Forget about best fonts, do fonts even matter for eCommerce? You might think it doesn’t matter, Right? We beg to differ, and by the end of the blog, you will too. When it comes to an eCommerce website, plenty of things need to be communicated well to the audience, from the home page to the product details to the checkout page. The information is crucial. Even the slightest miscommunication through typography design can inconvenience the user, and a more significant loss will be to your site. In the end, you will lose user retention. So, before jumping the gun, you should know why fonts matter for an eCommerce website. And if they do, which are the best fonts for your business & how to choose the right fonts for your brand?
The content never suffices for catching the users’ attention and holding it. What you say and how you say it both matter equally. By all means, how something looks changes everything. Visual representation is crucial, i.e., the typography design that includes the fonts or the typeface.Ā
Fonts shape the web design and brand language. It may not seem like a massive task at first to select the best fonts style considering its weight, readability, and such. The font types you choose will influence user behavior. The fonts should be clear, readable, and well-positioned to catch the users’ attention. If it fails to deliver this much, it will negatively impact your eCommerce website. With such aspects, how can you make sure to grab your users’ undivided attention in a world of short attention spans?Ā
Here’s a guide to the importance of choosing the right brand fonts and how you can find the best fonts for your eCommerce website.
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Importance of fonts for Ecommerce
UX
There’s a significant role of fonts in flourishing a smooth user experience. The minimum interaction cost, i.e., the effort the user requires to consume content, should be low. The text fonts should be readable, visible, and easy to understand, creating a sense of trust with its aesthetics. More importantly, it should be readable across various devices too. And this is the very reason why it is essential to know how to choose the best fonts for your eCommerce site.
Brand Character | Communication
As mentioned earlier, what you say and how it is being represented are two different things and yet equally important. The fonts represent your brand character. A cursive font style might work well for a fashion & apparel brand, but the same can’t be said to be true for healthcare eCommerce.
Business growth
The font style you choose should be comfortable to look at. Considering the target audience, you should choose the best fonts. The important thing here is if the user finds the content exciting then they stay longer than usual.Ā
Moreover, fonts create a sense of trust in the users. It works as a competitive advantage for your business. Fonts help evoke positive emotions among visitors, encouraging them to explore more on your website.
Font ranks
Be it any website; there shouldn’t be more than 3 unique font styles. Otherwise, your eCommerce website will become cluttered. Further, the readability will be compromised. The following are the three foremost font ranks that should be considered when choosing the best fonts for your website.Ā
Primary Fonts
The most visible fonts that will take center stage on your websites, like the headers, banners, and titles, are the primary fonts.Ā
Secondary Fonts
The small body texts or the paragraphs are the secondary fonts on your website. They should be readable to the users, considering the content length.
Accent Fonts
The fonts you choose for the particular texts, like the buttons, logo, and one-two word texts, are the accent fonts. These fonts need to be attractive and could be unique.
Three Main Types of Fonts Categories
Let’s start with the basics. Before finding out the best fonts for the website, learn a little more about the font categories. The below-mentioned font categories are the most popular and most used typefaces among all.
Serif fonts
The serif fonts are similar to sans serifs, but the only difference is that serif fonts have markings at the end of the letters. Serif fonts were invented way before we were born! With a long history in typography, they have a sophisticated and traditional feel. The accessibility of serif fonts makes them a preferable option.
Where to use: Serif fonts are perfect for both body and web page headings.
The following are the brands using serif fonts:
- Vogue
- HondaĀ
- J P Morgan
- The New York times
The following are the Serif fonts styles:
- Georgia
- Garamond
- Times New Roman
- Baskerville
Sans serif fonts
Sans serifs are classic fonts with no markings at the end of the letters. They have a simple design and are versatile to use. You can use it for any of the three main fonts- primary, secondary, or accent. Sans serif fonts are readable and give a minimal look to the website.
If your website design is unique or something extraordinary, sans serif fonts can help create a visual balance. You will undoubtedly find plenty of sans serif fonts on the best fonts list.
The following are the brands using sans serif fonts:
The following are some of the Sans serif fonts styles:
- Helvetica
- Open sans
- Proxima nova
- Arial
Script fonts
Script fonts are also known as cursive fonts; it is a handwritten style typeface. However, it was initially designed to make writing faster. And now, it is one of the popular choices for web font types.
The script fonts are ideal for logos or short copy, i.e., for the primary and accent fonts on your website. It is not advisable to use script fonts for extended text fonts in terms of readability.
Brands using script fonts:
- Ray-BanĀ
- Kellogg’s
- InstagramĀ
Best fonts for eCommerce websites
Berkshire swash
Berkshire is a semi-sweet typeface with a feminine and bold touch flair. It would work wonders for a beauty & cosmetics brand and a jewelry e-store.
Lato
Lato gives the users a warm and welcoming vibe with a tinge of seriousness. It is the perfect brand fonts for a business that wants to be perceived as Bold, trustworthy, and approachable. It is from the sans serif typeface family.Ā
Merriweather
Meriweather is quite popular and one of the widely used brand fonts for websites. Especially for the e-commerce ones. Indeed, it is pleasant to look at because of its condensed letterforms. Also, it is ideal for font pairings. If you wish to have a high-end brand image, then Merriweather is the best fonts style for it!
