eCommerce is on fire. The acceleration to buying online accelerated tremendously in the last year. Data from IBM reports that the pandemic boosted this shift by around five years. Even older generations or non-digital natives adopted it, and many won’t revert to their pre-COVID shopping behaviors. That means if you’re a retailer, your eCommerce website must meet the expectations of buyers. But what are the essential elements of designing an eCommerce website?
Our website design experts weighed in on the question, creating this list to help you build or redesign your current eCommerce property.
Clean and Modern Design
Your eCommerce website needs to be minimalist. Designs that are too busy distract from your product, which could mean fewer conversions. A simple design typically leads to faster page loading, which is essential for eCommerce shopping, as visitors will quickly abandon your site if it’s not performing.
Easy Navigation
Can your visitors find what they need without a zillion clicks? You want to guide your customer most logically, and a good user experience starts with easy navigation. Some key points to consider:
- Main navigation should be at the top and follow a convention that aligns with the buyer journey on your site.
- Product categories should make sense to the shopper with sub-categories underneath. For example, if you sell phone cases, it makes sense to have categories by type of phone. The sub-category could be model-specific.
- Search and filtering are another must-have in navigation. The search should be inclusive of every product or page. Filtering within a category should have options related to products like size or color.
High-Quality Product Images
Online buyers are savvier than ever, and they are very mindful of the way products look on the screen. Pixelated, low-quality images will make them bounce right out of your site. So, make sure that your pictures are professional-grade and show different angles.
The picture itself matters but doesn’t require expensive equipment. It’s about how you edit and post it. We use a tool like Elementor on WordPress websites for fine-tuning, layout configuration, and color correction for every product shot.
Since more people are shopping at home, many brands have added augmented reality (AR) options so buyers can “see” what that couch would look like in their room. Others, like clothing brands, are using quick videos in image carousels to show how the garment looks in motion.
Checkouts that Don’t Make Buyers Check Out
Once something is in a shopper’s cart, that doesn’t always mean they’ll follow through. There are lots of stats on cart abandonment, with the average being around 69.8%. That leads to over $18 billion in lost sales for eCommerce businesses.
While many factors influence cart abandonment, a complex checkout is one you have the power to improve. Here are some ways to reduce friction in checkout:
- Collect the least amount of information (i.e., be sure that a buyer can check that their shipping and billing address are the same).
- Provide an option to create an account or continue as a guest.
- Allow users to store payment information for future shopping.
- Minimize or reduce the header and footer to remove distractions.
- Keep it simple by outlining the steps to checkout.
- Use data validation for addresses to speed up the process and reduce errors.
- Allow for different payment options like digital wallets.
Ensure Important Information Is Accessible
Finally, your customers will find your website easy to use and your brand reliable if you provide information on ordering, shipping, and returns. Set expectations early so there isn’t frustration later. In addition, make it easy for shoppers to ask questions with instant chat.
Designing an eCommerce Website: Get the Expertise to Boost Your Sales
If you’re designing an eCommerce website, it’s much more complex than a standard one because of transactions and security. How it looks and works is critical, too. Don’t go it alone! Tap our team to create a website that will deliver a great user experience and more revenue.
