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As Magento continues to accelerate away from its competitors in terms of delivering the most comprehensive eCommerce platform available, it’s always important to take stock of what is happening in the industry – in particular, which trends are emerging and what new technologies are being introduced.
Magento has pushed ahead of the competition thanks to its huge range of features and high level of customisable functionality. Most business owners love the flexibility the platform provides as it allows them to fine-tune how they engage with their audience and support customer needs.
Thanks to these benefits, Magento has firmly established itself as the go-to platform for eCommerce businesses – not to mention its continual ongoing development, support and reliability. With a great blend of flexibility and scalability, Magento can top almost any other platform.
This year has seen some new and innovative trends hitting the headlines – artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and delivery using drones have all been mentioned for one reason or another. Let’s take a look at some of the up-and-coming Magento eCommerce trends that have emerged in 2018.
Mobile Friendliness
One of the biggest changes we’ve seen this year so far is a refocus on designing for smartphone devices. Not only is this being encouraged by industry giants like Google (who offer a boost in search rankings in exchange), but more and more eCommerce transactions are being completed by tapping rather than clicking.
The target audience for many businesses has moved away from the traditional desktop computer and onto their smartphones – this means the business simply has to follow suit or risk losing their customers to a competitor. When this is tied into a digital marketing strategy that follows customers across all the apps on their device, a shift to mobile friendliness is inevitable.
Mobile-responsive pages that not only look great but are quick to use can be the difference between a sale and a lost customer. It’s quickly becoming the backbone of a good eCommerce store, such as its weight. That’s why using Magento is so crucial as this kind of out-of-the-box mobile friendliness comes as standard.
There’s also the customers’ reasoning to consider – why wait to log on to a desktop computer at home or at work to buy something when you can find exactly what you need and order it with a few taps on a smartphone?
This trend is only going to grow over time. As mobile device usage continues to grow, so does the audience shift away from desktop computers – businesses have to react to this or risk being left behind.
Interactivity
Customers in 2018 are significantly more tech-savvy when compared to the customer of years gone by. Just having a decent-looking online store isn’t enough anymore – you need to stand out from the crowd.
The eCommerce stores that catch the most attention combine simplicity with innovation. They provide the same or similar products as competitors but present them in a different way. It’s this small difference that guarantees a memorable shopping experience, and it’s this that keeps customers coming back.
Higher levels of interactivity are a must in today’s eCommerce world – you need to make the customer feel special and treat them to a personalised shopping experience that they’re going to remember for all the right reasons. The most effective way to do this is to collect data on customers as they browse and offer them product recommendations, promotional offers and discounts targeted to what they’re looking for.
Use of Negative Space
As trends within eCommerce change, so do those in other disciplines. An example of this in 2018 is the way in which cluttered, over-the-top store designs are being rejected in favour of more minimalistic layouts that embrace negative space.
Negative space is the term used to describe white or empty space within a website – its primary goal is to enhance specific pieces of information that are pertinent to the customer, for eCommerce that could a product price or ‘money off’ call-to-action. This can be further enhanced with strong colours or patterns if desired.
You can utilise the power of negative space to stop your store looking too cluttered and avoid confusing the customer when they’re trying to navigate around the site. It’ll also help to make things like titles and content much more readable, especially on mobile devices.
If you can steer clear of bombarding your customers with too much information, you should reap the benefits over time. A good eCommerce site guides the customer through the purchase process step-by-step from start to finish, so understanding the importance of negative space in 2018 is vital.
Calls-to-action
When considering the design of your store, positioning your call-to-action (CTA) buttons can often be one of the most challenging elements to get right.
Getting things right here can often mean the difference between hundreds or even thousands more sales, so you need to take a well-considered approach to the design of your site. In 2018, customers generally already know where to look when they want to get in touch or make a purchase, but you need to help them wherever you can.
If the placement of your CTA buttons is poor, you’ll miss out on sales and ultimately leave money on the table. Don’t forget that a good CTA is useless if you don’t have an appropriate landing page backing it up – this is the last point between your customers and conversion so it needs to be perfect.
Make sure your CTA buttons are easy to spot and lead through to an appropriate landing page. You may want to try some different options using A/B testing which will allow you to test various button colours, positions and text to see what works best for your store.
Summary
In such a highly competitive environment such as eCommerce, doing everything you can to attract and retain customers is key. Staying on top of the latest trends is a great way to do this.
Deliver a hassle-free and engaging shopping experience every step of the way and your customers will keep coming back for more.
We’re excited to see what trends emerge as we head into 2019!