COVID-19 and Online Shopping: Why Graphic Design Matters in the New Age

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our world and changed how we operate at home and in the workplace. The most noticeable change since the beginning of the pandemic has been a total shift to the virtual space for entertainment, work, and shopping. Our shopping habits may have been changed forever as people are more inclined than ever to buy everything through scrolling on their phones rather than visiting malls or stores. In this new age of social media and advanced technology, graphic design in online marketing matters. Why?  Because it holds the attention of shoppers and builds a recognizable identity for your brand to increase sales.

Online shopping and delivery service concept. Paper cartons in a shopping cart on a laptop keyboard, this image implies online shopping that customer order things from retailer sites via the internet. via PR Newswire

How Has Shopping Changed Since 2019?

• By the end of 2021, shopping through mobiles is estimated to make up 72.9% of e-commerce sales.
• In total, global e-commerce sales dramatically jumped to $26.7 trillion in 2019.
• In the US, credit card and debit card purchases in retail have risen by 35% from January 2020 to January 2021.

Customers prefer to shop online because of strict containment measures, lockdowns, and to prevent the risk of infection in public places.

via Don’t Do It Yourself

Why Graphic Design Matters for Online Shopping

Online retailers cannot replicate the shoppers’ experience of getting dressed, driving to the mall, and the satisfying sound of a card swipe or the trill of the cash register. However, digital marketing is adapting to its new environment – if most of its shoppers are stuck indoors, how can we make their shopping experience more enjoyable?

via Campaign Asia

3 Reasons Why Graphic Design is Effective for E-Commerce

1. Branding- The competition online is fierce, with social media platforms and their unique features combined with the range of products that are offered by companies in any given industry. When you think about an identity for your brand, it is essential to create a lasting impact on your shoppers. This is achievable through good graphic design – your choice of type, color scheme, shapes, and images will dictate how shoppers respond to your brand.

   via Cloudy on Instagram

   For example, Cloudy sells melatonin diffusers for better sleep and consistently uses blue and its shades, tints, and tones for advertizing its products related to stress-relief and sleep. True to its name, the brand always uses graphics of clouds to symbolize a good night’s sleep.

2. Visual Story-Telling Humans crave personal connections and want to see causes that they can support. Graphic design matters because it has the power to create narratives through images. You can market your brand not just as a company selling products, but as a lifestyle, deeply invested in the lives of your shoppers.
   

   The brand, Lush, is a good example of an empire built on organic strategy without the help of celebrity endorsements or TV campaigns.

   via Lush UK on Instagram

   Lush includes its shoppers in real times conversations, offering them visual aides of how their products are made, who makes their products, and reitertating their mission of sustainability and cruelty-free beauty and bath products.

3. Attract Eyeballs – In the new age of media and technology, the human attention span has diminished to a span of only eight seconds. Good graphic design matters because it can protact our engagement with the content we consume.

   via Muck Rack

   We are much more likely to stop and read posts on social media that give us information in snack-able bits. Visual appeal can be assessed in 50 miliseconds which gives brands a very short time to make a lasting impression.

   via Spotify – For The Record

   Spotify provides a good example of graphic design that uses bold colors. A clear call to action with minimal text is also observed. This ad campaign by the company was wildly successful. Why?  Because not only did it connect with its viewers on a personal level, the graphic design encouraged users to revisit their brand platforms, thereby increasing engagement.

Hop onto Simplified and start building connections with your customers through effective graphic design!