Nowadays, e-commerce websites have become very common. Due to the proliferation of the internet and due to its ease of use, chances are you’ve already visited and shopped from an e-commerce website when buying food, clothes, shoes, airline tickets – basically everything that you used to buy through stores. Regardless of what items are being bought, an e-commerce website’s design plays a big role in making easy for consumers to buy stuff online.
Internet users that have been around for more than a decade now have probably visited plenty of websites that are irritating to the eyes and is challenging to navigate, factors that lead visitors to close the window or visit a competitor’s website. These internet users might also have already encountered sites that allow adding items to their cart efficiently, only to be faced with a checkout process that almost resembles a maze. Unfortunately, these e-commerce website design flaws still exist until today, which are turning customers away and making businesses lose more money.
If you are planning to or are currently running a business, your website shouldn’t just be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, build your e-commerce website that focuses on helping customers find what they want and buy items with ease. Keep in mind that the faster it takes for your customer to select and finalize their purchases, the more likely it is to convert into a sale. When you create your e-commerce website, keep the following tips in mind:
1. Practice ‘minimalism’
Minimalist websites are known for being straightforward and having lesser design elements. Because it has a clean, uncluttered look, these websites are constantly regarded as more visually pleasing that evokes trustworthiness than websites with complicated designs.
When designing a minimalist website, make sure that all pages are consistently using the same color palettes, fonts, and are effectively using white spaces. Texts and images should have ample breathing spaces while buttons must be clearly labeled. Minimalist design can also be regarded as “less is more.” If your website e-commerce is geared towards conversions, you should definitely explore minimalist design ideas for your business.
2. Write easy to scan product descriptions
Having a complete and extensive product description for all your offerings is essential, especially if you’re considering SEO factors that will help your website rank better in SERPs. However, if your goal is to sell to your customers, writing long product descriptions might not be the best idea.
It has been found that most website visitors will only read 20% of texts on any webpage. This is probably because most online shoppers have already done their research separately and are already knowledgeable about the product they’re looking for. For you to appeal to potential buyers, make your product descriptions easy to scan through by emphasizing key information. Another effective way is to utilize icons for recurring labels.
Together with concisely writing in short paragraphs, breaking up your content and creating a variation between font sizes and text boldness also helps your content to become easy to scan.
3. Build your brand
In any business, establishing a brand is a key factor that differentiates small, easy-to-ignore businesses from businesses that your potential customers simply can’t miss. And since we’re talking about e-commerce here, a strong brand is all the more important. People would rather buy from brands they are familiar with that from an e-commerce business they know nothing about.
Your brand will also help your business gain the trust of your potential customers, so you should put careful planning when establishing your brand. Keep in mind that a brand will play a significant role in what people will think about your business and will sometimes be a deciding factor for them to transact with your business or not.
Defining your business’ brand doesn’t happen overnight. You should take your time and give careful thought when conceptualizing your brand. These questions might help you paint a picture of what you want your brand to become:
- If my brand is to become a person, who would it be?
- If I had to describe my brand in 5 words, what would these be?
- What differentiates your brand from other e-commerce websites in your industry?
- What’s your edge from your competitors?
Working with graphic artists will also be a good idea when creating a brand image, which should consist of your brand’s logo, color palette, fonts, and others.
4. Use high-quality photos
One of the most common hesitations that e-commerce shoppers have when buying online is that they can’t touch and feel the product. Their decision to proceed with their purchase rests solely on information they encounter online, as well as with the product images you put on your website – not unless they already went to a physical store and looked at the product themselves.
To address this, using high-resolution product images is an essential factor. Your pictures must be crisp and zoom-able, so your customers can have a closer look. If you have the resources, creating and uploading product videos that feature your products is also a great way to entice customers to finish their purchase online. Make sure your images don’t load up blurred or pixelated as your customers might think your products are sub-standard.
Adding a few images that show your products being used in its realistic environment will also help customers find affinity with your products.
5. Be transparent with prices
Just like when you’re shopping in a brick-and-mortar store, putting your product’s prices upfront is an excellent way to help visitors make an informed decision to buy your products or services. Be honest with the prices you’re charging to the customer – after all, if you’re confident about the quality of your products, putting a hefty price tag could even make your customers perceive your products as high-quality.
Being transparent about any other charges is a great way to build your brand’s reputation and prevent negative feedback. Make sure that you give your customers a chance to review their orders (confirm order page) and that all charges, including delivery fees, are reflected.
6. Insert view cart button
When shopping online, you might have noticed a small, cart button that’s usually in the upper corner of your browser or mobile app. This is the cart button, and it allows shoppers to have a quick look at what they’re about to buy. This simple tool is beneficial for customers as it provides a quick summary of their order together with the total amount they will be paying for.
Yee On Tea has an add and view cart buttons.
Without this icon, your customers might be confused while shopping. The absence of a cart button may also discourage them from buying more items as they will have to fulfill an order for each item they intend to buy.
Because this is a vital aspect of an e-commerce website, see to it that it stands out on your site.
7. Feature customer reviews and testimonials
Did you know that 61 percent of e-commerce website shoppers look at customer reviews before making a purchase? Which means that making it easy for them to read about what other customers have to say about a product will help them arrive at a decision faster.
To allow for a pleasing web page design convenient that incorporates customer reviews, using a star ranking system usually helps. You can also put a reviews section right under the brief description of your products.
8. Make your site responsive
We’ll keep this short: Because there are now more people browsing the web through their smartphones than those using computers, it’s essential – compulsory, even – to build a website that responds to whatever device or browser is being used for access. Make it a point to develop and design a persuasive website that works just as well when browsed through a desktop computer and a smartphone. Failing to do so might prohibit your business from attaining the growth and success it deserves.
Turning website visitors into customers
An e-commerce website’s design is a crucial aspect that subconsciously influences a visitor’s perception of your business. These tips cannot guarantee an immediate improvement in sales, but keeping these tips in mind, together with constant innovation, will eventually help your business in the long run.