Design & Development
The nuts and bolts of an ecommerce site are design and development. We address design innovation and trends — including layouts, colors, photography, logos, video, and more. We explain the basics of code — HTML, CSS, JavaScript — as well as platforms, themes, plugins, open source, and related topics.
Code | Design & Dev Tools | Platforms & Apps | Schools & Resources | Typography & Fonts | User Experience-
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: November 14, 2019
November 14, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-November from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on email marketing, holiday shipping, ecommerce returns, digital payments, live chat support, and ecommerce education for entrepreneurs.
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Schools & Resources
16 Beautiful, Free Content Sliders
November 11, 2019 • Sig Ueland
A content slider is a helpful tool in web design for highlighting images, delivering a message, and enticing a user with animated elements. Here is a list of content sliders to display images, video, or HTML content.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: October 31, 2019
October 31, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late-October from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on voice-commerce, expense management, payments, small business loans, shipping, and returns.
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User Experience
Minimalist Design Can Increase Ecommerce Sales
October 21, 2019 • Pamela Hazelton
Minimalism can present products in a refreshing way and focus on key selling points. The result is more engagement and conversions. When considering a minimalist design, keep the following conversion pointers in mind.
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Schools & Resources
12 Sites for Free Stock Video
October 21, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Adding video to your website design, particularly your home page, can engage visitors. But producing original videos can be difficult and expensive. Here is a list of websites to find free stock videos for commercial use.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: October 14, 2019
October 14, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-October from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on product testing, shipping, email marketing, mobile commerce, augmented reality, and website design.
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Design & Development
Add a Web App Manifest for an Ecommerce PWA
October 10, 2019 • Armando Roggio
Creating and loading a web app manifest file is among the first steps toward transforming an ecommerce website into a progressive web app — PWA — that can be installed on a mobile device, similar to a native app, with an icon on the home screen.
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Design & Dev Tools
11 Photoshop Alternatives for Image Editing
October 7, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Impactful photos are an essential aspect of any merchant’s online store. While Adobe Photoshop has long been the industry standard for editing images, there are a variety of free or inexpensive applications with comparable tools. Here is a list of alternatives to Photoshop.
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Schools & Resources
Reading List: Ben Houston of ThreeKit
October 4, 2019 • PEC Staff
“Reading List” is an occasional series where we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why. For this installment, we corresponded with Ben Houston, chief technology officer of ThreeKit.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: October 1, 2019
October 1, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late-September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on payment platforms, shipping applications, social media advertising tools, online marketplaces, mobile marketing, and artificial intelligence services for Amazon.
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Design & Dev Tools
13 Prototyping Tools to Create Web and Mobile Apps
September 30, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Prototyping tools can help create a website or app with little cost and relative ease — from a rough design idea to a finished product. Here is a list of prototyping tools to build sites and apps for desktop and mobile devices.
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Schools & Resources
12 New Ecommerce Books for Fall 2019
September 23, 2019 • Sig Ueland
For your autumn reading list, here is a batch of new ecommerce books. There are titles on website design, dropshipping, marketing and sales strategies, the Amazon economy, and testing business ideas.
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Design & Development
Helpful Tips for Improving Your Mobile Ecommerce Site
September 18, 2019 • David Shreni
My first suggestion for optimizing your website for mobile devices is to visit your local smartphone store. Target, Best Buy, Walmart, AT&T — you name it — your local phone store is the one place you can quickly experience your own site across the myriad of devices.
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Design & Dev Tools
22 Free Web Design Tools from Summer 2019
September 16, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of new web tools and design elements from summer 2019. There are designer and developer apps, coding resources, color tools, fonts, and more. All are free.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: September 15, 2019
September 15, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shipping, warehousing, fulfillment, cross-channel marketing, last-mile delivery, and visual search.
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Schools & Resources
20 Chrome Extensions for Web Design
September 3, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of Chrome extensions for design. There are tools to find the right font, develop color palettes, discover and create inspirational images, customize graphics, measure elements, and analyze your pages as well as your competitors'.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: September 1, 2019
September 1, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late-August from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on last-mile delivery, holiday shipping, payment security, customer scoring, seller protection, and charitable donations from merchants.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: August 15, 2019
August 15, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-August from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on augmented reality, subscription billing, fraud protection, product photography, real-time payments, autonomous deliveries, and packaging.
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Typography & Fonts
15 Useful Typography Tools and Resources
August 12, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Improving the typography of your website is easy and inexpensive. Here is a list of tools and resources for typography. There are inspirational galleries with real-world examples, tools to create or identify your ideal font, and design forums to get help from your peers.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: August 2, 2019
August 2, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shipping in scale, managed deliveries, mobile commerce, invoicing, and personalized deals.
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Platforms & Apps
20 Popular Productivity Apps for 2019
July 15, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here’s a list of popular productivity apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. There are collaboration apps, to-do lists, task managers, tools for creating text and images, apps for collecting content, project management apps, and handy tools for making your work easy.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: July 14, 2019
July 14, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on video tools, search optimization, artificial-intelligence analytics, shipping promotions, and small business loans.
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Design & Dev Tools
16 New and Updated Online Video Tools
July 2, 2019 • Sig Ueland
For merchants who want to create, edit, and distribute videos, there are plenty of new innovative online tools for little or no expense. Here is a list of new and updated tools from online video platforms and social media applications. There are tools for editing, live streaming, collaboration, analytics, distribution, and video advertising.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: July 1, 2019
July 1, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates from late June from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on digital currencies, shipping and logistics, multichannel marketing, security, and augmented-reality advertising.
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Schools & Resources
Reading List: Jenna Erickson of Codal
June 26, 2019 • PEC Staff
For this installment, we corresponded with Jenna Erickson. She is marketing manager at Codal, a UX design and application development agency.
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Platforms & Apps
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Merchant Voice
After Magento 1, build something special
June 24, 2019 • Richard Stubbings
Magento will soon stop supporting version 1. Many ecommerce businesses running Magento 1 will be looking for alternatives. There is no shortage of recommendations and advice. Leading contenders include Shopify, WooCommerce, and Open Cart, among others. All have strengths and weaknesses.
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User Experience
9 Ways UX Improves Rankings and Revenue
June 21, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown
User experience impacts organic search performance. A positive UX reduces bounces and encourages visitors to browse and purchase. It drives ratings, referrals, and inbound links. These nine factors influence user experience and thus organic search traffic.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: June 17, 2019
June 17, 2019 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-June from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on visual search, fulfillment tools, artificial intelligence, personalization, and selling on Amazon.
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Schools & Resources
12 New Ecommerce Books for Summer 2019
June 17, 2019 • Sig Ueland
For your summer reading list, here's a batch of new ecommerce books. There are titles on multichannel marketing, blockchain technology, startup strategy, funding your business, and producing successful videos.
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Schools & Resources
Reading List: Mark Fitzsimmons of Xigen
June 13, 2019 • PEC Staff
For this installment of "Reading List," we corresponded with Mark Fitzsimmons. He is managing director at Xigen, a U.K.-based digital agency offering web design, development, ecommerce, and online marketing services.