Are you taking your business online and creating an ecommerce site? Congratulations! That’s a huge step for your company. Launching an ecommerce site is an amazing way to grow your business. However, you have to do more than just build the site and have products for sale.
Online shopping is extremely competitive. In order to make your own ecommerce site stand out, it’s necessary to have the essentials that make a shop a success. Remember, the success of your site is also determined by the type of experience customers have on the site.
We’ve created a list of essentials that must be included for your ecommerce site to be a success. Let’s get started!
1). Create an Amazing Experience for Online Shoppers
When online shopping first began, most customers were buying from their main computer. However, in the last few years, more people are choosing to make purchases via their mobile devices. This means when a customer reaches an ecommerce site, they may be using a smartphone, tablet, or even their main computer. For this reason, an ecommerce site needs to use responsive design, which is mobile-friendly.
Mobile responsive means your website will be rendered perfectly on most devices. This provides shoppers with the same experience, no matter which device they use.
- To make sure your online store is set up to give shoppers a great experience, use these tips:
- Keep mobile navigation easy to use
- Ensure checkout cart functions are easy to manage on a mobile device
- Keep the mobile version of your site simple by using clear links and CTA buttons
- Make buttons and navigation large enough so a finger/thumb can easily tap them
- Images should be optimised for mobile (make sure images look great on retina displays)
2). Clear Design & Intuitive Navigation
Nothing puts a customer off faster than a poorly designed site and difficult navigation. An online store should make the experience pleasant and easy for a customer to browse, make a decision, and then complete the sale.
For this reason, your site needs clear product categories and navigation that’s simple and fast. For instance, use labels that make sense to your customers.
Use these tips to make your site more organised and easy to navigate:
- Be clear on what is a category and what is an attribute
- If the site’s too big, then simply it
- The site’s most important pages should be in the main navigation
- Do user testing to find which labels are best for your site’s navigation
3). Create an Easy Checkout Process
Did you know the checkout process could be a major factor in lost conversions? If the process is difficult, you could lose up to 2/3 of the customers who want to make a purchase and find the checkout process difficult. That’s a major blow to your revenues.
To increase conversions and make more sales, follow these tips:
- Have a large “checkout button”
- Ensure pages load quickly, especially on mobile
- Make it easy for customers to edit cart contents
- Clearly show shipping costs
- Don’t present unexpected costs at checkout
- Show images of products in the cart
- Display security logos
- Keep the checkout process simple, with less clutter
- Make contacting support easy
4). Keep the “Shopping as a Guest” Function
When customers are done shopping and ready to order, the last thing they want to do is sign up for an account. If a customer is faced with yet another hurdle to make a purchase, they will abandon the cart.
For these reasons, make sure your site offers the ability to “shop as a guest.” This will help keep distractions to a minimum, and customers will go ahead and make a purchase.
5). High-Quality Product Images
Product images are a huge part of the online shopping experience. The right images can help an online shopper decide to make a purchase.
Follow these tips for product images:
- Make sure all images are high-quality and have good lighting
- Provide customers the option to see the product in context or being used (this helps the customer related to the experience of buying the item themselves)
- Use a gallery of images to show various features of a product
- Allow customers to zoom in to see a more detailed version of the product image
6). Provide Detailed Product Descriptions
Accurate, detailed product descriptions can make the difference between a customer making a purchase or not. What’s more, a detailed description of the product also helps customers make the right decision on purchasing a product. This can cut down the number of disappointed customers, as well as returns.
So, make sure product descriptions are detailed and informative. Include information such as:
- Texture
- Colours
- Dimensions/weight
- Clothing size
- Materials or fabrics used for the products
- Warranties
7). Have Clear Returns Policy
The best outcome is a customer happy with a product; however, it can happen the customer wishes to return the item. However, some online shops don’t have a return policy that’s easily understood. In that case, customers may not feel confident about making a purchase.
So, make sure your return policy is:
- Clearly stated and easy to understand
- Make the policy easy to find
- Don’t include hidden return costs. Be explicit and clear about costs if there are any involved.
- Make it clear whether the return is for cash, exchange, or credit
8). Put Bestselling Products on the Homepage
Many online customers are curious to know which products are selling best across an ecommerce site. For one thing, they’re curious, but they may also be shopping for an item that’s a bestseller. Making it easy for customers to find the bestselling products means you can make more sales.
What’s more, including the bestsellers on the homepage also helps shoppers find what they want faster. Then they don’t have to waste time browsing. Instead, they see what they want and buy it. It can be that simple to make a sale.
9). Contact Information
Another challenge for shoppers is finding the contact information or a way to leave feedback on their purchase. When the contact information isn’t easy to find, a customer’s trust may be sacrificed. This means you could miss a sale.
Having your business contact information easy to find gives your company credibility and makes the business look more trustworthy. Both of these are important to savvy online shoppers.
10). Price Filters
This is another function that many ecommerce sites use to help customers find products in a specific price range. Customers have come to expect this functionality on ecommerce sites.
So, be sure to include a price filter for your site and keep the pricing details transparent and easy to understand. There should be no hidden charges. This is another way to help customers feel they can trust your company and make them more comfortable making a purchase on the site.
Summing It Up
Your online store needs to have the functionality that customers expect. Your shop also needs to be mobile-friendly and responsive, so it works across a large number of devices. The goal of your design is to make shopping easy for customers while making them feel confident they can trust your business and products.
Following the tips in this article will ensure your online store is ready for customers and makes their experience as pleasant and easy as possible.
