Category

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
  • Illustration of a speedometer Design & Development

    The Trade-offs of Third-party Add-ons

    October 26, 2021 •

    Third-party apps and add-ons can enhance an ecommerce platform. Examples include exit popups, customer reviews, product recommendations, and marketing automation. But third-party add-ons can create more problems than benefits.

  • Screenshot from GhostRetail home page showing a female looking at a smartphone Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: October 17, 2021

    October 17, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-October from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on email marketing, digital payments, subscription tools, social commerce, Amazon integration, WooCommerce, and live video shopping.

  • Man holding a tablet from Cart.com's home page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: October 3, 2021

    October 3, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on augmented reality tools, conversational commerce, social commerce, small business financing, fraud protection, and buy-now, pay-later.

  • Drawing of people around a computer from Usability Hub's home page Design & Dev Tools

    17 Useful UX and UI Design Tools

    September 28, 2021 •

    User experience and user interface tools can help with every stage of website and mobile-app design — from early whiteboard brainstorming to testing your prototype with end-users. Here is a list of useful UX and UI design tools.

  • Illustration of a computer screen wiht the text "React" Code

    Ask an Expert: What Is ReactJS?

    September 21, 2021 •

    “Ask an Expert” is an occasional feature where we pose questions to ecommerce practitioners. For this installment, we’ve turned to Rajesh Bhimani, founder Skynet Technologies, a web development firm. He addresses the purpose and popularity of ReactJS.

  • Partial cover of "Audience of One" Schools & Resources

    12 New Ecommerce Books for Fall 2021

    September 20, 2021 •

    Here’s a batch of new ecommerce books for your fall reading list. There are titles on branding, social media marketing, personalized customer experience, entrepreneurship, and the post-pandemic workplace. I compiled this list using Amazon. From Amazon’s “Books” category, I selected “Business & Money.” From there I chose the “Processes & Infrastructure” sub-category and selected “E-commerce.”

  • Screenshot from Klarna's website of a smartphone Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: September 16, 2021

    September 16, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on team productivity tools, small business financing, subscription sales, logistics, and managing campaigns on Amazon.

  • Image of a color wheel from Adobe Color Design & Dev Tools

    20 Free Color Design Tools and Tutorials

    September 7, 2021 •

    Choosing colors is among the most important design decisions for a logo, brand, or website. People decide whether to buy a product or service mainly by what they see. Fortunately, there are free tools to help pick the right colors for your business. Here is a list of tools and tutorials on color design.

  • Screenshot from Walmart's GoLocal page showing a female driving a vehicle Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: August 31, 2021

    August 31, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late August from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on social commerce, cybersecurity, global tax management, omnichannel advertising, and buy now, pay later.

  • Screenshot from Wickedbackgrounds of purple waves Design & Dev Tools

    20 Free Web Design Tools from Summer 2021

    August 30, 2021 •

    Here is a list of new web tools and design elements that can enhance an ecommerce site. There are page builders, design collaboration tools, gradient generators, video apps, coding tools, fonts, and more. All are free, though some also offer premium versions as well.

  • Image of a eBay seller from eBay's Up & Running page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: August 15, 2021

    August 15, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates from mid-August from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on branded mobile apps, headless commerce, small business grants, purchase protection, acquisitions of Amazon sellers, and buy-now-pay-later purchasing.

  • Screenshot from Shopify Inbox web page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: August 2, 2021

    August 2, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on customer chat, cross-border selling, live-streaming, social commerce, design tools, and local selling.

  • Photo of a laptop computer with the Shopify logo on the screen Platforms & Apps

    Setting Up an Accessible Shopify Store

    July 25, 2021 •

    Ecommerce has come a long way in accommodating consumers with disabilities. I've addressed over the years many accessibility aspects of online shopping, from screen readers to lawsuits. Shopify, the focus of this post, is a rare ecommerce platform that supplies Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates.

  • Screenshot from Freight Club eading "Offset Every Shipment" Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: July 15, 2021

    July 15, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on live-streaming marketplaces, payment services, social commerce, headless commerce, customer experience, multichannel fulfillment, and holiday marketing.

  • Partial screenshot from Contentful's home page Platforms & Apps

    11 Platforms for Headless Commerce

    July 6, 2021 •

    Headless commerce separates the frontend from the backend of a brand's web presence, in an API-first architecture. Headless technology can provide significant advantages in design and performance. Here is a list of platforms that facilitate a headless approach for ecommerce merchants.

