User Experience Design Trends for E-commerce Websites

Ecommerce stores can learn a LOT from brick and mortar. 'Digital marketing' isn't really a thing anymore - it's just marketing. Software and the internet ate the world. The lines between physical and digital are blurring, if they still exist at all. And the best brands treat their ecommerce experience a lot like an IRL store. → Personalization: Just as a good retail salesperson in a physical store can help a first time shopper or remember a returning customer’s preferences, ecommerce platforms should leverage data to personalize the shopping experience. → Immersive experiences: Brick-and-mortar stores have the advantage of creating sensory-rich environments. Ecommerce stores can replicate this by investing in high-quality content, virtual try-ons and 360-degree product views. There used to be an excuse that your product is 'difficult to sell online', but it's been busted. If people buy sunglasses, mattresses, and cars online - then you can definitely find a way to make your product more immersive. → Trustworthy customer service: For many shoppers, a helpful store assistant can make or break a sale. Ecommerce stores should focus on excellent customer service through live chat, and responsive customer support that goes the extra mile. → Leverage Data for continuous improvement: Physical stores often use foot traffic and sales data to optimize store layouts and merchandise. Ecommerce stores should use website analytics to understand customer behavior, optimize the sales funnel, and refine the user journey. It’s a no-brainer for brands to gather heat maps and customer feedback to unlock valuable insights into improving the online shopping experience. → Omnichannel: Successful brands integrate their online, offline, and marketplace channels to create a cohesive shopping experience. Features like BOPIS, Buy with Prime, and seamless returns across channels can enhance customer convenience and satisfaction. → Community engagement: Brick-and-mortar stores often serve as community hubs, hosting events and fostering a sense of belonging. Ecommerce brands should build communities with their audience so customers can engage with each other, as well as with the brand directly. → Innovative tech stack: IRL stores are investing heavily into technology, from POS to loyalty and beyond. Your ecommerce experience should feel fresh, easy, and exciting if you’re going to stand out in a sea of competitors. Ensuring that promotions, loyalty programs, and customer data are unified across channels strengthens brand consistency. Anything I'm missing?

81% of ecommerce sites still fail at mobile UX in 2025 While performance has improved year over year, most sites still fall into the “mediocre” category. A few takeaways that stood out to me from a recent usability study I read: - Category overcategorization is still a mess. 75% of sites break product types with shared attributes into separate categories instead of using filters. It kills browseability. - Navigation still confuses users. 95% don’t highlight where the user is in the site hierarchy — a small fix that can greatly improve orientation. - Search isn’t smart enough. 58% can’t interpret abbreviations or symbols. If “3pc” doesn’t match “3-piece,” you’re making customers think too hard. -Visual context matters. 70% don’t offer 3+ product thumbnails in list views, and 63% don’t show social images on PDPs. That’s missed conversion. -Keyboard behavior is overlooked. Something as small as triggering the right keyboard type for phone or email fields can improve mobile conversion — yet 63% of sites don’t. If these problems resonate with you and you're looking for Inspo, check out Lowe's, American Eagle, Kate Spade and Williams Sonoma, B&H and Urban Outfitters! The example below is from Lowe's and is an excellent way to provide scope suggestions in search that are both visually distinct and aligned with actual product categories helping customers narrow their search. Source: Baymard #ecommerce #mobileux #uxdesign #digitalcommerce #onlineshopping #conversionrateoptimization #productdesign #cx #baymard #usabilitytesting #mobilefirst #retailtech #userexperience #uxresearch #mobilecommerce

After 10+ years of optimizing e-commerce websites, I can say this: your Product Detail Pages (PDPs) are most likely draining your marketing budget. Why? Because up to 75% of e-commerce traffic from ads lands directly on PDPs, which are often under-optimized for conversion. While every product and brand is unique, there are some strategies we've learned from extensive A/B testing: 1. First impressions matter - Invest in design and delight. Don't ignore these side-doors shoppers enter from. 2. Conversion levers - Small things matter. Sweat the details. Learn what makes customers bounce or stay, buy and come back for more. 3. Trust signals - You're not Amazon or Apple. New users landing on PDPs don't know and trust your brand yet. Every trust signal you can add helps. I'll be sharing examples of before / after PDPs we've designed to illustrate our learnings. YMMW. Test, test and test more. Here are 9 key PDP improvements that can help beauty brand- The Wellness Shop 1. Add breadcrumbs: They help navigation and encourage deeper catalog exploration/ product discovery. 2. Concise product name & benefit-driven description: A clear product name paired with a one-line benefit statement instantly communicates value. 3. Images or videos of the product being used: Lifestyle images with models using the product (and tagged benefits) build trust and desire. 4 & 9. Give them a path to find other products. Or they'll bounce. "You might also like" or "Similar products" will also increase average order value (AOV). 5. List top product benefits above the fold: Highlight key benefits in a short, skimmable list for quick understanding of "why is this awesome". 6. Highlight savings: Display discounts and offers prominently near the "Add to Cart" CTA to create urgency and to motivate customers to buy. 7. User-Generated Content (UGC) Videos: Authentic customer videos build trust and demonstrate real-world product use. 8. Add well designed enhanced product details: a. Before & After Visuals: Showcase tangible results. b. Usage Instructions: Simple steps demonstrate ease of use. c. Comparison Table: Position your product against competitors. Found this useful. Would love to hear in the comments! DM me to learn more about optimizing your PDPs or any ecommerce page! #conversionrateoptimization #PDP #ABtesting