Anyone who has an eCommerce site should know the importance of keeping up with the times. Not only do users appreciate the sleek, modern feel of a well-built website, but they also like the look of a website that knows how to evolve. You can’t just focus on not making a bad impression; after all, if users don’t remember your site after visiting it, that has pretty much the same effect. Instead, you want to stand out from the competition as one of the sites that’s on top of their web design game.

Given how important it is to stay in touch with design trends for eCommerce sites, you probably shouldn’t try a DIY approach. WordPress website management services such as WebCitz will keep your site looking great and working smoothly, and they can even help you with eCommerce development for your website.

While having a fantastic user experience is definitely a must, you also want to make the best possible first impression – and that’s where web design trends come in. If you can impress users within the first few seconds of landing on the home page, you know you’re doing something right.

Vertical Menus

The use of hand-held devices to browse the web is increasing, and websites are learning to adapt to their audience. In fact, nearly 70% of people use mobile phones rather than computers when viewing websites. Where horizontal menus can be cumbersome on small screens, vertical menus feel like less of an interruption to the user experience, especially if the screen is very small. They even work well with laptop screens – just visit Laurie Raphael’s gastronomy site if you aren’t convinced. As an added bonus (no matter what kind of device you’re using), vertical menus won’t block half the screen when you’re using a drop-down menu.

Multi-sensory Experiences

Some sites are designed to be an experience in and of themselves, and they achieve this effect by offering more sound and motion than you’d expect from the average eCommerce website. Some play a satisfying sound effect when you click your mouse, for example. Others include a rippling motion across the background as the pointer moves over the screen. If you can entertain your users as they’re exploring the site, they’re likely to stick around a lot longer than they normally would.

Unusual Layouts

You don’t necessarily need sound effects to keep users engaged; you could do just as well with an off-the-wall layout. If you look at Christian Louboutin’s mobile site, for instance, you’ll see an eCommerce site that makes you want to keep scrolling. Not just for the stylish footwear and gorgeous models, but to see what happens next. Bold background colors create distinct blocks; one may contain a glossy photograph, while the next might feature some colorful text. Even though the individual parts may feel unconnected, the overall color scheme keeps everything feeling engaging and cohesive.

You may decide to give an unconventional look to your entire website, or you could opt for just one or two design elements that will make people sit up and pay attention. Whatever the case, when you do it right, creating a unique layout for your site is an excellent way to help site visitors remember you.

A complete digital experience

In the pre-pandemic days, there were plenty of options for takeout, online shopping, and various types of home deliveries. Since then, however, more and more eCommerce sites have been expanding their online offerings to customers. Here’s an example: while home tours have been almost exclusively in-person experiences up to this point, Simple Showing is breaking the mold by setting up virtual house tours via their app. No more appointments or navigating a new part of town – you can do it all from your phone.

Even delivery services are ramping up their efforts. Many of them have expanded their website or app functionality to include shopping experiences, ordering, and payments that are 100% online. It isn’t just more convenient; it also helps them retain customers who might be hesitant to place orders that involve in-person interactions.

Unconventional product categorization

We’ve come to expect eCommerce sites to be laid out a certain way. Clothes and shoes are sorted by type or style, electronics are sorted by function, and groceries are sorted by food group. Those things make sense, but what if you have a product that doesn’t have such an obvious method of categorization? You get to make something up! Mesa Stamps is a favorite among rare stamp collectors, and they sort stamps primarily by country, not by year, degree of rarity, etc. Not only does it add an element of interest to the search for stamps, but it also encourages site users to spend more time browsing their options.

Enhanced personalization

A successful eCommerce website will have at least several thousand visitors per month; with that many people, personalization may seem like an impossible task. However, that isn’t necessarily true if you have a little extra creativity. Connecting with your customers could be as simple as getting them involved in a common cause, like feeding programs, donation drives, or even discounts for those who qualify. Sites that are seen as having a positive impact on society don’t just get brownie points for being nice; they also experience increased customer loyalty.

Of course, an eCommerce site can also customize user experiences via communication preferences. Most sites will let you choose which categories of emails you’re interested in receiving, but Bloom & Wild Flower Delivery lets the people on their mailing list choose which holiday-related emails to opt-out of. Since not everybody celebrates every holiday, it’s a nice way to bring a human touch to the site’s communication policies.

Just because you’re following a trend doesn’t mean you’re going to end up blending in with the crowd.

The best part about these trends is that they’re perfect for personalization – they’ll look different on any given website. The question is, which trend would work best with your eCommerce site? Maybe it’s time to figure that out!

Taylor Gilbert is the admin and freelance writer at How About Tech since 2020. He primarily writes Tech articles, How-to guides and Entertainment as well.