Meet Top E-commerce Web Design Trends in 2023

Covid-19 changed the world. We are accustomed to masks; we travel in public transport “without hands” and do not part with antiseptics. The virus has impacted business. Companies have abandoned long-term strategies in favor of quick responses.

In 2020, many brands suffered, but some are feeling better every day – this is the e-commerce sector. Moreover, this sector has seen impressive growth for the second year, thanks to quarantine.

According to statistics, 2.14 billion people shop online. In other words, every fourth person around you is an online buyer.

For the positive trend to continue, it is worth paying attention to the top e-commerce design trends that have already formed in this area.

In 1995 the first product was ordered through the Amazon website — it was a book. More than 25 years have passed since then, and now the volume of online purchases is about $2 trillion. According to statistics, in 2023, this figure exceeded $4.5 trillion. As one of the most actively developing sectors of the economy, E-commerce generates various e-commerce design trends that help businesses remain successful. Which of these trends should you pay attention to now — read more in the APCA selection:

1) Mobile shopping

Since 2016, sales using mobile devices have increased by 15%. According to Statista, by the end of 2023, 73% of e-commerce sales will be made on smartphones due to the demand for this method of shopping among millennials and generation Z. To stay competitive, businesses need to optimize their website design and online store for mobile devices.

Read also: What is Responsive Website Design and How It Works?

2) Voice commerce

In 2017, 13% of smart speaker owners in the United States made purchases using voice commands. According to the forecast of OC&C Strategy Consultants, by 2023, the number of such buyers will grow to 55%. According to experts, this method of shopping has gradually developed into a trend mainly due to the intelligent dynamics of Echo, which Amazon released in 2014.

However, because voice purchases are a non-visual experience, they are not yet used to search but to make purchases based on a decision already made. Yes, most shoppers use voice commands to buy low-cost goods, such as food and cheap electronics. However, the projected growth of Voice Commerce suggests that businesses need to take this e-commerce web design trend into account, especially if it is targeting an international market that includes customers from the US and the UK.

Read also Top Ecommerce Web Design Tips for Improving Your Sales

3) Increasing the role of social networks as a sales channel

Social networks have affected our communication and our daily lives, in particular how we buy things. According to BroadbandSearch, on average, Internet users spend about two hours a day on social media, so why not use popular apps as channels to sell goods and services? Furthermore, with the increasing share of advertising on popular sites such as Facebook and Instagram, adding “Buy” buttons was as a result, obvious.

The social networks also proved their effectiveness as trading platforms during the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier, one of Spain’s leading retail banks, CaixaBank, launched a technology that allows retailers to sell goods through social networks and messengers. In addition, as small businesses were forced to close their physical offices due to quarantine, many tried to start online. To help the sales business, CaixaBank has launched the Social Commerce service, which allows retailers to manage online purchases directly from their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and other messenger accounts.

The use of social networks will sell goods and services and promote your brand identity, using various available tools (videos, text posts, photo publications, advertising, collaborations with famous bloggers, etc.). In addition, during the corona crisis, social networks help small businesses with promotion. Yes, Facebook and Instagram have a “Share a Business” button that allows users to share their favorite manufacturers and stores.

TikTok video sharing service and its Chinese version Douyin took first place in April 2020 in the number of purchases within the application. In just one month, sales of applications have increased ten times, reaching $78 million and ahead of services such as YouTube, Netflix, and Tinder.

4) Theme of ecology

Today’s consumers have become more aware of how their consumer behavior affects the environment. As a result, in recent years, various services for tracking carbon footprint based on the analysis of user acquisition, payment eco-cards, and terminals have begun to appear.

Businesses must consider this e-commerce web design trend and ensure that their activities meet the standards and do not harm the environment. Some marketplaces also come with SPECIAL filters that help the user find products that do not wear harmful to the environment. Now your products must be ethical (or, in other words, cruelty-free). What does it mean? In ethical products, the primary condition is that cosmetics should not be tested on animals, and the composition should not contain ingredients obtained from a killed vertebrate animal. In 2013, the European Union altogether banned cosmetics testing on animals. A similar ban is in effect in India, Australia, Israel, and Norway.

5) The role of artificial intelligence

According to BusinessWire, global retail spending on artificial intelligence (AI) by 2023 will reach $7.3 billion annually (in 2018, spending was $2 billion). Companies use AI to improve customer service and increase personalization. This includes using automated marketing platforms with tools to create timely offers or chatbots that respond instantly to customer requests. AI will also be valid for retailers in pricing optimization, discounting, and forecasting future demand.

6) Augmented reality

PRNewswire predicts that by 2023, more than 120,000 stores will use augmented reality (AR) technology, providing a better shopping experience. Yes, AR will solve the visualization of goods that buyers can not see with their own eyes when ordering online. With the help of AR, customers will be able to understand better how the products presented on the site meet their needs. In this way, companies will allow customers to test and research products when shopping in regular stores.

7) The future of personalization

According to a Bazaarvoice study, more than 50% of online shoppers note the importance of personalization when shopping. Marketers believe personalization has a powerful impact on developing relationships between businesses and customers. Shoppers value a personalized approach, providing information about customers, interacting with customers through video content or blogs, etc., and may avoid certain stores altogether due to negative customer feedback.

Read also: What is a Personality-Oriented Design?

8) Visual commerce

One of the many difficulties in the operation of an online store is the sale of products to consumers who have no chance of physical interaction with the product. For this reason, businesses should resort to Visual Commerce (VC), which allows you to take marketing to a new level. So, instead of simply using photos, VC introduces other visual aids: custom content (blogs, podcasts, online photo and video sites, online reviews), interactive content, exciting videos, and augmented reality, as mentioned above.

Visual commerce is slowly but surely becoming an integral part of e-commerce, evidenced by the growing demand for deep learning technologies. This includes the field of image recognition, the volume of which, according to MarketWatch, by 2026, should grow by 19.6% to $81.88 billion (in 2018, it was $20.19 billion).

Experts note that the coronavirus probably had the most significant impact on e-commerce in 2020.

As governments worldwide close stores and impose quarantine restrictions, more and more people turn to online shopping to buy goods. So, in just two months of the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos earned $29.9 billion, increasing his revenue to $146.9 billion.

Experts predict that the effects of coronavirus will be a long-term stimulus for the development of e-commerce. New buyers will continue to buy goods online, because it is convenient, fast, and safe (due to non-cash payment and a guaranteed refund if the product is not suitable).

Analysts say the e-commerce industry will be the biggest beneficiary of the coronavirus pandemic. The penetration rate, which currently stands at 15%, is expected to increase to 25% by 2025 (according to MarketWatch). However, due to the negative impact of the pandemic over the next five years, 100,000 regular stores are projected to close.

In 2023, there will be no single “golden rule” for e-commerce development. Although e-commerce design trends change every year, some things remain the same. So you’ll have to do everything that eventually turns into:

• Formation and improvement of user experience.
• Maximum use of personalization.
• Creating a fan community, working with influencers and PR
• Use of AI and, if necessary, augmented reality.
• Bring your site to Google’s algorithms.

Contact us if you want to create a functional, thoughtful, and user-friendly e-commerce design; the team of professional designers at APCA will be happy to help you with this. Convince yourself of our professionalism by looking at our portfolio and the services we provide.