An aesthetically and visually appealing online store is not only pleasing to the eye. It is also the first impression your visitors and potential customers will receive. This article will explore some of the latest trends in Shopify store design.
eCommerce trends are constantly changing, so staying updated on the latest design trends can be tricky. To make things easier, we have gathered the top 5 Shopify design trends for 2023.
Continue reading to learn more about how to incorporate these trends to keep your eCommerce design up to date and create a better user experience for your Shopify website.
First impressions matter
According to WPBeginner, 75% of people form opinions of a website based on its design. In addition, data shows that it takes 50 milliseconds for a website visitor to decide whether they like your page.
That's why it's essential that the design of your eCommerce is well thought-through, consistent, and represents your business. Focus on creating a visually appealing site that's easy to navigate and adheres to your brand image.
Besides design, SEO and load speed are key factors to consider when building and developing your Shopify website. Read our top tips on SEO and web design to optimise your store's ranking here.
1. Design your store in dark mode
Websites designed in dark mode have become an increasingly popular trend in web design these past few years. Dark mode design means that the website's background is black or in another dark colour with text colours in light tones. Essentially, the colour scheme appears inverted.
This type of design is visually appealing and can be easier on the eyes and may cause less eye strain. Other benefits that the user can enjoy when it comes to dark mode are that it improves battery life and reduces power draw.
Below are our top tips on effectively implementing dark mode on Shopify websites.
Darker colour schemes
Use colour schemes with lower brightness and higher saturation. Combined with colours such as black, grey, and dark blue, this will create a pleasant and clean contrast. Darker colours also tend to be perceived as more sophisticated and luxurious.
In addition, they can also make the website seem more user-friendly as dark colour themes tend to reduce distractions and create a more unified design.
Contrast considerations
Create bold contrasts between the text and background colours on your website. This also affects the readability of the text on the website, helping your visitors to better understand your content.
Choose colours that create high contrasts, such as white text on a black background. If you choose other colours, it's important to make sure that the contrast ratio is not too low. Otherwise, it can make the text difficult to read, which can cause frustration for the reader.
Toggling options to easily switch between light and dark mode
Some customers may prefer a light mode, so it's a good idea to have toggling options. This allows your customers to easily switch between light and dark modes depending on their personal preferences.
The toggle should be in a position that is easy to find, for example, in the top right corner of your site or in a navigation menu. Test the toggle to ensure it works correctly and that the colours are compatible with your shop's brand identity.
2. Minimalism and micro-interactions
A sleek and minimalistic design approach with micro-interactions can improve the user experience. With purposeful design features, you can bring value to the user experience and create a sense of calm when visitors browse through your Shopify store.
Just as a physical store should be clean and tidy, your customers will enjoy visiting your eCommerce store if it is clean and free from clutter. This makes it easier for the customer to navigate and find the products they are looking for.
If your visitors have a smooth and hassle-free experience in your store, chances are that your conversion rates will increase.
Create an interactive shopping experience
Micro-interactions are examples of design features that create an interactive user experience. These micro-interactions can include small animations or visual cues that provide user feedback when interacting with certain elements in your store.
One common example of a micro-interaction is the button hover effect. With this feature, you can draw attention to errors by gentle shaking when a user fills in a form, highlight a button as the user hovers over it, or subtle animations can reveal sub-menu items or expand the menu to provide additional information.
By implementing micro-interactions, you can improve customer engagement and create a more interactive experience for your customers while browsing and shopping in your store.
3. Asymmetric layouts and grids
Break away from the traditional grid-based layouts by shifting to asymmetrical layouts. This unconventional design approach has become increasingly popular and can help create a unique visual interest by breaking the monotony.
The main advantage of asymmetric layouts and grids is that it captures visitors' interest more than a traditional layout. In contrast to a traditional grid-based layout with straight lines and compositions, asymmetric layouts are the opposite. Asymmetric layouts and grids will allow you to create irregularities between sizes and the design by playing with shapes and contrasts.
This can create a unique and visually compelling website that makes your eCommerce site stand out from the rest. However, remember to ensure that your Shopify store has all the necessary functionality and responsiveness in terms of user-friendliness; for example, test that the layout works with different screen sizes and user devices.
4. 3D and immersive experiences/animations
Give your customers a chance to experience products more realistically through 3D and immersive experiences. Implementing a 3D product viewer allows your customers to view a product from different angles, zoom in, and interact with it as in a physical store.
How to implement 3D experiences in your store
Decide which products in your online shop would be suitable to display in a 3D view. For instance, products with many details or design features are ideal for 3D.
The next step is to create a 3D model of the product. You can work with our team in order to get your products rendered in 3D. Once the 3D model is created, you can integrate it with a service or plugin that allows you to add the model to your Shopify store.
Creating 3D and immersive animations for your online store can be quite challenging and require the expertise of professionals in the field. To achieve a professional result, it's essential to optimise performance for smooth and efficient rendering of 3D elements. However, the effort can be worth it as it will create a distinctive shopping experience that makes your eCommerce stand out.
5. Voice user interface (VUI) design
Let your customers navigate your Shopify store with the help of a voice interference. Voice user interference, or VUI design, as it is also called, is growing in popularity.
VUI contributes to more user-friendliness and inclusiveness in your website by providing accessibility to people with disabilities or other limitations that affect website navigation through traditional interfaces.
Below are some examples of voice interface design features you can implement on your Shopify store.
Voice search
By implementing voice search, your customers can utilise their voice and relevant keywords to find the right products. This is convenient as it allows them to find the right product quickly and efficiently without manual browsing.
NLP and conversational interfaces
Harness the power of natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and algorithms to improve the user experience in your eCommerce store. You can do this by systemising how your customers use language in an everyday context. This can be used to categorise products, create advanced search functions, or train a chatbot to understand customers' inquiries.
In addition to a better user experience, you will benefit from data to better understand your customers' preferences and shopping behaviour.
Key takeaway: Keep up to date on design features based on customer preferences
Staying on top of design trends for your Shopify store is essential to create a better user experience and to differentiate your store from competitors. As user preferences and behaviours constantly change, adapting to the latest trends and technologies is important to create an optimal user experience.
Consider which new design trends might suit your eCommerce store to cater to your customers' needs and preferences to increase conversions and drive sales.
