The growth of global ecommerce is mind-boggling. In 2017 it reached around $2.3 trillion and is expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021 (according to a Statista report). In the US alone, ecommerce represents almost 10 percent of retail sales — a figure that is growing by nearly 15 percent each year.
As much as 11 percent of online shoppers now shop online via their smartphone on a weekly basis, and 35 percent say it will become their main purchasing tool. Around 39 percent of online shoppers use social networks to get inspiration for purchases.
Ecommerce continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and you need to keep up with the latest developments to continue to boost your clients’ sales and stay ahead of the competition.
Which ecommerce trends are set to dominate 2018? We asked the experts to find out.
1. Animation
Etsy senior product designer Catt Small, also a game maker, predicts that motion is going to be huge in 2018 and that ecommerce can learn from game design.
"In ecommerce, motion can be a signal of delight, personality, or urgency."
“In games, motion attracts players and gives them useful feedback,” she explains. “It tells them what to pay attention to, when they're doing well, and how they could improve. In ecommerce, motion can be a signal of delight, personality, or urgency. For example, Etsy uses imagery with motion in emails to express the brand and share delight. They also use animated iconography to notify people when an item is almost sold out. Motion makes an experience feel more alive, and it's much more possible now thanks to tools like Principle and Spirit. I'm excited to see more people use it in 2018.”
Paul Randall, senior UX architect at ecommerce agency Evosite, agrees.
"Subtle animation will be a prerequisite. Use some form of movement to enhance the customer experience but don't overdo it — it could annoy rather than improve."
2. Better photography and videos
"Original photography remains a real challenge, but stay away from poor stock photos that will immediately cheapen your brand," warns Paul Randall.
One way to add more high quality content to your ecommerce site would be to add a 360 degree image of a model wearing a product, suggests Cynthia Savard Saucier, director of design at Shopify. Or you could add an animated GIF, which shows off the features of your product, as done by Bellroy, a company that designs thin wallets.
High-quality videos can also showcase your products in a real context. Paul Randall recommends experimenting.
“It's increasingly a format people look for, and you have the added benefit of putting the content on YouTube to drive traffic that way," he says.
Read More >> https://www.shopify.com/partners/blog/ecommerce-trends-2018
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