Shopping at Your Fingertips

Shopping, reading, chatting, learning. The ongoing pandemic has driven fundamental changes in communication and commerce since late 2019. Few doubted that as technology advanced, use of the Internet to provide services otherwise found in person would grow as well, but it would be an understatement to say that we did not expect this kind of expansion within such a short period of time.

Given the Internet as we know it was only introduced in the early 90s , its development and adoption over the next three decades ushered in the digital age (despite falling short of the flying cars and teleportation pods from “The Jetsons” of 1960s).

The COVID-19 pandemic created and amplified many challenges already faced in modern life: unemployment, economic uncertainty, followed by strict lockdowns, supply shortages, world-wide restricted travel, the list goes on. Suddenly, roadblocks in our everyday lives were amplified and our usual buying and spending habits changed. As a result of a constrained lifestyle, people turned to online shopping to provide safer and faster delivery of products. What better way to window-shop than from the comfort of your own couch?

This new wave of consumerism carries an onset of obstacles when experimenting with online interfaces. From easy and secure navigation to product return processes, apps should support a variety of needs that go alongside online retail within a competitive market. Many of these issues can be resolved through user-friendly apps. Accessibility is key when trying to provide an enhanced experience for consumers, much like how legible fonts and solid materials are needed to build a quality book.

User interface is important for a company because it removes the conflict of uncertainty in navigation. Apps should be built with the intention of servicing every demographic possible, to ensure customer retention and avoid potential redesigns in the future. Accessibility can include text-to-speech iterations, multilanguage functionality, easy visuals to provide seamless navigation, compatibility over multiple platforms and devices, understandable fonts, text sizes, as well as flexibility for generations who may not be tech-savvy.

This may all sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Investing time and resources into hiring an accessibility-conscious web designer, and using a web app that can ensure consistent accessibility (like MetaScope), may be the key if retailers want to thrive in the post-pandemic world.