  • Screenshot showing Wix Modalyst acquisition Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: July 4, 2021

    July 4, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late June from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on social commerce, subscription newsletters, payment solutions, email marketing, live-video shopping, last-mile deliveries, and drop shipping.

  • Screenshot of the "Shopify Unite" logo Platforms & Apps

    Shopify Announces Online Store 2.0, More

    July 1, 2021 •

    During its "Unite" event on June 29, Shopify announced significant changes to its ecommerce platform aimed at performance, ease of use, and empowering developers. The company also announced a new revenue-sharing model, giving app and theme creators 100% of revenue up to $1 million each year.

  • Cover of "Masters of Scale" Schools & Resources

    12 New Ecommerce Books for Summer 2021

    June 21, 2021 •

    Here’s a batch of new ecommerce books for your summer 2021 reading list. There are titles on cryptocurrency, customer experience, fulfillment, leadership, social media marketing, startup strategies, and building an online course.

  • Screenshot of Shop Pay web page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: June 15, 2021

    June 15, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-June from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on pay-later financing, social commerce, B2B solutions, affiliate marketing, fraud prevention, and sales tax.

  • Sample Space font that's shaped like a hamburger Design & Dev Tools

    22 Free Web Design Tools from Spring 2021

    June 14, 2021 •

    Here is a list of new web tools and design elements from spring 2021. There are icon libraries, gradient palettes, project boilerplates, feedback and collaboration tools, fonts, and more. All of these tools are free, though some also offer premium versions.

  • Screenshot of a playful fox illustration from Download Monitor site Platforms & Apps

    12 WordPress Plugins to Sell Digital Downloads

    June 7, 2021 •

    WordPress is a versatile content management system with nearly 60,000 available plugins. If you are interested in selling videos, PDFs, photos, software, or other digital products, there are plenty of plugin tools to help. Here is a list of WordPress plugins to sell digital downloads.

  • Screenshot from Flexa home page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: June 2, 2021

    June 2, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late May from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on social commerce, product drops, live shopping, two-day shipping, fraud prevention, and long-term financing.

  • Ryan Szrama Platforms & Apps

    Drupal Commerce Founder on Collaborative Code, Software Freedom, More

    May 21, 2021 •

    The viability of open-source ecommerce platforms may seem limited given the rise of SaaS providers such as Shopify and many others. Not so, says Ryan Szrama. He's the founder of Drupal Commerce. He wrote the code in 2005 as an addition to the open-source Drupal content management system.

  • Partial screenshot from Bouncer's home page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: May 16, 2021

    May 16, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-May from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on fraud prevention, interactive video, campaign builders, product subscriptions, and sustainability tools.

  • Screenshot from Coogle website Platforms & Apps

    15 Mind-mapping Tools for Entrepreneurs and Teams

    May 10, 2021 •

    Mind mapping is a creative exercise to capture, organize, and structure ideas. It was once done on paper. But there are now tools for entrepreneurs and teams to develop mind maps, brainstorm ideas, and manage the resulting projects. Here is a list of mind-mapping and brainstorming tools for entrepreneurs and teams.

  • Screenshot of Adobe Live logo on a video Schools & Resources

    15 YouTube Channels for Design and Development

    May 4, 2021 •

    Interested in improving your web design and development skills? There are many options to learn — for beginners to advanced users. Here is a list of YouTube channels for web design and development.

  • Partial screenshot of BringGreen web page Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: May 2, 2021

    May 2, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for late April from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on storefronts, payment services, tax compliance, fraud protection, and virtual photo and video shoots.

  • Partial screenshot from Memberium home page Platforms & Apps

    13 WordPress Plugins for Membership Subscriptions

    April 26, 2021 •

    A membership plugin can transform a WordPress site into a resource for subscription content, courses, a paid community, and more. Sell one-time or recurring access to specific posts, digital downloads,

  • Partial screenshot from Teachable home page Design & Dev Tools

    16 Tools to Create an Online Course

    April 19, 2021 •

    An online course can generate revenue, grow an audience, and establish expertise. Given the range of helpful tools, it’s relatively easy to create, distribute, and monetize a course. Here’s a list of tools to create an online course.

  • Screenshot from Bambuser's website of a person holding a smartphone Platforms & Apps

    Ecommerce Product Releases: April 15, 2021

    April 15, 2021 •

    Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-April from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on live-stream shopping, eBay ad campaigns, customer experience platforms, loyalty programs, and more.

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