9 Trends of 2015 that Will Make Your OpenCart Website Popular (Examples & Free Themes Included)
This article is aimed not only at OpenCart fans, but also at everybody connected with web design and development, people searching for premium or free OpenCart templates or just nerds who want to be in the flow of all latest trends popular on the web.
A few words about OpenCart
OpenCart is a powerful feature-rich and user-friendly open source shopping cart system. Who is it good for? OpenCart is an affordable e-Commerce solution for all Internet merchants. It has an intuitive admin interface to manage your store and have total control over it. OpenCart has hundreds of Payment gateway and shipping method integrations available. OpenCart was developed in 2007 and managed to impress about half a million prospective users initially. But, with timely updates and modification, the online platform has attracted the attention of many owners and developers and has expanded its popularity. Today, this open source solution is popular in six out of seven continents because of its features and interface. A Hong Kong based company created OpenCart which is now a source of intense competition to some big names in the industry such as Zen Cart. In fact, the software is currently used by 3.5 million clients which is only a bit less than the user statistics of Zen Cart. It is also referred to as “the easy to use Magento” by many experienced and practicing developers. Hence, the statistics themselves highlight that the software is quite popular in the Internet world.
Supposing you realize all the advantages of OpenCart and are ready to build your e-Commerce website powered by it. Don’t you think that it’s time to learn more about current web design trends that will help you to make your brand new OpenCart website stylish and memorable?
Below we will discuss 9 of the hottest web design trends of 2015 for you to follow. Are you ready to absorb the information? Then, our tutorial begins.
1. No header background image
The first trend is perfectly illustrated by this premium OpenCart template from TemplateMonster.com, one of the web design industry leaders. Have a look at this nice Ticket store template. The author has ignored the general obsession with impressive images as header backgrounds. We would dare say that header background images have become mainstream. What did he/she get instead? A clean header with clearly legible elements and more white space to draw visitors’ attention to the content area and to the products on offer.
Online Tickets OpenCart Template
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2. Block grids
The issue of content arrangement is ever critical. If you want your store layout to look accurate and professional, use block grids. They give you a way to split contents of a list evenly within the grid. Let’s assume that you want to create a row of five images or paragraphs that need to stay evenly spaced no matter the screen size… Guys, the block grid is for you.
Azimuth OpenCart Template
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3. Big backgrounds/parallax
Today you can hardly find a single person connected with web design who doesn’t know what parallax is. Nevertheless, we will say a couple of words about the trend if you have nothing against it, and then illustrate it with a beautiful example. The concept of parallax design lies in the awareness of movement. The word ‘parallax’ is used to describe the perception of distance between objects while moving along a line of sight. The objects that are closer to you will seem to move more quickly and more dynamically than “background” objects. So parallax is just a measurement of the difference in position between 2 points from the viewer’s perspective. Since the objects aren’t really moving it’s just a type of illusion like 2D animation, but how impressive it is! If you want to impart depth and perspective to your website, use parallax.
Mobile Store Responsive OpenCart Template
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4. Responsiveness
Responsiveness became not a trend, but a “must” for all modern websites. This is especially important for online stores as, if your shop is not mobile-friendly, you will lose clients who prefer shopping on the go. Your store should look and perform equally well on all modern gadgets’ screens. This will considerably raise your order conversion rate. Statistical data shows that mobile digital media time in the US is now significantly higher at 51% compared to desktop (42%). Currently, smartphone add-to-cart and conversion rates are much lower than for desktop, but it’s evident that we have already entered the era of mobile web shopping, so you’d better be prepared for that.
Zerocart Free Responsive OpenCart Template
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5. Ghost buttons
Booo! ‘Ghost buttons’ are here! They are spreading like fever all over the Internet. They are easy to notice, as ‘Ghost buttons’ are those transparent and empty buttons that have a basic shape, such as a rectangle or perhaps a square. They are generally bordered by a very thin line, while the internal section consists of plain text printed in a light, sans-serif font. These buttons, are also sometimes referred to as “empty” or “hollow” buttons, and tend to be bigger than standard colored buttons. We are sure that you know about this trend and our small joke just made you smile. The buttons are attributed the name of ‘ghost’ due to the fact that, although they’re as transparent as phantoms, they immediately grab the users’ gaze. Indeed, a beautiful hollow button works like a magic trick by merging itself seamlessly within a site, but, if set in a proper background and position, it can very efficiently attract the users’ eyes. Please note that ‘ghost buttons’ aren’t appropriate for all sites. They are best suited for websites and applications that have a minimalist or flat user interface or those which use a large-scale photo background.
Tinwaredirect - Visit Website
6. Video background
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth? It’s safe to say that video backgrounds save the viewers from boredom as the website becomes much more fun and interactive. Everybody likes stories. Tell the story of your product, present it in an impressive way with the help of a video background. This will definitely grab the attention of the viewer.
Free OpenCart Cosmetics Store Theme
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7. Fixed sliding navigation bar
Fixed or pinned navigation bars stick to the top of your web page as the user begins to scroll. This is especially convenient when the website has long pages. The main menu constantly stays before the user’s eyes. This way the visitor always knows where he/she is at any moment and can skip to another page easily. If a narrow fixed position menu perfectly blends with your website layout, use it, it’s a trend.
Free OpenCart Theme for Mobile Shop
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8. Flat design
Everybody knows what flat design is. It is a web design style without any stylistic elements that give the illusion of three dimensions (no drop shadows, gradients or textures). It is focused on a minimalist use of simple elements, typography and flat colors. Flat style became so popular because it allowed interface designs to be more streamlined and efficient. It is easier to convey information quickly while still looking visually appealing and approachable. What’s more, it makes it easier to design a responsive interface. With minimal design elements, websites are able to load faster and resize more easily, and still look sharp on high-definition screens.
Skis Trendy Responsive OpenCart template
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9. Hidden main menus
It has become a common practice to replace textual menu items with one simple, understandable icon. The user clicks it and the main menu slides out or drops down giving full access to website navigation. Menu can even appear full screen. This web design technique gained in popularity due to the lack of space when the user enters the website from his/her mobile gadget. Now people get used to hidden menus and it’s not a problem for them to find the right icon, especially when it is positioned at the expected place.
SoccerPro OpenCart Template
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Wrap Up
This blog post has highlighted and illustrated 9 of the top web design trends for OpenCart Templates. Please don’t forget to leave a feedback comment for the author. Which trend do you like the most and use frequently in your projects? We also would like to know your opinion on which of the above mentioned trends will be the most widely spread this year and why.
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Author’s Bio:
Helga Moreno is a learning junkie, requiring a new dose of fresh information every day. She is always keeping her notepad at hand in order not to miss a single thrilling event happening in cyberspace. She diligently puts down all her thoughts in order to share the most interesting of them with the web community in general and TemplateMonster’s readers in particular.