Montserrat
Montserrat is one of the brand fonts with a vintage touch in its geometric style. It is a great fit for all text cases, capitals, lowercase, or paragraphs perfectly. No doubt, it is one of the most versatile font styles.Ā Ā
Neue Helvetica
Neue Helvetica is a font used by many well-known brands like Facebook, eBay, and Yahoo. The font style is simple, readable, and works well in the header and body text fonts.
Oswald
The perfect option for the headlines! Oswald brand fonts know how to grab users’ attention, be it the titles or the paragraphs.
Pro tip: Oswald’s fonts look the best in all caps.
Open sans
Open sans is one of the best fonts and the most popular free fonts. The reason is that it is readable on screen, especially for the small screen sizes. According to Wikipedia, it was the second most used Google fonts in July 2018.
Playfair Display
Playfair display is a beautiful serif font with rounded corners and curves. It is one versatile brand font that fits well with most website design aesthetics. It is excellent with title and short content but not advisable for the lengthy para as it becomes less readable.
Raleway
Raleway is an elegant ultra-light sans serif font type. It is ideal to use with headlines and large-size text but is short in length. Raleway would be the perfect brand font for a food and beverage business.
Roboto
Roboto does have a slightly mechanical feel to its letters, and yet it is comfortable to read. It was initially designed by Google to become the Android system font. And now Youtube and Flipkart.
Best fonts pairings for eCommerce
Montserrat bold and Roboto Regular
Montserrat bold & Roboto regular is a classic fonts pairing. For writing short copies in all caps, Montserrat bold works great. While for the product descriptions and specifications, the Roboto regular font settles well. No doubt they are the best fonts choice.
Oswald Medium and Roboto Bold
It is one of the most popular font combinations. You will find this pair being used widely across the web. The pair has ease of reading. Roboto in bold will help attract the user’s attention.
This pairing has a touch of elegance and would work as ideal for a luxury brand. All in all, this pair works wonderfully for most eCommerce websites.
Anton and Roboto
The Anton font is undoubtedly the header font. It is bold, a little formal, and fierce. It quickly catches your attention. At the same time, Roboto reflects smoothness and readability. It is comfortable to look at and makes you want to read the text. Anton and Roboto are perfect for bold, trustworthy, and welcoming brands.
Six caps and PT serif
The six caps font helps you demonstrate the sincerity and class of your brand. The font is an attractive-looking one, making it great for headlines and primary fonts. While the PT serif is easy to read and understand. This font pairing speaks luxury and class and is the perfect combination for a luxurious product-selling brand.
Overlock and Nunito
Overlock’s slightly curved letters make great for titles and short text. Undoubtedly, the combination of overlock and Nunito fonts is a balanced pair. This font pairing is a fantastic choice for fashion & apparel brands.
Merriweather and Oswald
Oswald is a font style inspired by the classic gothic and grotesque style from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Merriweather is pleasant to read, especially on screen. This font pairing is great for eCommerce brands who aim to showcase a more decent, minimal, yet powerful aesthetic.
Playfair Display and Source sans pro
This is a pretty font pairing considering the sleek style of the Playfair display and the minimal and subtle aesthetic of source sans pro. They are a perfect balance of font type for an elegant vibe. Importantly, this would work ideally for a fashion or fragrance eCommerce store.
Things to consider when choosing the right font for your brand
Don’t use more than 2-3 fonts
Firstly, the fonts should be visually pleasing. It is a thumb rule that you should never pair up more than 2-3 different fonts. And the font pair should bring life to the page. In short, don’t go for a wildly unique font for your website. Let’s not go too fancy over fonts. Using too many fonts will make your page look cluttered.
For an eCommerce website, you would be primarily choosing 2 fonts. One for the heading and one for the body text. Ideally, you don’t need more than two font styles.
Legibility
With an eCommerce site, you should see this coming that users will access your site across various devices – desktop, mobile, and tablet screens. To sum up, the fonts you choose must be compatible with all the screen sizes. Before making the final decision, test the fonts on the different screens and check if it’s not too cumbersome or how long it takes to read the text.
Also, check whether the decorative fonts are readable or not. It is best to choose simpler fonts instead of decorative fonts that drive no conversions. Nonetheless, the brand fonts shouldn’t become a mere distraction.
Readability
You need conversions to drive business growth. If the text fonts on your website are not readable or take too long to read, then the user will most likely leave the website. Moreover, content is meant to deliver value to the users.
Readability is not limited to the writing style; the fonts play an equally important role. Make sure the brand fonts you choose resonate with your brand while being pretty, clear, and readable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it relies on the brand image you want to put up by understanding your target audience. When choosing fonts for your brand, opting for the font resonating with your brand communication instead of a popular font. The balance should be a definite balance between the brand fonts you choose and the message you mean to communicate.
