Best Practices for Ecommerce Website Design
Caity Lavelle | April 8, 2022
There’s no denying that eCommerce website design is a critical element of any online business’s success. After all, your website is often the first impression potential customers will have of your business. That’s why it’s important to make sure your website is easy to use and navigate, and visually appealing and engaging. Unfortunately, designing an effective eCommerce website can be a daunting task with many aspects to consider.
Statistically, 38% of people will stop using the website if its layout or design is unattractive. In addition, most research shows that most internet users regard web design as the most critical factor in determining the credibility of a business. Therefore, there are guidelines that you should consider to ensure that your website is well equipped to provide a positive customer experience, thereby boosting conversions. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of best practices that the best eCommerce web design agencies follow.
What Are Some of the Best Practices for Ecommerce Website Development?
Make navigation easy
Professional eCommerce web designer agencies understand that the most important aspect of eCommerce web design is navigation. Your customers should be able to easily find what they’re looking for on your website without getting frustrated or lost. To ensure smooth navigation, it’s essential to keep the following points in mind:
Use a simple, clean design and avoid clutter and confusing menus.
Organise your products into categories and subcategories.
Include a search bar so customers can quickly find specific items.
Use clear and concise labelling for all menus and links.
Make sure all links work correctly and lead to the correct pages.
Use high-quality images
Another essential element of eCommerce website design is visuals. After all, potential customers can’t physically see or touch the products you’re selling. So, it’s critical to give them a clear idea of what they’re buying. High-quality product images are essential for providing this information. When selecting product photos, use clear, well-lit images that show the item from multiple angles. You may also want to consider using lifestyle shots to give customers an idea of how the product is used in real life. In addition, make sure all image files are optimised for web loading times.
Incorporate customer reviews
Including customer reviews on your eCommerce website is a great way to build trust and credibility with potential buyers. These reviews can come from various sources, such as social media, product review websites, and your website. When displaying customer reviews on your website, use a credible source and include positive and negative reviews. This will give potential customers a well-rounded view of your products and help them make informed purchase decisions.
Offer multiple payment options
Giving customers multiple payment options is another important aspect of eCommerce website design. After all, not everyone prefers to pay with a credit card. By offering alternative payment methods, such as PayPal or Apple Pay, you can make it easy for everyone to complete their purchase. In addition to offering multiple payment options, it’s also important to ensure that your checkout process is secure and user-friendly. Be sure to include clear instructions and labelling and a progress indicator so customers know how many steps they have left in the checkout process.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to make sure your eCommerce website is mobile-friendly. With most people now using smartphones and other mobile devices to access the internet, your website must be easily viewed and navigated on these smaller screens. To create a mobile-friendly eCommerce website, you’ll need to use responsive design techniques. This means your website will automatically adjust to fit any screen size, whether it’s a desktop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. In addition, be sure to use larger fonts and buttons to make it easy for mobile users to click on links and navigate your website.
Provide customer support
If a potential customer has questions or problems, they should be able to find the information or assistance they need quickly. There are a few different ways to provide customer support, such as:
Including an FAQ section on your website
Offering live chat support
Provide a telephone number or email address for customers to contact you
Creating detailed product descriptions and videos
By offering quality customer support, you can build trust with potential buyers and encourage them to complete their purchases.
Use positive UI/UX design techniques
The goal of any website is to provide a positive user experience (UX) for visitors. This means creating an easy-to-use navigation bar with clear and concise information. By using positive UX design techniques, you can create an eCommerce website that is user-friendly and visually appealing.
What Should You Know Before Starting an eCommerce Business?
A significant shift is taking place in the world of eCommerce, and it is levelling the ground for innovative and forward-thinking entrepreneurs all over the world. Retailers are going online to adapt to changing consumer habits and a pandemic that has forced the closure of many physical storefronts. However, getting started online can be difficult, so here are some pointers to help you build a successful e-commerce business.
Act now and get started
Building your online business may be simpler than you think. Platforms like Shopify are intended for nontechnical users because they require no coding or website design skills. Some platforms also allow you to customise how your store looks and feels and use apps to improve its functionality. You can choose to sell your products or source products from other suppliers and use a drop-ship model to avoid the hassle and risk of inventory holding. Drive targeted traffic to your store.
Increase the order value on average
It’s a good idea to concentrate on the average order value. This is calculated by dividing total revenue by total orders. So, suppose you have a customer who is about to purchase, or has recently purchased a product. You can present them with a second offer that includes more of the same, or you can suggest a similar item at a reduced price.
Don’t underestimate the power of email marketing
Now that you’ve started to build an email list of subscribers, social media followers, and buyers, it’s time to turn that list into a powerful monthly money-making machine.
Create a genuine brand
Many new eCommerce store owners do not treat their business like a “real” business, and as a result, they may ship products of lower quality and with longer shipping times. As you might expect, not only do customers dislike this but they are also unlikely to buy from the seller again. In this situation, the seller also risks chargebacks, refunds, and possibly losing their merchant processing account. Find great suppliers who ship quickly and build customer satisfaction and loyalty, and only sell products that you would use yourself. It is far less expensive to keep existing customers than to find new ones. Your customers will eventually become your most valuable marketing resource.
Final Thoughts
Creating a fantastic eCommerce customer experience is the outcome of hiring an eCommerce web design marketing agency that follows only the best web design practices. If you want to test which website can drive more results for your business, you can create two websites, one responsive and the other non-responsive. At Marketing Sweet, we can help you implement eCommerce web design best practices to boost your brand online. We understand that your website’s aesthetic factors are essential, and appreciate the importance of the user experience for the success of your business.
An eCommerce designer should be good at putting themselves in the potential customer’s shoes and designing a website that can suit what the customers are looking for, no matter the industry. With actual data and research, Marketing Sweet can help you choose what will make your audience want to buy from you and not from a competitor with similar products. Mobile optimisation is a crucial factor that contributes to user experience in your business’s online marketing. You can achieve an incredible looking eCommerce website that is easily accessible via mobile phones, desktops, tablets, and other devices with our eCommerce web developer firm.