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<p>Ready to elevate your ecommerce brand?</p><p>Get in touch with us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@underwaterpistol.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>info@underwaterpistol.com</strong></a></p><p>or call&nbsp;<a href="tel:+442034677614" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong>+44 203 467 7614</strong></a>.</p><h4><br></h4>

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Charlie Semmence

<p>Consumer expectations are always evolving, and with the impact of AI, the continued expansion of mobile commerce and the ever-competitive digital landscape, brands need to adapt and evolve to stand out.</p>
<p>As we prepare to head into 2024, keeping abreast of UI/UX trends will enable brands to better engage their audience, deliver more intuitive experiences, and ultimately carve out a distinctive space in a crowded market. Here, we explore the 2024 UI/UX trends set to shape ecommerce.</p>
<h2><strong>1. AI-driven UX </strong></h2>
<p>Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that AI is having a significant impact on countless areas of business. Perhaps unexpectedly, UX is one of them.</p>
<p>Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly instrumental in crafting personalised and intuitive user experiences. In 2024, AI will be used in ecommerce to predict user preferences, deliver personalised content, and offer real-time assistance. This technology will enhance the user journey by providing tailored recommendations, streamlining search results and offering virtual shopping assistants. The result? A more engaging and user-centric shopping experience.</p>
<h2><strong>2. AR/VR </strong></h2>
<p>A UI/UX design trend that will continue to gain popularity in 2024 is AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality). These technologies allow customers to visualise products in their own environments, making online shopping more immersive and reducing uncertainty about purchases.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/Manucurist_1024x1024.png?v=1696499639" alt="2024 UI/UX trends" style="float: none;"></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Manucurist’s VR try-on feature </em></p>
<p>Nail polish brand <a href="https://uk.manucurist.com/pages/virtual-try-on" target="_blank">Manucurist</a>, for example, have a VR feature on their site that enables users to virtually “try on'' different colours. This adds a fun and interactive element to their shopping experience, while also helping customers make more informed decisions about their purchase.</p>
<h2><strong>3. Personalisation </strong></h2>
<p>In 2024, personalisation will be more important than ever. Consumers demand online shopping experiences that are catered to their specific needs and preferences. Designers can create those experiences by adapting information, features and interactions to guide users towards products that align with their requirements.</p>
<p>This level of personalisation not only boosts user satisfaction but also contributes to higher AOVs, conversion rates and brand loyalty. <a href="https://cxtrends.zendesk.com/" target="_blank">70% of consumers</a> spend more with companies that offer more personalised customer experiences, so expect to see personalisation become a UI/UX trend for 2024.</p>
<h2><strong>4. Sustainable UX &amp; ethical design </strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://kiwee.eu/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-green-ux/" target="_blank">Sustainable UX</a> involves designing digital interfaces and experiences with a focus on minimising their negative environmental and social impacts, while maximising long-term usability and value. It encompasses various aspects, including reducing unnecessary resource consumption, embracing carbon neutrality (you can measure the carbon footprint of your website <a href="https://www.websitecarbon.com/" target="_blank">here</a>), user education and data efficiency.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/consumers-care-about-sustainability-and-back-it-up-with-their-wallets" target="_blank">sustainability concerns continue to rise among consumers</a>, an increasing number of ecommerce brands are expected to prioritise sustainable UX in 2024. </p>
<p>Accessibility is a critical component of ethical design, especially with the European Accessibility Act (<a href="https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1202" target="_blank">EAA</a>) introducing new accessibility regulations from June 2025. Ecommerce brands need to ensure their sites comply with accessibility standards, while also minimising clicks and reducing unnecessary page loads to conserve resources and increase efficiency.</p>
<h2><strong>5. 3D elements </strong></h2>
<p>Another UI/UX design trend for 2024 will involve the incorporation of 3D elements that give more dimension to product pages on ecommerce sites.</p>
<p>Features like 3D product imaging and interactive models allow customers to explore products from all angles, making websites more innovative while increasing the likelihood of conversions. In fact, <a href="https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/augmented-reality-ecommerce-shopping" target="_blank">Shopify</a> found that merchants who add 3D content to their stores can see a whopping 94% lift in conversions.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/Shopify_3D_scanner_1024x1024.jpg?v=1696500005" alt="" style="float: none;"></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Shopify’s new 3D scanner </em></p>
<p>Embracing this technology just got a whole lot easier for brands on Shopify with the launch of their <a href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-app-3d-scanner" target="_blank">new 3D scanner</a>, which enables brands to create dynamic 3D models of products from within the Shopify app.</p>
<h2><strong>6. Microinteractions </strong></h2>
<p>This year, more and more design-forward brands have embraced microinteractions to enhance user engagement and satisfaction. In 2024, this UI/UX trend is set to continue.</p>
<p>Microinteractions are subtle animations and feedback cues that provide users with a more dynamic and responsive experience. They can be used to provide a visual response after users interact with a specific element of the page, as a way to confirm that the user has successfully completed the desired action. This makes a website more intuitive to navigate, and contributes to a seamless user journey.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/Microinteraction_1_1024x1024.gif?v=1696500125" alt=""></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>An example of a microinteraction that uses parallax to make ‘swiping’ more dynamic (<a href="https://dribbble.com/longflight" target="_blank">HongSeon Kim</a>) </em></p>
<h2><strong>7. Mobile-first ecommerce sites </strong></h2>
<p>Mobile devices dominate online retail traffic. By 2024, global ecommerce sales via mobile devices are expected to reach nearly <a href="https://www.insiderintelligence.com/topics/industry/mcommerce" target="_blank">$4.5 trillion</a>, making up a whopping 69.9% of total ecommerce sales. Now more than ever, having a mobile-first approach is imperative for brands.</p>
<p>Mobile-first design is focussed on creating a UX tailored to smaller screens, emphasising responsive layouts, touch-based interactions, streamlined navigation and a simplified checkout process. These characteristics help to minimise friction and increase conversion rates on mobile.</p>
<p>In 2024, mobile-first ecommerce sites are essential to creating an immersive and user-centric shopping experience that aligns with the evolving preferences of consumers.</p>
<h2><strong>Stand out with cutting-edge UX and UI design </strong></h2>
<p>Seamless user experiences are what distinguish exceptional ecommerce websites from the ordinary. Not only do they build trust and boost engagement, but they also make it easier (and more likely) for your potential customers to buy from you.</p>
<p>UI and UX design are key to achieving this seamlessness, and we can help you get it right. <strong><a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/contact" target="_blank">Talk to us</a></strong> about how we can help you get set for growth with <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/shopify-plus-agency/ux-design-and-research" target="_blank">stand-out UX and UI design</a> that’s ahead of the curve.</p>

7 UI/UX trends that will shape ecommerce in 2024