adds depth to your website, making it more visually appealing and engaging. It provides a sense of visual hierarchy, guiding users to focus on specific elements in a deliberate order.
One of the most excellent examples of the art of layering is Baianat’s website. Their website features stunning graphics set against beautifully blended background layers. Each layer complements the other, creating an inviting and immersive browsing experience.
What You Can Do:
- Start with Layered Images: Begin by incorporating layered images on your homepage or product pages. Experiment with images that complement each other and provide a sense of depth.
- Highlight Key Content: Use layering to draw attention to essential content, such as promotional banners, product features, or call-to-action buttons. By placing them strategically in the foreground layers, you increase their visibility and impact.
7. Colorful gradients
Colorful gradients involve blending multiple colors to create a smooth transition from one shade to another. Imagine a sunset sky, with its myriad of hues seamlessly blending into one another.
Colorful gradients bring this stunning visual effect to your website, allowing you to convey emotions, moods, and brand personality through a spectrum of colors.
Benefits:
- Visually Exciting, Not Distracting: Colorful gradients infuse excitement into your website without overwhelming or distracting visitors. When used thoughtfully, gradients guide users' focus to key elements, such as buttons or product images.
- Trendy Aesthetics: Gradients have made a remarkable comeback in recent years, becoming one of the top website design trends. Embracing this trend keeps your website looking fresh, modern, and in tune with the times.
Check out this gorgeous gradient design by ROSE Wrapped. It incorporates various gradient colors with giant typography to create a dynamic and inviting browsing experience for visitors.
What You Can Do:
- Make sure that those colors align with your brand color: While colorful gradients offer versatility, it's essential to maintain brand consistency. Ensure that the chosen colors align with your brand identity and evoke the desired emotions.
- Leverage color psychology: Colors have a profound impact on emotions and behavior. Leverage color psychology to choose gradient combinations that evoke the right feelings and resonate with your target audience.
- List out tools for nice color combos / Gradients: Provide your website designers with tools and resources for creating stunning gradient combinations. Tools like Adobe Color, Coolors, and Gradient Hunt offer vast libraries of beautiful gradient options to choose from.
Let’s Practice Ecommerce Design Trends 2023 On Your Online Store
As you venture into the exciting world of eCommerce design trends in 2023, remember that staying ahead of the curve is essential for your online store's success. Embrace these trends to create a delightful shopping experience for your customers and stand out from the competition. So, gear up, be innovative, and take your eCommerce website to new heights of success!
Last words, if you want to execute most of the above website design trends in your online store, take a deep look at Zest with an unlimited free trial right now!
