It comes as no surprise that e-commerce sales are increasing year after year. eMarketer estimates that online retail sales will reach USD6.17 trillion by 2023 with e-commerce websites accounting for 22.3% of total retail sales. In Australia, the country is ranked as the 11th largest e-commerce market in the world, with revenue expected to reach USD32.3 billion by 2024.
Obviously, a lot of money is spent online. More and more consumers are choosing e-commerce shopping online instead of conventional brick-and-mortar shopping. And as a new e-commerce business owner, you might be wondering how you can reach those customers.
E-commerce website design is a great place to start. What you want is a website that is attractive, simple and easy to use for customers. This, in turn, makes purchasing easy for them.
Effective e-commerce Website Design
There are recognised best practices for most websites that can assist you in having a useful and functional site. However, e-commerce websites are distinct. They must manage merchandise, process payments, and provide an easy-to-use shopping interface. And businesses must work harder to overcome the inherent uncertainties of the internet in order to entice customers to part with their hard-earned money. Nonetheless, e-commerce websites must follow a unique set of standards than regular websites. And the first step toward that goal is a clutter-free design.
1. Simplicity is key
Simplicity is ideal when it comes to e-commerce website design. While it is tempting to add more features or interactive graphics to a website, doing so can overwhelm your visitors and drive them away. Nobody wants to go through a million popups, browse through 5 pages of content, or find a navigation menu that does not exist. Such design flaws result in lost customers, which leads to lost sales.
If you want to improve the conversion rate of your e-commerce website, consider streamlining it. Consider your design as if you were the end user. Would you become frustrated when navigating? Would you find it difficult to navigate your website? Can you find everything you need in just one or two clicks? Are menus and buttons labeled clearly and legibly? All of these things should be considered when designing your online store.
Minimalist websites frequently outperform visually complicated ones. The easier it is for someone to shop with you, the more likely it is that they will complete the transaction process and give you a sale.
Other simple design elements include:
- Easily digestible content
- Simple and easy-to-read fonts
- Consistent color palette
- Easily identifiable navigation elements
- Easy to navigate product categories
2. Provide Clear Navigation
If you walk into a crowded store where the shelves are overflowing with merchandise and there is no apparent order, you would probably leave. That is not an enjoyable shopping experience. An e-commerce site with poor navigation equates to a cluttered, disorganised store.
Keeping in mind the minimalist design, navigation is frequently an area where users feel confused and choose to exit a site. With bad navigation, finding what a customer needs can become a daunting endeavour, especially when a site offers a broad selection of things (e.g. Myer or Woolworths).
You may considerably improve the user experience you provide by keeping your menu clean and orderly. Create an orderly, tiered structure with only a few primary categories at the top (home page) to make it easy for your customers to discover your products. Likewise, make sure that your product pages are also clearly organised as you don’t want your users to get lost when they have almost found your desired product. Consumers like the opportunity to find exactly what they’re searching for without having to wade through irrelevant information. Including a search box on your site enables visitors to begin a targeted search for the item or service they’re looking for right away. There’s no need to sift through multiple layers of menus; simply input your search criteria and go.
3. Use Quality Photos and Videos
Modern e-commerce website design typically demands high-quality photographs and videos. The more accurate you represent your products, the more users will prefer shopping to your online store. This includes large, high-resolution images, 360-degree views, videos, and 3D models.
Sometimes, a customer wants to see a product in action before deciding whether or not to buy it. Images boost conversion rates by up to 40%, so it’s vital to put them front and center. They pique the client’s interest and make them want to learn more. Some consumers believe that low-quality images indicate that a store does not care about making an effort to sell, therefore they are more inclined to find another that does. Customers want to know exactly what they’re buying and see it from as many perspectives as possible before making a purchase. Clean, professional product images develop trust. That is why your online store should focus primarily on your photos and images.
4. Use Social Proof
It’s no secret that many smart shoppers look for customer reviews before making any kind of purchase. According to Dimensional Research, 90 percent of consumers value internet reviews more than sales professionals’ feedback. Meanwhile, Spiegel Research Center research published a 2017 report saying that 95 percent of customers examine online reviews before making a purchase.
Include a rating system in your e-commerce website design so that customers may rate your products (and then get as many 5-star reviews as you can). Obviously, aim to get as many positive ones as possible. Request that customers review your products and tell you what they like about them before posting them on your blog. Provide assurance to your visitors that you are a trustworthy and credible business. Your conversions will increase as a result.
5. Keep Checkout Easy
Make it easy for your customers to complete the checkout process. You put a lot of time and effort into investing in a website that takes customers to their destination. Make sure they get through it. Shopping cart abandonment is one of the biggest complaints of online businesses. With an average dropout rate of 69.57%, it is well worth trying to reduce this number,
Customers will be more motivated to complete the task if you provide a progress bar or explain the remaining tasks. The entire process should be laid out, from the delivery details to the available shipping options to the credit card number. Show them a preview of the products in the cart with a description so they can review what they’re buying. Make them fill out as few data fields as possible with only the information that is required. When they completed their order, send your customers to a confirmation page to ensure that their transaction went smoothly.
In short, make the checkout process as simple as possible if you want customers to buy from you.
Conclusion
A well-executed e-commerce website design can elevate your online store to the next level. It provides the ideal platform for you to develop a brand, engage with target clients, and sell products or services that bring value to their lives. Good e-commerce web design is crucial when you want to convert website visitors into customers – but only if you have a website design that caters to the preferences of all types of customers.
Online businesses like yours should avoid losing a lot of customers due to poor website design. Consider hiring a professional e-commerce website design company such as Creativ Digital. We’ve designed and improved over a thousand websites in Sydney and across Australia. We’d love to add yours to the list!
