Ecommerce has already turned into mobile commerce as the majority of the online shoppers either accessing online stores through native mobile commerce apps or through mobile web stores. An increasing number of ecommerce stores are turning to native mobile apps as users are less concerned about storage space now thanks to large-storage smartphones.
Corresponding to this, mobile commerce apps are also transforming rapidly in terms of user interface design and overall user experience. Providing consumers more ease while shopping, more intuitive interfaces allowing effortless transaction and clean design with the least cognitive load are some of the trending design elements mobile app developers experienced across mobile commerce apps in recent times. In 2019 even though there is no chance of seeing something drastically different from these trends, we can expect a lot of innovations making these trends even louder and more prominent.
Let us have a look at some of the upcoming design trends for the majority of mobile commerce apps.
- Effortless design
As soon as we pick up our smartphone, we have something in mind. As soon as we open an app, we want to get something as quickly as possible and without much effort. Can your mobile commerce app allow the buyer to browse the products and find his or her needful in seconds? After a purchase signal is flagged can your app allow quickest checkout and purchase?
If the reply to these questions is a loud ‘Yes’ you are on the right track and your UI is pretty effortless and optimised for fast-paced responses. If not, you need to consider optimising the design, and you need to take a hard look at the following aspects.
- You need to ensure a simple and linear user journey first. Instead of complicating the user journey with several actions and buttons allow him to take a single action at a time and let him complete the journey with as minimum action as possible. When from one screen to another the user is able to progress following a logical path, he knows what is next, and that makes things much easier.
- Another approach to making user engagement better requiring least effort is the content-focused layout devoid of all decorative elements. This will particularly go well with apps featuring a lot of contents and already have a customer base aware of the brand.
- Another effective way to reduce the time and efforts for decisive action is by disclosing the app content progressively in steps instead of disclosing all information at a time. This will also help to reduce the distractions and cognitive overload while assisting the users to engage more.
- Helping and guiding users in the certain junctures of user journey where he can feel confused is a great way to keep users on track. Instead of making users search for something he is trying to find, the app should come to aid and help him complete the user journey.
- Lastly, anticipatory design approach has proved to be effective to reduce the time and effort for completing actions. As users always get distracted, confused and demotivated when facing multiple options for doing a particular thing. Anticipatory design approach instead of providing a number of options give him point blank choice and guides users to take more positive actions.
- AI Chatbots
Artificial intelligence is now a popular buzzword making rounds in the mouth of every tech wizards. Well, the most significant role played by AI for an online audience is through the AI-powered chatbots. Previously, Chatbots used to engage customers and users into a conversation based on the anticipated questions and their relevant answers based on different contexts. But with AI Chatbots are now way smarter and can adapt to situations, questions and user behaviour based on Machine Learning feedbacks and AI-powered algorithms.
In the coming years, AI-powered chatbots for many mobile commerce apps and online stores will become the most reliable tool to educate customers, run a campaign on product lines and for in-app guidance for buying products. AI Chatbots in mobile commerce apps will also help in solving customer issues and for addressing grievances through communication.
- Storytelling
Storytelling is the design approach that tries to initiate a relationship between the brand and the customers. Many niche mobile commerce apps are selling very curated products for a well-defined category of customers and such brands often enjoy more loyalty and regular attention from its customers. Many niche fashion brands with a loyal customer base fall in this category. These brands by telling their story through the app can make a better connection with the audience and push sales conversion.
Storytelling in design works in the following ways.
- Let users know the becoming of your brand through a visual journey.
- Supplement the visual journey with very articulate storytelling text and emotional expressions.
- Keep your brand or product stories simple and thoroughly audience-centric.
- Give them specific and unique reasons to feel attached to your brand.
- Don’t make repetitive pushes for purchases as this can destroy your brand storytelling and credibility.
- Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is already in use across a plethora of mobile commerce and real retail apps to deliver a cumulative shopping experience that often crosses the boundary of the online and physical store. For example, while in a physical store a buyer can use the company’s app to navigate through the store and find her needful easily. Just by identifying through the mobile app a shopper can get a discount in a physical store. A mobile commerce app can offer a real-store like a shopfront and display and allow the buyer to make a purchase just as in the original physical store.
- User-generated contents
The last but not the least of design trends that are likely to overwhelm most mobile commerce stores in the coming years is the surge in user-generated contents and the role they play in helping other buyers in making more informed buying decisions. Already user reviews and comments are crucial parts of a customer journey and decision making. Now, more real-time user-generated contents such as streaming videos will give buyers just ready feedback before deciding anything to buy.
These design and development trends for mobile commerce apps of the future shows that we are just sitting in a volcano of business potential thanks to a host of innovative technologies and user-focused design approaches.
