Many ecommerce websites inadvertently complicate the process of customers making a purchase, leading to frustration. This occurs when technically proficient teams build eCommerce sites without a solid understanding of effective marketing principles.
Consequently, the online shopping experience becomes burdensome, with excessive steps and forms that customers must navigate before completing a purchase. As a result, many customers become discouraged, leading to abandoned shopping carts and diminished sales.
The ecommerce industry is booming since online shopping is convenient for people. They take time to check out products and lucrative deals and place their orders. It has been predicted that the number of digital buyers will increase to above 25% of the entire population in a few years. If you are still waiting to launch your website, you can take the initiative now. But you need to be careful and practical regarding the competition you are going to face. If you are still wondering how to improve ecommerce websites, here are some elements you will need to make a successful ecommerce website.
Let’s look at the top 13 ways to ensure the great success of your ecommerce web development.
1. Choose the Right Identity for Your Online Store
To begin with, it is crucial to outline the essential steps for an ecommerce website. In a highly competitive landscape where numerous websites sell similar products and strive to capture customer attention, the question arises: how can you be different from others? Thousands of online stores are there selling out similar products. From impeccable services to grabbing customers’ attention, all you have to do is stand out.
In this scenario, the significance of minor details cannot be overlooked. For instance, when two ecommerce stores offer similar merchandise, the domain name can serve as a significant point of differentiation.
2. Align Your Website Design with Your Products
While every website should strive for an appealing and user-friendly design, it becomes even more critical for an ecommerce site to synchronize its visual aesthetics with its products.
For example, if your ecommerce store focuses on niche tech products, your website’s design should feature clean lines and digital fonts and incorporate crisp visuals or animations. A loud or cluttered design might not attract the right audience for your offerings.
On the other hand, if you specialize in casual apparel and home accessories, using bold and vibrant colors and playful fonts will better reflect your fun and lively personality.
3. Effectively Present Your Products
In physical stores, customers can see, touch, and try out products while receiving expert guidance. However, this level of interaction is not possible on an ecommerce website. It is, therefore, your responsibility to ensure that customers have all the necessary information to form an accurate understanding of the product and make informed decisions.
-Include large, high-quality images of your products.
-Provide multiple angles to enable thorough product examination.
-Ensure that the colors and sizes depicted in the images accurately represent the actual product.
In addition to images, highlight key features of the product, such as:
-Different ways it can be used.
-Tips for care and maintenance.
-The target audience for the product
-Warranty period, if applicable.
For instance, if your ecommerce store focuses on clothing, the product information should include details such as size, material, washing instructions, and brand name (in case multiple brands are available) and include a size chart due to brand variations. Including images of models wearing the clothes will help customers visualize their potential purchases more effectively. Additionally, clearly indicate any return policy restrictions for specific items.
4. Mobile Responsive Website
On average, 55% of buyers prefer shopping from mobile devices other than laptops, desktops, or computers. So, ecommerce websites are meant to be mobile responsive. You can check the websites from your phone when you are away from your workspace or home. Mobile responsiveness is a mandatory feature that your eCommerce website must have. The texts should be easy to read, and the navigational positioning should be changed as per the way the device is held. Avoid adding lots of images for better speed and keep enough space to move fingers easily.
5. Faster Loading Time
The ecommerce website you are building must have a faster loading time. You may lose most of your customers if your website takes longer than usual. That’s why you must hire a reputable ecommerce web development company for your website. When you have a slow-loading site, it may hurt your Google search rankings. Before your site goes live, do a proper test for website loading.
6. Improved Checkout Experience
Often customers leave websites just before checking out. It can happen because of the complicated checkout process, mandatory account creation, or some other reasons.
An effortless checkout process is crucial to prevent shopping cart abandonment. It is recommended to streamline your checkout into three concise steps:
- Step 1: Obtain basic information (name, email address, and phone number).
- Step 2: Gather shipping address details.
- Step 3: Collect payment information.
To offer additional convenience, consider offering customers the choice to create an account on your website. This allows you to gain valuable insights, track purchases, personalize communication, and provide tailored recommendations.
