Computers and electronic devices have been gaining a more definite role in our society. Their utilization has grown exponentially over the years. And, as our technology advances, the more it intertwines with our everyday lives. We essentially live alongside them and function in consonance. From the moment we wake up when we reach our mobile phone to the computers we need at work, they are never far away and always on hand.
User Interface or UI is the interaction between humans and computers or machines. On a website, elements of this include pull-down menus, scroll bars, icons, and windows.There is also motion video, sound, voice, and virtual reality. All of these aims for efficient and effective interaction with the navigation or operation of computers and electronic devices by humans. To put it simply, less effort is expended by humans but more output is done by the computer.
This is why designers would always prioritize the user interface in whatever computer software or application they develop. It could be the input controls, navigational components, informational components or containers. Each is strategically placed for the user’s ease of navigation. We need to emphasize that the UI needs to be user-friendly so that even a total noob can understand. Not all are created equal in terms of tech-savviness, after all.
Your eCommerce design must cater to all customers to have a pleasant shopping experience. Your website must be intuitive when it comes to the navigation of the various menus, tabs, and windows. Your UI design must apply to all kinds of people that would be visiting your site. Because 90% of shoppers will go to your competitor if they have a poor user experience. You have to take into consideration the various demographics, skills, experiences, and interests that your visitors might have. This will give you an idea of how different people will interact with your websites.
According to studies, 84.6% of people prefer a website with a clean outlook rather than a crowded page design. A red “buy” button can help you boost sales and conversion by 34%. Blue is also a favorite color. This is the reason that 57% of websites associate blue with success. Visual impact is everything. Images are looked at by 41% of people, videos at 21%, and the rest are for color grade and other elements. And, apparently, a video background increases the conversion rate by 138%. This might all just be numbered. But, they give you an idea of how to create your eCommerce design.
Purchasing online has been increasing in popularity as mobile devices become more accessible to many people. According to Forbes, 91% of people make purchases on their smartphones. This led to a $360 billion in sales in 2021 and an expected increase by 2025 by $710 billion. These numbers only reflect those who use smartphones. Other mobile devices are also used for online purchases, resulting in billions of sales. The numbers are good for an eCommerce merchant, but competition is tough.
There are an estimated 10 to 25 million eCommerce websites in the entire world. With such a crowded market how can you prevail? Not to mention the giants of eCommerce like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and Aliexpress who have the lion’s share in the eCommerce market. Do you stand a chance of succeeding in this market?
A well-developed website would be your gateway to success. An innovative UI can enhance a customer experience that could lead to conversion and brand loyalty.
Nowadays, customers are looking for more “substance” when it comes to their shopping experience. It is no longer just the straightforward purchase of an item. There has to be meaning and direction. Customers need interaction and relatability.
Your UI eCommerce design must consider these views. You can use different color palettes, typography, images, and video content to create an atmosphere that reflects your brand. There has to be a theme and visual style to make everything harmonious. Make sure that your customers get the message quickly, review the product, and then make a purchase.
There are also a lot of advances in technology that are now available on eCommerce. AI or Artificial Intelligence has been making waves right now. Opinions are divided but that doesn’t mean you can ignore the various applications you can have using AI. Be aware of the latest UI designs and have them on your website if possible. Being relevant to the latest trend makes your brand more appealing because it means that your brand is constantly evolving and changing. It shows that you are up-to-date with the latest offerings and are open to embracing the new.
Here are some examples of UI designs that you can use for your website:
10 Examples of Innovative UI Designs
A. AI-Powered Voice Shopping Assistant
The latest in eCommerce UI is the use of artificial intelligence or AI. An AI virtual assistant is an application program that completes tasks for the user on command with the use of his/her voice. They use advanced artificial intelligence that can do natural language processing and machine learning to extract the data needed from the conversation and process them accordingly. This enables the virtual assistant to respond to commands and requests. The most popular examples of this are Apple’s Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa.
An AI virtual assistant also upgrades your customer’s shopping experience. Many customers do not want to navigate your eCommerce store and sift through your inventory. They want fast and accurate results. The AI virtual assistant can do the task by asking questions from the customer to find the product that they are looking for and purchase the item with the assistance of the virtual assistant. They can also recommend other items based on the customer’s purchase history. Your customer engagement will also increase since your virtual assistant will be able to process inquiries immediately which a lot of customers prefer.
B. Apple Pay Integration with Online Stores
A lot more people prefer purchasing products online instead of going to actual stores. As of 2023, there are 2.64 billion people who shop online. That is 33% of the world’s population and the number is still increasing.
This means a large number of monetary transactions are happening by the minute. In 2022, it was estimated that there was $5.7 trillion in sales from retail-eCommerce. This is helped by the relevant ease of paying for your online purchases. Gone are the draconian ways of paying like bank transfers, cheques, and cash. Now we have electronic payments like credit cards, debit cards, and mobile wallets.
Apple Pay is one of the most popular since it’s included in the Apple ecosystem. If you have an iPhone or an Apple ID, it is safe to assume that you also have Apple Pay. It is estimated that there are 383 million Apple Pay users today. That is a lot of potential customers for your website if you have Apple Pay available.
Digital payments are more secure than physical cards. Apple has been known to have high standards with regard to updating its security features. And since you need your iPhone to purchase, you are protected by multiple levels of encryption like facial recognition and fingerprint technology.
C. Augmented Reality Shopping Experience
Time says that Augmented Reality (AR) shopping is the future of online shopping. And we can clearly see the appeal of this type of shopping experience.
AR applications enhance a part of the user’s physical reality with computer-generated sensory input. It is merging the real world by superimposing images created by computers. Pokémon GO is a great example of an AR application.
