A well-built eCommerce website opens up a world of opportunities for businesses, allowing them to reach more customers and increase sales in ways that traditional brick-and-mortar stores couldn’t even dream of. But building a high-performing online store isn’t easy. The best eCommerce websites require careful planning, creative thinking and the right tools.
You may be an online store just starting out or an experienced business looking to maximize your existing store’s performance. Either way, you can use this blog to build an online store that succeeds in the long run.
In this blog, we cover:
• Why Invest in Your eCommerce Website Design
• Tips To Maximize Your Online Store’s Performance
• It’s All About the User Experience
• Next Moves: Start Building Conversion-Driven eCommerce Websites With Thrive
Why Invest in Your eCommerce Website Design
You can’t just grab a template from the internet and expect your online store to perform well. If you want it to look professional, meet customer expectations and generate results for your business, it’s crucial to invest in quality design.
First Impressions Matter
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and that couldn’t be truer in the eCommerce world. Your eCommerce site design is the first interaction a customer has with your business, setting the tone for their entire eCommerce user experience.
“Whether it’s slow-load time, poor navigation/content organization, lack of/low-quality imagery, obtrusive pop-ups, unnecessary steps in the check-out flow, or exorbitant shipping fees, there are many ways in which an [eCommerce] site’s design can turn a prospective sale into an abandoned cart,” said Danielle Russell, Thrive’s Senior Manager for Paid Media
Think about it: What would you do if you landed on a website with an outdated design or one that’s difficult to navigate? You’d likely click away and find another business that’s easier to use.
Conversion-focused eCommerce web design services can help you avoid this. With a professional design team, you’ll be able to create a visually appealing interface that draws customers in and makes them want to explore your store further.
Credibility Comes From the Design
Your website’s design is a reflection of your business. Poor eCommerce web design leads to customers questioning your credibility and the quality of your products. On the other hand, a professional and well-designed website instills confidence in customers.
In today’s digital age, where customers are spoiled for choice, “It’s important to take into account the full user experience. From years of shopping on user-first designed sites like Amazon, consumers expect a seamless experience,” Russell said.
People (and Search Engines) Just Love Good Design
Good eCommerce web design is a combination of technical expertise and understanding human preferences. When done right, it not only makes for a great eCommerce user experience but also helps you get noticed by search engines.
The most successful marketing strategies for eCommerce businesses always include a well-designed website. Customers want to find the products they need quickly and easily. Similarly, search engines only want the best websites on their first page. A good design helps them do this.
Elements That Captivate eCommerce Shoppers
Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s look at some elements that make for a great eCommerce website.
Seamless Navigation and Search Functionality
This one is self-explanatory. Customers should be able to find the products they’re interested in quickly and easily. If they can’t, you could lose them. After all, “navigation and product organization are critical because they act as the “store aisles,” which help guide shoppers to the products they’re seeking,” Russell said.
Just take a look at Amazon’s website. Not only is it easy to navigate, but it also has helpful filters and search options that make it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for. This makes for a much better eCommerce UX and encourages customers to stick around longer.
Mobile Responsiveness
Ask around, and you’ll find that most people shop online on their phones. This means that having a mobile-responsive website is absolutely essential if you want to compete in the eCommerce world.
Make sure your eCommerce site design can adjust its layout to fit any device – desktop, tablet or smartphone – so customers have a consistent experience no matter what they’re using.
A good rule of thumb is to test your website on different browsers and devices before you launch it. This helps you identify any potential issues with the eCommerce web design upfront and make the necessary changes.
Simple, Safe and Convenient Checkout Pages
Imagine finding the perfect product only to find out that the checkout page is complicated and confusing. This can be enough to induce shopping cart abandonment and urge customers to look elsewhere.
Instead, design a safe and secure checkout page that’s easy to use. Ensure all the fields are clearly labeled so customers know exactly what they need to fill out before completing their purchase. If you’re using a third-party payment processor, such as PayPal or Stripe, ensure it’s properly integrated with your website so customers don’t have to jump through hoops just to finish their order.
Bad checkout experience increases your shopping cart abandonment rate and can put a dent in your bottom line.
Customer Reviews, Ratings and Testimonials
You don’t want to be the kind of business that makes wild promises and never delivers. Having customer reviews, ratings and testimonials on your website helps build trust and credibility with potential customers.
“Shoppers want to know that the product they’re about to buy is as good as it looks in the pictures,” Russell said.
“If an eCommerce business is selling a quality product at a fair price, then there should be no hesitation to include shopper reviews with images if possible.”
Make sure the review system is easy to use so customers can leave their feedback without too much hassle.
“This type of shopper-generated content goes a long way to instill confidence and persuade shoppers to purchase,” Russell added.
eCommerce web design companies specialize in creating custom eCommerce websites that showcase your best reviews and ratings to boost customer confidence.
High-Quality Product Photography
For product-based businesses, good photography is essential. You don’t need to be a professional photographer, but having great pictures of your products will certainly help you make more sales.
“High-quality, high-res images of all product angles, packaging and reference images for size and scale are a must,” Russell said.
“Depending on the product category, lifestyle images (of product in-use) or images that show details, fit and textile textures can also be differentiators in helping shoppers select the right items.”
