If you still plan to go shopping on Black Friday this year, here are some tips:

Call ahead to make sure the store you want to shop at is going to be open and what their Covid policies are. The following stores began Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving last year, but have already announced that in 2020 they will be closed on the holiday:

•         Walmart
•         Target
•         Kohl’s
•         Bed Bath & Beyond
•         Best Buy
•         Ulta

If you still feel the urge to brave the stores…

Give other shoppers (and yourself) plenty of space, bring hand sanitizer, and remember to wear your mask.

Take it easy on essential workers who are doing their best to make your shopping experience a good one.

Stores have been relatively tight-lipped about the hours they will be open on Black Friday this year since many wonder about the effects of the predicted second-wave of the novel coronavirus. Good Housekeeping’s website has a list of store hours that they keep updated as information comes in.

Business Owners

Are you a business owner who is concerned about making your bottom line this holiday season? Online sales are where it’s at! People feel safer and more comfortable shopping on their laptop in their pajamas. Start preparing now. Ensure that your e-commerce site is in top shape for Black Friday 2020.

•         Is your site intuitive and easy for customers to use? It is common for customers to leave a site altogether if the experience trying to use it is frustrating.
•         Do you have high-quality, optimized images that consumers can zoom in on?
•         Take your e-commerce site as seriously as you did when you opened your brick and mortar retail store.
•         Consider how you will get products to your customers. There are countless ways to ship your products, which will be the right one for your customers. The cheapest way isn’t always the best way (but it might be).
•         Make sure that your site is mobile responsive. Many people are using smartphones and tablets for their online shopping. Half of all, online transactions are completed on a mobile device. If your site doesn’t resize itself so that it is still easy for the customer to use, it is time for a redesign.
•         Protect your online store from cyber threats with PCI compliance and stringent security. Have an SSL certificate, a strong firewall, two-factor authentication, and a privacy policy in your website’s footer.
•         Keep the checkout process simple. Often people abandon their carts because of surprise shipping costs and time-consuming checkout.
•         Consider the importance of reviews that sell your products for you. Iceberg’s Reputation Management Services are perfect for anyone who wants to use their website to sell or advertise to customers. Call 612-440-8762 today for a free demonstration of how this service can revolutionize the way your customers see your business.

Is all this a little overwhelming?

Black Friday and the holidays will look different in 2020, but it can still be as profitable as ever. If you are a business owner whose website could use some updating, contact Iceberg Web Design today to see how easy we can make the process.

The post Black Friday 2020 Will Be Different appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Enhanced mobile responsive design

What is mobile responsive design? This method of web design helps optimize the customer experience by adapting the layout and content to the user’s device (e.g. desktop, laptop, phone, etc.).  Although mobile responsive design is not new, there is a steady increase of using mobile devices for browsing and shopping.  It is highly recommended if not mandatory that your site be built with responsive design in mind.  As this demand continues to increase, it will be important to consider developing websites for mobile platforms first, with other devices made responsive and adaptive second.

Semi-flat design

Flat design uses stylistic elements like typography and flat colors in a minimal way to provide a two-dimensional illusion. In 2016, flat design was popular, but the trend is moving toward semi-flat design. This design style enhances the functionality and simplicity of a flat design, with a more attractive and engaging user experience. Semi-flat design in conductive to responsive design and can aid in speeding up loading times, an important consideration for customer ease of use and Google ranking alike.

Material design

This is a design language that was developed by Google for Android devices in 2014.  Material design quickly caught on with the masses because the design is so simple and clean, and the trend continues to grow. From an eCommerce standpoint, online stores are embracing this card-like layout and incorporating responsive animations and transitions, and lighting and shadows to create an enriching experience for their shoppers.

Long scroll pages

Look for this to be a huge trend in 2017, as customers now prefer to scroll through the entire product category rather than paging through subsets of content. For mobile devices, this design style is critical as it provides a more elegant and simple user experience. With laptops getting lighter and smaller and mobile devices like the Apple Watch depending on scrolling users have to come to expect long pages.

Typography

Typography is how typefaces, font size, tracking, kerning, color and other elements affect the design type. This trend continues to evolve toward the use of large and flexible typography, as using the right message with this tactic has a huge impact on customers. This aids in steering customers towards your products and services while developing a strong brand identity.

Imagery and Bright Colors

Buyers are visual, and that’s no secret. However, research indicates 92.6% of consumers use visuals as a major influencer in their purchasing decision. It only take two seconds to make a good impression, so clear, crisp, and interesting images that tell a story about your brand, products and services is important. Additionally, you want to consider how these design elements connect to your audience and their demographic.  You’ll want to choose these elements wisely.

Animations and cinemagraphs

Customer like to be engaged and entertained, and the use of animations, cinemagraphs, and GIFs are becoming an integral part of eCommerce websites. What, exactly, is a cinemagraph? Cinemagraphs are still photographs of repeated movements used to form a video clip. They can be an animated GIF or some other video format that mirrors animation. User interest and engagement are key, and using these elements on homepage banners, within product images and other areas of the website usually gain a lot of traction.

We feel that these are important trends to embrace with your eCommerce website design.  If you’re looking to launch a new site or enhance your existing web presence, please give us a call.  Iceberg Web Design is ready and able to assist at one of our locations in the Minneapolis, Chicago, and Toronto areas. Contact us today!

The post 2017 Trends in eCommerce Website Design appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.