In your eCommerce design, AR enables you to virtually try on different kinds of products through an electronic device like your smartphone or virtual reality headset. You can choose exactly the style, model, color, etc of a particular product and “see” them as if you have the actual product in hand. This enables customers to buy exactly what they want. And customers getting what they exactly want can drive your sales.
Social media commerce is also featuring AR experience in the in-app shopping offerings. Tiktok and Shopify are working to allow the TikTok audience to purchase items they see on a video. Get your design inspiration from the Nike App, Nike Fit. Try on a foundation or a blush at GLAMlab from Ulta Beauty.
D. Chatbots as Virtual Assistants
As per IBM, a chatbot is a computer program that uses AI or artificial intelligence and natural language processing to understand customer questions and automate a response. This simulates a conversion between humans with voice commands or text chats or both.
Most company websites have these. They are usually found on the lower corner of the page with a text box that has “Chat with us!”. They are usually used by customers with regard to product inquiries. They can help you find products in the website’s inventory by providing answers or advice.
Chatbots also reduced costs in terms of customer service support. They can be available 24/7 and provide a service that has less error and more efficiency than human support. The operating cost is also minimal in comparison.
E. Dynamic Product Pages with Interactive Video Content
If you want to showcase the latest products on your website use interactive video content. This type of video engages your customers to interact with your content. This can be done by having clickable elements that will either reveal more info about the product or link you to another page or website.
You can use a remove bg tool to edit your product pictures to further emphasize their details. Use them in your interactive video with dynamic effects.
In your eCommerce Design, having an interactive video with your product pages makes your brand more memorable to your customer. It is captivating and often compels your audience to take part in the video. This helps attract customers and gives you an opportunity to convince them to purchase the product.
Again, we are emphasizing the quality of the shopping experience. With this type of eCommerce UI, you are building brand loyalty as you are giving your customers a chance to be more active on what they want to view on your website.You can also have a conversion rate of more than 11% by using interactive videos.
F. Gamified Shopping Platforms
To further enrich your shopping experience, a lot of brands offer gamified shopping platforms. They use game elements on their website to engage customers. The games are often colorful and entertaining.
Research says that gamification enhances purchase intent. They stimulate people’s competitiveness, which is for a lot of people a source of enjoyment and fulfillment. Gamification aims to increase your customer’s sense of enjoyment and influence their purchase intention.
A design inspiration for this is Best Buy’s store in Cityville. Cityville is a game with 71 million Facebook users. Best Buy was the first real-world retail store that was featured in this city-building game.Players would collect bonuses and points from the store. And Best Buy’s items like refrigerators, TVs, DSLR cameras, etc are featured in the game as collectibles.
This not only provides entertainment for the audience but enables Best Buy to promote itself to its 71 million potential customers. Having Best Buy virtual tech products as collectibles can also influence the players to collect real items.
G. Mobile Checkout Optimization through QR Codes or NFC Payments
One of the reasons that a lot of people purchase items online is convenience. No longer do you need to travel to the actual store and suffer congested traffic, long lines at the check-out counters, and irritable customers. You can do your shopping in the comfort of your own home with your smartphone.
In this regard, there should also be convenience in terms of paying for the actual goods. Your eCommerce design must feature a plethora of electronic payment systems. Contactless payment like NFC and QR Codes must also be considered as a lot of people prefer a secured payment option. These types of payments are also faster because there is no need for you to enter a PIN or confirm payment. This is one of the eCommerce tips to boost sales is to be mobile-friendly.
H. Scrollytelling
As the term suggests this is a combination of the words scrolling and storytelling. The story is told as you scroll in whatever direction they intended.
It is long-form content that usually contains brand stories but it’s also great for showcasing your products. This uses exciting visual designs and other elements to aim for a narrative that is both compelling and informative.
Apple has the most visually captivating scrolly-telling that we’ve seen. They emphasize the intricate details of their product. Apple pages can interactively show the various color options available for their product. They also show a happy customer using their products
I. Single Page Checkouts
One of the deterrents in completing a purchase online is the check-out process. In cart abandonment, 22% say that the checkout process is the reason they wouldn’t push through with the purchase. The complaints are that there are no guest checkouts, the process is slow, they lack payment options and they need an excessive amount of info.
Your customers will have an easier time by having a single-page checkout. They don’t have to fill-in a lot of questions and everything is on one page if they need to review what they’ve ordered. If it is on multiple pages, they’d have to click from one page to the other to check if they have all their orders and if their information is correct.
Remember you aim for a great shopping experience to gain customer loyalty. This is one of the e-commerce tips you should always consider. Because, if they’ve encountered difficulties that could stress them out, you’ll be losing customers to your competitors.
J. Smart Search Functionality
Most eCommerce stores have hundreds if not thousands of items in their inventory. It would be difficult to find what you are looking for if you have to check those items one at a time. Other websites might even list down the name of the item in a menu that you have no idea about. Searching will become frustrating and might deter you from purchasing.
A smart search will be most helpful in this predicament. A search bar that is easily seen could be convenient for the customer. Because you could just type in the item you’re looking for and they will give you results for the item or the closest possible match. It is easy and provides a positive eCommerce experience.
Conclusion
With the increasing amount of online stores, competition is on a difficult level.
Getting your customer’s attention is not enough. You need to establish trust and keep their loyalty to your brand. Because, most often than not, this leads to conversion.
By having innovative UI designs, you will enable you to be relevant in the eCommerce market. You need to be up-to-date with the latest technology because most of your customers already are. Your online store is created for their convenience so you must cater to their needs. Customers want fast and hassle-free transactions. Provide these for them and you will gain their loyalty.
The eCommerce market is expected to grow by $8.1 trillion by 2026! So you better need to get a piece of that pie.