Ecommerce websites have revolutionized the way people market and shop. Since its advent ecommerce sales and revenue has scaled new heights with the passage of time. Just last year the ecommerce industry generated around 3.5 trillion USD in sales. The ecommerce industry is expected to rise to a staggering 6.54 trillion USD by 2022 in sales and revenue. As internet penetration and accessibility increased over the years, more and more people are buying products online with the help of just a few clicks.
Many factors depend on the success of an ecommerce company but an impressive ecommerce web design holds the key to success. If you look around every successful ecommerce company has built its business and held onto customers because of an excellent ecommerce website.
Let us look into the key aspects which make a particular ecommerce website better than the other.
1. Think like a User
One of the main cornerstones while building an effective web design is to keep the user in mind and think like them. After all the website is being built for customers which can come and shop. Every single detail of the website right from image quality to check out, the entire process should be easy and hassle free. User experience is vital to increase visitors, turn those visitors into customers and finally turn those customers into a loyal customer base for your home-based business.
2. Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication
The above aphorism is credited to Leonardo Da Vinci. Make sure to keep these words in mind while deciding on the design of the ecommerce site. Many a times an ecommerce website fails to convert the clicks into conversions and it all comes down to the basic design and layout.
The more elements like banner ads, tabs, pop-ups you have on your website the lesser customer engagement will be. Do not offer a cluttered ecommerce experience where the visitor finds it hard to navigate and will simply leave the site. Keep the design clean, clear and simple while focusing on the conversions and sales.
3. Integrating Social Media Reviews/Testimonials
As per a research by Neilsen, it is found that around 73% people check social media product reviews and testimonials while deciding to buy a product. As an ecommerce company you can use this to your advantage by including product reviews and testimonials along with the product listings.
Social media customer reviews are a good way to promote products and increase conversions and sales. By integrating these reviews you can help the visitor know about the public opinion without having to leave the website and abandoning the purchase cycle in between.
4. User Friendly Navigation Menu
Navigation menu helps visitors to explore the entire website from one section to the other. Make sure that menu tabs appear on all the pages of the website for maximum user friendliness. Avoid loading up the menu bar with too many options as it can confuse the visitors and be difficult to navigate. If in case there are multiple categories and options, just use a simple drop-down menu style rather than making it cluttered and confusing for the visitor.
5. Image Quality and Colour Choice
Ecommerce is all about the visual presentation of products. As the customers cannot physically see the products, it is of utmost importance to use high quality product images. Image quality in the world of ecommerce can make or break a sale.
Another important feature which should be incorporated along is the zoom-in pop up box which can help visitors see the fine and intricate details of a product.
Colour is one of the most important aspects of a good ecommerce website. Different colours evoke different feelings, emotions and actions. Make sure to use the appropriate colour combinations to make a hit with the visitors and turn the casual glancing into a concrete sale.
6. Responsive Website Design
We all now know that mobile has overtaken desktops and laptops when it comes to web surfing. This means that more and more people are visiting and accessing ecommerce sites via mobile devices. Hence in today’s time it is imperative that every ecommerce company should have a responsive website design. Else you might lose out on an uncountable number of mobile visitors turned customers. If a site is not responsive as per a visitor’s device, their user experience will be bad and lead to cart abandonment.
Salman Zafar is an acclaimed blogger, editor, publisher and digital marketer. He is the founder of Blogging Hub, a digital publishing portal with wide following across the world.