5 Essentials Your E-Commerce Website Needs

27 Mar 5 Essentials Your E-Commerce Website Needs

More and more consumers are discovering the joy of online shopping. From the comfort of your living room (and your pajamas, if you choose), you can shop to your heart’s content without having to trek from store to store. Understandably, e-commerce websites are becoming more commonplace. In fact, research firm Ipsos reports that 61% of all global Internet users research products online. So whether you’re a corporate chain or a niche designer, you’ll be missing out by not selling your products online.

That being said, not just any website design will do. To successfully sell online, you need attractive web design that fits your brand and allows visitors to have a positive experience. Let’s take a closer look at the five essential web design components of e-commerce websites:

1. 1. Mobile Optimization
      The reality is that many consumers do the bulk of their online shopping from their smartphones, rather than from their laptops or desktops. It’s simply easier and allows them to shop from anywhere. That’s actually to your advantage, but if you don’t have a mobile friendly website, you’re going to alienate a lot of potential customers (and you’ll likely make Google unhappy in the process). You should actually consider the user experience on mobile before you think about what PC and laptop users see. You’ll need to ensure the navigation, checkout cart, and images are clear and functional and that the experience is equal to (or better than) the website visitors see on their computer screen.

1. 1. Uncluttered Design
      Your web design should be clear and uncluttered for both mobile and web users. Remember that white space is actually a good thing in e-commerce web design. It will make your site look clean and inviting. On the other end of the spectrum, poorly placed images and ads or odd font and color choices will be a real turn-off to visitors. Keep things simple and make sure the design reflects your brand. And unless you’re trying to be ironic, don’t add website music, weird cursors, or autoplay videos. It will end up annoying and overwhelming your customers, which won’t translate into orders.

1. 1. User-Friendly Navigation
      Not only should the look of your site be clean, but the navigation should be, too. The structure of your web design should make sense to users, so don’t try to be unique just for the sake of it. If your customers can’t figure out how to view a product or add it to their cart, they’re not going to make a purchase. Take note of other e-commerce sites you feel work well and emulate these in your structural design. When in doubt, less is more — but don’t leave out important categories or features like a search bar.

1. 1. Easy Check-Out
      Above all, you need to make sure the online shopping cart works and the check-out process goes smoothly. If a customer adds items to their cart and then encounters issues at checkout, they’re likely to abandon the endeavor entirely, which completely negates any efforts you’ve made to get more web traffic. Make sure it’s easy to edit cart contents and to make those products clickable. Include images of the products in the cart and emphasize that checkout button. You’ll also want to be clear about shipping costs and any other applicable fees so that customers aren’t surprised at the final step of the process. Offering a drop-down menu for shipping options can help, as can options like PayPal. Make the process simple and check frequently to ensure it goes off without a hitch.

1. Great photos and descriptions
   This should go without saying, but you need to have clear, attractive photos for the products you’re selling. If you have poor quality photos, that sends a certain message to website visitors and they won’t be likely to purchase. Adding a zoom-in option is always a great idea. In addition, your descriptions should be accurate, enticing, and just as importantly, SEO friendly. And if you’re using an old company logo or don’t have one at all, you should invest in professional logo design, stat.

Need high-quality web design for your e-commerce business? On Top Visibility can take your site to the next level. For more info, contact us today.