Ecommerce is experiencing a boom as more consumers than ever shop online. Lockdowns necessitated by the spread of COVID-19 accelerated a trend that was already well underway. One result is that the business environment today's ecommerce websites face is intensely competitive. Consumers have high expectations of the websites they choose to do business with. Whether your business is exclusively online, or you have a physical retail location(s) but also sell online, the same conditions apply. Likewise, it doesn't matter if you've been conducting ecommerce for several years or just starting. People make quick judgements about their willingness to buy from you based as much upon the quality of your website as the quality of your products or services.
Good design and easy checkout are the foundations of a successful ecommerce website. According to branding expert Deanna deBara in her article for , "Web design is critical when creating an ecommerce website. Good ecommerce web design is all about using the right colors, fonts, images, words and graphics to convince visitors to make a purchase. Your ecommerce website design should attract potential customers, provide great user experience and present your shop in the best light."
Keeping all this in mind, here's what you need to know to optimize your site to engage and convert visitors to customers - and to make sure they complete their purchase instead of abandoning their shopping cart!
Have a Strong Brand Identity and Keep it Consistent
There is no brand too small to have a strong brand identity. Even if you sell only one product, you want it to shine and show its worth in the marketplace. Your brand's colors, graphic design, labeling and even tone of "voice" all go into establishing an image among your target audience of what your brand is all about, what they can expect from it and how it can provide an experience that compliments their own identity as individuals.
Obviously, this ground-level work should be done before developing your website. But once it is, making your website the logical extension of your brand will be easier - and much more successful!
Go With the Flow
Regarding the classic grid layout, the Lyfe Marketing article recommends it as "... the best for ecommerce sites, and for most sites in general. When users are browsing products, it's best to keep them in organized rows and columns. Just be careful not to cram too many different products in one row ... Keeping plenty of white space around each item gives people breathing room and allows them to clearly differentiate between products."
But Don't Forget Mobile Optimization
Less is More - Keep Website Design Simple
"When you provide too many different things for people to look at and interact with on your website, it can create a great deal of confusion. Users might not know where to look or even where to start when it comes to navigating your site. Simple website design allows you to guide users' eyes along your website with effective use of white space and clear navigation tools ... If you want to optimize your ecommerce web design for conversions, you should consider simplifying it."
Make Product Categories and Product Pages Easy to Navigate
Don't put up obstacles between your website's visitors and your products. Provide filters that allow customers to search based upon brand or category (if applicable), then drill down further according to size, color, etc. The sooner they can find what they're looking for, the more likely they are to buy. Conversely, if they have to click around as if your website is a treasure map with arcane clues, they'll be more likely to give up and go to a competitor's site.
Also, adding a Search bar will allow visitors to cut to the chase for even faster navigation to the desired product page if they already know what they want. This is especially helpful for repeat customers.
Use Color Psychology
Did you know that using the color red for the purchase button can increase conversions by an impressive 34%? Red creates excitement and a sense of urgency. Because you need visitors to trust your website before they get excited, however, incorporating blue into your color scheme can help build feelings of trust. Patel delves into the art and science of how color affects emotion (and buying decisions) in detail in his blog post, which you can read here .
Don't Forget the Shopping Cart
Make sure the shopping cart icon is prominently displayed on the upper right of the page. Also have it keep count of the items it "contains" so customers can keep track of their purchases as they continue to shop.
Tell by Showing - The Importance of High-Quality Images and Multiple Views
Give your potential customers as much of the experience of seeing your products in person as possible. This means high-quality photos, as well as (if applicable) different angles of each product - so visitors can easily see what it looks like from the sides, back or underneath. Offer zoom-in views of fine detail by allowing visitors to mouse over the item and viewing a close-up window. Providing a 360-degree video view of each product is a definite plus.
Although you're doubtlessly trying to save money, you can't afford to skimp on this area. Low-quality, low-res product photos will actually work against you. This isn't a DIY project or a favor to ask of a family member or friend who dabbles in photography. Hire a pro who specializes in product photography for the best results.
Tell by Describing - But Not Too Much
Research indicates that most website visitors only read about 20% of any given web page. They scan the text looking for key words rather than word-by-word. So forego lengthy copy and serve up the selling points in a user-friendly way. Use short sentences and paragraphs, use boldface to emphasize main points and use bullet points to list features and benefits.
How to Prevent Cart Abandonment - Improving the Checkout Process
Although it doesn't exactly fall under the category of "design," the checkout process can be the treacherous last mile of the customer's journey - and is therefore worth bringing up. Writing for his firm, , Jon MacDonald offers the following tips for optimizing your online checkout process:
Set expectations - Show visitors what to expect during checkout; use simple graphics to explain the process step-by-step.
Show progress - use a progress bar or other tool to show shoppers the steps they need to complete checkout and where they are in the process at each step.
Don't require shoppers to register before checkout - Offer a guest checkout procedure. Requiring registration is a major cause of cart abandonment.
Keep the back button functional - Many people use the browser's back button to undo an action they've taken.
Keep customers on the same domain - Directing them to another site creates suspicion - remember, you're asking them to trust you with their credit card number and other sensitive personal information.
One More Important Factor - Speed
The Take-Home Message and Our Blatant Self-Promotion
As the popularity of ecommerce continues to rapidly increase, competition is becoming more intense. A poorly designed or functioning ecommerce website is at a distinct disadvantage, and is destined to fall behind in sales. You literally can't afford to have your site be anything less than its best!
Our web development team at Virtual Stacks Systems has extensive experience in designing ecommerce websites for businesses of all sizes, in a wide variety of industries. today to learn more and get started!