Ideally, you should invest in professional photos – if your budget allows it. But if not, at least try to take clear, detailed shots that capture the product from different angles. These marketing strategies for eCommerce give customers a better idea of what they’re buying and help them decide whether it’s worth their money or not.
For service-based businesses, high-quality images are equally important. Invest in professional photos of your team and the office space so potential customers can see the people behind your business.
Clear and Transparent Pricing
Online stores like those in Shopify work just like traditional stores – customers must know how much they’re spending before committing. You don’t want people feeling surprised or cheated when it comes time for the checkout page.
Russell listed some factors you must consider when developing your pricing strategy:
• Omni-channel pricing strategy
• Channel exclusivity
• Whether to include free shipping and if there’s a minimum purchase strategy
• MAP policies, deals and discounts
“The main goal here is for the online retailer to maintain a healthy profit margin while the shopper feels she’s getting a good value for her money,” Russell said.
Ensure all your prices are clearly listed on each product page and that any discounts, promos or shipping costs are easy to spot. eCommerce marketing strategies that hide costs until the last minute don’t create trust, leading to abandoned shopping carts.
Tips To Maximize Your Online Store’s Performance
It’s not enough to know which elements to include in your eCommerce website. You must also understand how to optimize them for maximum performance and sales.
Here’s a checklist of eCommerce site design best practices to help get you started.
Tip #1: Don’t Forget the Keywords
From product descriptions, homepage content and blog posts, ensure you sprinkle the right keywords throughout your website. Well-crafted search engine optimization (SEO) eCommerce marketing strategies can do wonders for your website’s visibility and traffic.
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the best keywords for your niche. Don’t get too zealous about keywords, though. Stuffing your content with too many keywords can backfire and get you penalized by search engines.
Investing in professional eCommerce web design services ensures your website is SEO-friendly and optimized for organic search.
Tip #2: Use Website Data
An eCommerce store can only get so far with aesthetics and design. You also need data to track customer behavior, sales performance and website traffic. This data can inform what design to use, when to use them and how you should tweak them to increase conversions.
However, “while it can be tempting to include pop-ups requesting emails and phone numbers, use these sparingly as shoppers lose patience and interest when bombarded with too many upsells and requests for personal information,” Russell warned.
Tools like Google Analytics help you understand your customer’s journey and make the necessary changes to improve your website’s performance. The best eCommerce websites use data to back up their decisions, so ensure you have something in place to measure and analyze customer behavior.
Russell said that “your website is never truly complete,” meaning it needs to be constantly tweaked, updated and improved.
If you don’t know how to use these tools, then outsourcing to eCommerce web design companies is the fastest way to get the job done. They provide you with all the data analysis and metrics you need to make informed decisions on design optimization.
Tip #3: Choose the Right Domain Name
You’re walking down the street, and you see a shop with a cool name. Would you go inside? Likely yes. The same thing applies to your eCommerce store.
Your domain name is the first thing customers will see when visiting your website. Make sure it’s captivating and easy to remember so people are more likely to remember it and come back for future purchases.
Make sure it also reflects who you are and what your business does. Your marketing strategies for eCommerce success could depend on it!
Tip #4: Optimize Your Product Pages
They’re the beating heart of your eCommerce store, so it’s essential to ensure they’re up-to-date and optimized for eCommerce UX. Include well-written product descriptions that give customers an idea of what the products are like.
List all their features, dimensions, materials and more so your shoppers understand what they’re buying and encourage them to buy more. You should also use images that accurately reflect your products so customers know exactly what they’re getting when they check out.
We also recommend putting a reviews section on each product page. This allows customers to see what other people think about the product, reassuring them and increasing their chances of making a purchase.
Tip #5: Make Your Website Fast
eCommerce website design isn’t all about what you see. It’s also about how quickly you can get what you need. Nothing frustrates eCommerce shoppers more than a slow website that takes forever to load pages or process orders.
Website speed goes hand-in-hand with updating your website; that’s why Russell recommends refraining from cutting corners and investing in “a fully integrated platform that will not only provide an excellent shopping experience, but also connect via API to your existing business systems for conversion tracking, CRM, inventory management, shipping and accounting.”
Invest in good hosting and optimize your website for maximum speed. This keeps customers engaged and increases the chances of them completing a purchase instead of giving up halfway through because it takes too long.
Takeaway: It’s All About the User Experience
At the end of the day, it’s all about the eCommerce user experience. How quickly and easily can customers navigate your website, find what they need and make a purchase? Russell advises that you should “anticipate their needs and keep them in mind through every step of the purchase journey.”
After all, your eCommerce shoppers are the ones that keep your business running. Pay close attention to their needs and create an eCommerce website design that caters to them. While there are tons of eCommerce marketing strategies out there, it all comes down to delivering the best user experience that you can.
Start Building Conversion-Driven eCommerce Websites With Thrive
Building a website for your business is like painting the walls of a house. You can pick out beautiful colors and designs, but if you don’t do it right, then the entire structure may suffer in the end.
At Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, we understand this concept – that’s why our team works tirelessly to create the best eCommerce websites that are both aesthetically pleasing and built with customers’ needs in mind. We use data-backed insights to design user interfaces that make shopping easy and enjoyable, helping drive more sales for large and small businesses.
Let us help you transform your online store into an optimized powerhouse today.