Nevertheless, it is essential to note that mandating account creation can deter certain customers, particularly first-time shoppers, who may be cautious about sharing excessive personal information. Respecting their concerns and providing a guest checkout option can prevent cart abandonment and ensure a smooth purchasing process.
7. Offer a diverse range of payment methods
Payment option is always important for ecommerce websites. Customers have individual preferences when it comes to payment options. While some may feel comfortable using credit cards, others may prefer eWallets or pay upon delivery. Factors like internet security concerns or the desire to inspect the physical product before payment can influence their choice. As a business, you must strive to accommodate all customer preferences by providing multiple reliable payment options. Following a single payment method won’t work out well if you have a huge customer base.
8. Ensure the security of your ecommerce website
Maintaining a secure environment is paramount for an ecommerce web development process. Customers entrust sensitive information like their address and credit/debit card details, and any compromise of such data can have severe consequences for them and your business.
Having a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for your website is crucial to establish a secure platform. This certificate enables the secure transmission of sensitive information, instilling confidence in customers that their private data remains protected. Additionally, the absence of the “HTTPS” (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) in your website URL can signal a lack of security, potentially deterring customers from engaging in business with you.
9. Easy access to every customer
Unless someone is shopping from an offline store, they can’t have access to any expert for suggestions or queries. So, when they come to visit your store, you must have extended help for them. An expert should be there at every step to clarify all their queries and work as a shopping assistant.
Add direct contact information to your customer care department; they should contact the consumers to eliminate doubts. You must have the links to your social media profiles so that customers can directly get in touch with the business anytime they feel like it.
10. Highlighted Contact info
Remember that nothing irritates a customer more than calling a customer care service and listening to “Please stay on line. You’re the next caller.” Initially, if you are just starting, having only an email contact form can be an option. But not the only one. There should be a mailing address and phone number where they can connect. Keep the contact info clearly presented in the footer of each page. When you have physical locations across the world, highlight the addresses so that it grabs customer attention.
11. Ask Your Customers to Publish Reviews
The recent scenario, as suggested by BigCommerce Study, states that 77% of consumers go through the product review before making a purchase, whereas 69% of purchasers require more reviews to understand the products. When customers find hundreds of positive reviews for a product, they can be assured that it is authentic, and customers prefer it for several reasons. Thus, the positive reviews serve well, and you can highlight them on your product page as well. As you set up an ecommerce website, ask your customers to provide reviews with follow-up mail after purchase.
12. Social Media Sharing
Having a social media sharing option on an ecommerce website is crucial for several compelling reasons. It significantly enhances the visibility and exposure of your brand. Social sharing allows customers to effortlessly share your products, promotions, and positive experiences with their networks.
Social media sharing serves as a modern form of word-of-mouth marketing. When customers share their purchases or recommend your brand on social media, it carries an inherent level of trust and authenticity. These personal recommendations can influence their friends, followers, and connections, creating new opportunities for customer acquisition.
Moreover, social media sharing provides social proof and credibility. User-generated content showcasing positive experiences with your brand serves as testimonials and builds trust among customers. Social media sharing offers the potential for viral marketing. If a product or promotion gains traction on social media, it can generate widespread exposure, engagement, and organic reach. This can lead to a surge in website traffic, brand awareness, and increased sales.
By integrating social sharing options, you can facilitate seamless transitions from social media referrals to actual sales, tapping into the purchasing power of social media-driven commerce.
13. Include a CTA Button
CTA, or Calls-to-action is one of the most essential parts of an ecommerce website. A call-to-action button must be there on every web page. The purpose can be providing the customers with the knowledge or leading them to purchase. Primary CTAs should be there to influence your customers. It can be adding an item to the shopping cart, signing up for a regular subscription, or completing a purchase. So, CTA helps an ecommerce customer understand what the journey to the next step looks like.
Final Words
It is crucial to employ a digital team with technical and digital marketing skills to address this issue. Above all, the team should comprehend the essential elements of online sales, such as creating a highly user-friendly website, establishing trust within the initial seconds of a visitor’s arrival, showcasing products prominently with impressive imagery, and minimizing the barriers and steps required for making a purchase. These measures ensure shoppers can easily find what they desire and complete their purchases with just a few simple clicks.
