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Launching your own E-commerce business is a thrilling endeavor filled with endless possibilities. But before you jump headlong into the world of online retail, there's a crucial aspect that can determine the fate of your venture: designing your E-commerce website.
Poorly designed shopping experiences can lead users to abandon their carts and seek better alternatives elsewhere. That’s why in this article, we will delve even deeper into the significance of website design and its direct impact on sales. Drawing from our extensive experience in delivering exceptional design solutions, we'll shed light on why E-commerce design is indispensable and how to build an ecommerce website.
Why Is Good Design Essential for E-commerce?
An appealing and distinctive website design has consistently been a crucial factor in achieving success with online sales and marketing endeavors. The significance of such design can be supported by several compelling insights.
- According to the WebFX marketing research, your solution’s design directly impacts 75% of your store’s credibility. Surprisingly, you have less than a second to make that crucial first impression.
- An astounding 90% of users are likely to continue their shopping journey due to an exceptional User Experience (UX).
- Statista has found that 60% of consumers rate usability as an important design characteristic for an online store.
That means perception is key, and your customer’s perception is a reality that matters. However, what constitutes good website design and how to ensure it? Keep reading to discover.
E-commerce Website Design Best Practices
The design of your E-commerce store should depend on the needs of your customers. However, certain standards are relevant across diverse industries. When building your online webstore, consider incorporating the following essential elements:
Content
In a survey conducted by Google, 85% of shoppers emphasized the significance of product information and images in influencing their purchasing decisions when choosing between brands or retailers.
High-quality and relevant content keeps visitors engaged on the E-commerce page. Engaging content, including product descriptions, videos, and customer reviews, helps shoppers better understand the products and builds trust, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversion.
In addition, well thought out content is good for SEO. Search engines often prioritize websites with valuable and informative content, leading to higher organic traffic and potential customer acquisition. So, the content with targeted keywords can enhance your E-commerce site's visibility in search engine results.
User experience
Creating a unique and emotionally engaging connection between buyers and products can significantly impact the success of the online business. You can ensure this by providing an exceptional user experience. Here are a few concepts that can help you with this.
Speed
No matter how beautiful your website is or what products and prices you offer, your potential customers will never know about it if the speed of your website is low. Based on a recent Kissmetrics infographic, more than 25% of users will abandon a page and opt for a different search result if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Slow-loading websites cost retailers $2.6 billion in lost sales each year.
Optimizing website speed enhances user satisfaction, reduces bounce rates, and improves overall conversion rates.
Visual appeal
Visual appeal is your E-commerce website's first chance to make a good impression. A successful design communicates your brand story through unified aesthetics and messaging. Choose product photos, fonts, iconography, and color schemes that resonate with your customers. Be consistent with your design to reflect a cohesive narrative, even as page layouts and features change. This builds trust, recognition, and a strong brand identity.
Easy navigation
Ensure the navigation is intuitive and helps customers find your products quickly and easily.
- Use drop-down menus with clear terms to segment products.
- For sites with numerous products, a prominent search bar on every page speeds up the search process, allowing browsing by categories and specific items.
- Ensure the cart icon is easily accessible, displaying the item count.
- Ensure a clear checkout flow that usually goes like this: shopping cart - shipping information - shipping method - billing information - payment method - confirmation.
- Create clear menu headers like "Product Category," "About Us," "Bestsellers," "Contact Us", etc., when designing your store.
Personalization
Tailor the user experience based on individual preferences and behaviors. Personalized product recommendations, targeted offers, and relevant content make users feel valued and understood. Hyper personalization takes it further. You can leverage advanced analytics and AI to offer real-time, highly relevant experiences to foster brand loyalty, boost engagement, and increase conversions.
Trust
Researchers have found that a lack of trust in a website is a factor that contributes to online consumers' reluctance to perform an online transaction. Surprisingly, the number of individuals who avoid online stores because of mistrust is notably high 一 34% of Generation Z don’t trust online stores.
So, when visitors land on your site for the first time, they need assurance that your brand is reliable, your products are of high quality, and their satisfaction is your priority. Here are some trust indicators to incorporate into your website:
- Contact information. Providing clear contact details, including an email, phone number, and mailing address, assures customers that they can easily reach out to a real person behind the business. An "About Us" page adds a human touch, giving customers insights into your brand's story and team members.
- Return policy. A transparent and customer-friendly return policy reduces shopping cart abandonment and instills confidence in potential buyers that they can return products if needed without transaction fees.
- Technical certifications. Utilizing secure payment services with the latest security technology demonstrates your commitment to protecting customers' information. Displaying badges or graphics showcasing your security compliance and accepted payment methods reinforces trust.
- Known & trusted logos. If your E-commerce website sells products from big brand names, display their logos to add prestige to your business and establish trust through affiliation with industry leaders.
- Customer testimonials. Customers trust other customers. Positive buying experiences from fellow customers validate a brand's value, effectively reducing resistance and making new potential customers more likely to consider purchasing your product.
Optimization for mobile
According to Google insights, 59% of shoppers emphasize the importance of mobile shopping capability when choosing a brand or retailer to make their purchase. A recent global survey has also discovered that 56% of in-store shoppers utilized their smartphones for shopping or researching items while physically present at a store within the past week prior to completing the survey.
So, ensure your website is user-friendly and responsive across various devices and screen sizes, whether customers browse on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet. It can open doors to a wider audience and drive significant growth for your E-commerce businesses.
For those with sufficient resources and a desire to take their mobile strategy to the next level, creating a mobile application can bring forth exciting opportunities.
Staying up-to-date with trends
Initially, E-commerce stores served as intermediaries, linking customers to sales teams. Nowadays, to gain competitive advantages, E-commerce web designs are constantly progressing and adapting to technological advancements.
These advancements include introducing interactive layouts, dynamic pages, data-driven product recommendations, advanced chatbots, mobile responsiveness, etc. These trends are favored by consumers and can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Embracing trends also demonstrates that your business is forward-thinking and committed to providing a modern and seamless online shopping experience, which can help build trust with your audience and give you a competitive edge in the market.
Bottom Line
The success of each online store starts with the website. A well-designed E-commerce website is essential for building credibility, engaging users, and increasing sales. Key elements such as high-quality content, exceptional user experience, trust indicators, mobile optimization, and staying up-to-date with design trends play crucial roles in driving E-commerce success.
If you want to develop a good E-commerce solution from scratch or embrace best E-commerce website design practices for your existing E-commerce platform, contact our experts at Emerline. With over 10 years of experience working with E-commerce solutions, we have the expertise and resources to address any challenges you may face or turn your ideas into fully functional and successful products. Book a free consultation to get started on creating a winning E-commerce website today.
