13 examples of minimal e-commerce web design to inspire you
August 6th, 2014
1. Pop Chart Lab
What's good?
- Instant introduction to product range.
- Only includes the basic e-commerce staples so it's simple to use.
- Search results are displayed in an innovative, image-driven way (see below).
- Free shipping is clearly displayed on the page, though it isn't above the fold on some screen sizes.
- Patterned background makes it stand out from most other minimal designs.
2. Tattly
What's good?
- Clear value proposition in header, it's clear that they offer international shipping.
- The slideshow uses strong photography that shows off the product.
- Design categories in the navigation offer a clear starting point for shopping and group the tattoos in an intuitive way.
- Use of social proof in the footer, listing the publications they've been featured in (see below)
3. Hiut
What's good?
- Original navigation layout, not a typical list of collections as on most ecommerce sites.
- A focus on the heritage of the brand. This is also reflected in the amount of content dedicated to talking about their process, factory and ethos (see below).
- Another good use of strong 'lifestyle' photography.
4. BlackMilk
What's good?
- Appealing and colourful photography with style and theme matching the current fairytale campaign.
- Interesting look book section (see below).
- Product pages that includes multiple images, back-in-stock notifications, a customer-generated instagram gallery and product recommendations. All without looking cluttered.
5. So Worth Loving
What's good?
- Centrally aligned layout that looks original.
- Large hero carousel leads naturally to below-the-fold content.
- Uses icons for the main e-commerce functions, such as shopping cart and customer accounts, but these are kept tidy in the top bar.
6. Litter
What's good?
- Bravely steps away from using a carousel, displaying instead a series of campaign images - the visitor will decide which to choose.
- Even more minimal than So Worth Loving (above). The cart doesn't appear until an item is added to it. Whilst this makes for a clean layout, it may also confuse some visitors as to whether they are browsing an actual shop. We like the idea though!
- Again, Litter have stepped away from convention by using an image-driven product page that only shows product information on hover.
7. Chalkd
What's good?
- Clear value proposition in huge type at the top of the page: you know that they sell original blackboards.
- The home page lists product features, educating the visitor.
- Product reviews (below) are displayed in a prominent and stylish way.
8. Visual Junkie
What's good?
- Banners clearly convey the current sale and the web page makes use of three feature blocks for those customers that are shopping for gifts.
- Design details such as the home page colours tie-in with products' colour accents.
- Product page is not minimal, but displays a longer summary than normal for every item, which saves you clicking into each for more details. This works well because most customers probably aren't going to buy more than one or two items in a single transaction.
9. The Critical Slide Society
What's good?
- Another online store that cuts down on the clutter and only shows the necessary e-commerce staples, such as text search and cart links.
- Good that email sign-up is shown on each page - but it should offer an incentive in order to increase sign-ups.
- Another website making use of stylish, high quality photography.
10. Uppercase
What's good?
- Uses a well designed Shopify theme that has been customised in line with the brand.
- Includes live chat without making the screen too noisy.
- Fantastic photography.
11. The Ghostly Store
What's good?
- Uses a hero banner, but divided into three sections with a clear primary campaign. An innovative alternative to using a carousel to fit multiple campaigns in.
- Tidy product pages that clearly list the specifications of each item.
- Well organised menu, considering the variety of products for sale.
12. Faucet Face
What's good?
- Breaks the mold by using an unusual layout that focuses on the one type of product they sell - glass bottles. Makes a clear brand statement straight away.
- Offers social proof in the bottom right by showing where their bottles have been featured.
- Includes a phone number for contacting them directly, which lends the brand credibility, no doubt boosting conversions.
13. Island Creek Oysters
What's good?
- The business is made up of various sections, including farm, shop and catering service. The primary navigation is therefore divided along those lines, with the sub-menus shown on the left.
- Uses well cut-out product photography.
- Focuses on two social networks rather than all of them, which is probably a lot more effective.
Conclusion
Were you inspired by these great examples?
If you're a fan of minimal design and want to obtain similar results with your own e-commerce store, have a look at our work.
Thanks for tuning in.