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
13 Innovative Mobile Shopping Apps
January 15, 2018 • Sig Ueland
By observing mobile shopping apps, merchants can discover new shopping features that resonate with consumers. Here is a list of innovative mobile shopping apps. There are marketplaces, curated product collections, shopping communities, discount and coupon apps, augmented reality tools, and product information apps.
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Schools & Resources
12 New Business Books for 2018
January 8, 2018 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of new and upcoming business books for entrepreneurs, managers, and creative professionals. Learn how to launch a startup, execute decisions and actions, jump into a new venture, set and achieve goals, motivate your team, create meaningful business relationships, and harness the blockchain.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: January 1, 2018
January 1, 2018 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late December from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shipping, one-click purchasing, analytics programs, and ...
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Platforms & Apps
Pros and Cons of Hosted Ecommerce Platforms
December 19, 2017 • Eric Davis
I’ve addressed different options to host the code for your ecommerce site. In “Don’t Self-host an Ecommerce Store,” I addressed the risk and expense of owning and managing web servers.
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Design & Dev Tools
10 Tools to Improve Online User Experiences
December 18, 2017 • Sig Ueland
User experience design is the process of improving the interaction between a consumer and a product. For online merchants, UX design tools can help get early feedback on a website ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 15, 2017
December 15, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of recent product releases and updates for December, from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on email marketing, same-day delivery, one-click purchasing,
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Design & Dev Tools
20 Free Web Design Tools for Fall 2017
December 4, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Utilizing free resources from the design community is a good way to add value to your website. Here is a list of new web tools and design elements from fall 2017.
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: December 3, 2017
December 3, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for late November from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on augmented reality, chat apps, WordPress themes,
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Code
Cloud Hosting the Best Option for Stores that Own Code
November 28, 2017 • Eric Davis
The concept of cloud hosting can be confusing. “We’re moving to the cloud.” “The cloud can scale this.” Or my favorite, from Microsoft about Windows 7: “To the cloud.” Cloud hosting ...
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Schools & Resources
5 Ecommerce Site Design Trends for 2018
November 23, 2017 • Armando Roggio
New techniques, technologies, and user behaviors drive ecommerce website and application design every year. In 2018, expect ecommerce sites to employ the CSS Grid Layout, use mobile-friendly full-screen modal windows,
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Design & Dev Tools
15 Tools and Resources for Color Design
November 20, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Color is an integral element of design. Choosing the right color palette for your website can make or break its appeal with potential customers. Here is a list of tools and ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: November 15, 2017
November 15, 2017 • 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 holiday shipping, augmented reality, mobile analytics, customer ...
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Design & Dev Tools
17 Tools and Resources for Logo Design
November 13, 2017 • Sig Ueland
A good logo conveys the message and essential truth of a brand. Whether you’re interested in creating your own logo or finding the right designer, there are a variety of ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: November 1, 2017
November 1, 2017 • 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 augmented reality tools, image-recognition for search,
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Schools & Resources
14 Free Ebooks on Web Design, to Inspire
October 29, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Online merchants could always use some free expert advice from the design community. There is a wide variety of free ebooks available to help. Here is a list of helpful ebooks ...
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Design & Dev Tools
Comparing Web Servers: Dedicated vs. Virtual Private
October 25, 2017 • Eric Davis
In “Don’t Self-host an Ecommerce Store,” my previous article, I explained how owning and maintaining web servers are poor options for most stores. In this article I’ll address a better alternative:
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Code
Frameworks Such as PhoneGap and React Native Ease Mobile App Development
October 22, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Development frameworks such as PhoneGap and, more recently, React Native make it significantly easier for retail businesses to build and deploy mobile applications for consumers and internal teams. Radio-frequency identification readers ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: October 16, 2017
October 16, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates for October from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on shipping, mobile returns, voice-activated commerce, payments, and ...
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Code
A Short Introduction to CSS Grid Layout for Ecommerce Sites
October 13, 2017 • Armando Roggio
CSS Grid is a two-dimensional layout model that can be combined with CSS media queries to produce complex and responsive website layouts, including layouts for ecommerce stores. The Internet and the ...
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Platforms & Apps
Don’t Self-host an Ecommerce Store
October 11, 2017 • Eric Davis
Every ecommerce store needs to be hosted somewhere. But there’s little reason, in 2017, to self-host. In this post I’ll explain why. Self-hosting is where a company acquires physical servers and ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: October 2, 2017
October 2, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Here is a list of product releases and updates from late September from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on advertising, visual search, artificial intelligence, multimedia ...
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Design & Development
6 Uncommon Marketing Tactics to Try This Christmas
September 26, 2017 • Armando Roggio
A good marketing plan can include a mixture of tried and true tactics and, also, somewhat unusual or uncommon promotions. With the 2017 Christmas shopping season closing in, your marketing department ...
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Platforms & Apps
From Shopping Cart to Ecommerce Platform and Back Again?
September 21, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Ten or 15 years ago many of the companies selling goods and services online would have described their ecommerce software as a “shopping cart.” Now, changes in software development could ...
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Schools & Resources
12 New Ecommerce Books for Fall 2017
September 18, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Fall is here, and with it comes a new batch of ecommerce books. There are titles on podcasting, invention, global ecommerce, creating a brand message, and using data for success. I ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: September 17, 2017
September 17, 2017 • 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 advertising, productivity apps, payment solutions, and live ...
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Design & Dev Tools
21 Free Web Design Tools, Summer 2017
September 13, 2017 • Sig Ueland
Enhance your website with free elements and tools from the design community. Here is a list of new web tools and design elements from summer 2017. There are designer and developer ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: August 30, 2017
August 30, 2017 • 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 daily deals, instant pickup, voice-based shopping,
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Code
Understanding Code Deployments, for Ecommerce
August 24, 2017 • Eric Davis
“Code complete” is a common saying among software developers when they have finished a development project. But code complete doesn’t mean everything is done. Once developers have written code for a ...
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Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: August 16, 2017
August 16, 2017 • 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 customer reviews, same-day delivery, fraud protection, digital ...
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Platforms & Apps
21 Apps for BigCommerce, to Extend and Enhance
August 14, 2017 • Sig Ueland
In 2012, BigCommerce launched an integration fund, which lead to hundreds of third-party apps for its platform. Recently BigCommerce launched an expanded partner program with new certification tiers —certified, premier,
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