The quality of a product or service is indispensable for the success of any business. But in the e-commerce game, it is not merely the product that sells online. The design of the e-commerce store equally contributes to the success of your online venture. With so many buying cycles now commencing with an online search, there is a huge opportunity to drive a new audience and convert them into customers. This holds true for any B2B ecommerce platform as well, where businesses seek efficient and professional online purchasing experiences. However, this will require you to focus and work on every part of the user journey.
From the initial landing pages to product categories and descriptions, you have to take design decisions with the customers in mind. But designing an e-commerce store that provides delightful user experience and maximum conversion is easier said than done. This article provides some of the best practices and options to design an e-commerce store that customers will adore. These X ways will also allow you to convert website visitors into returning customers. So, without further ado, let’s dive in:
1. Have the best WooCommerce plugins:
Let's not beat around the bush, plugins are what makes an online store powerful and capable of serving both you the owner, and your customers. But, in the sea of plugins, how do you find the right ones? We have a few suggestions!
WooCommerce Order Export – use this plugin to export order data from your store and have everything in check. You will receive exports in CSV format automatically/on a schedule in your inbox or through FTP. And no worries, the plugin remembers which orders you already exported so no redundant data is coming your way.
WooCommerce Table Rate Shipping – advanced shipping rules are standard nowadays and you can implement them using this plugin. Be it based on weight, destination, quantity, or cart total, this plugin can calculate the shipping costs. For those of you looking to boost site registration numbers, there is a feature allowing you to restrict shipping to logged-in users only.
Direct Checkout for WooCommerce – great online stores have one thing in common – a fast checkout process. You can make your site have the same process by implementing buy buttons using Direct Checkout for WooCommerce. These buy buttons, as soon as they are clicked, redirect a customer to checkout thus completely avoiding the cart. They can be placed anywhere, not just on product pages, and will work with all sorts of products and subscriptions.
2. Design for your customers:
No business can succeed if it discredits customers’ desires and needs. As a business owner, you need to think from a user’s perspective and make decisions that serve the end user. Because, in the end, it really does not matter what looks good to you. Make sure you design your e-commerce website in a way that helps deliver a message and get the users through the sales funnel as easily as possible.
Also, position all the website elements such as a business logo, shopping cart, social media links, and search bar, etc. at the right places on the website. A logo represents the visual identity of your business, so it is also prudent to invest in a professional logo design that distinguishes your brand from the competitors.
Test your website with a professional third party to ensure that you’re designing for your customers. Use the website analytics to see how users react to your website and try to identify areas where friction is being generated.
3. Optimize for mobile:
To maximize conversions on your eCommerce store, staying updated with the latest ecommerce trends is crucial. Design your site with a mobile-first approach, intuitive navigation, and fast load times to keep customers engaged. Incorporating personalized product recommendations and easy checkout processes can further enhance the shopping experience and boost sales.
After the proliferation of smart devices, businesses now need to put mobile first. A study revealed that more than 50 percent of web traffic now comes from mobile devices and this is only going to increase from here. In February 2016, Google introduced the AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Page, initiative. AMP is a framework that is developed to facilitate the loading of web pages on mobile devices.
Mobile traffic behaves differently than traffic from computers which must be kept in mind when designing your e-commerce website. Since it makes a good portion of the overall traffic, it is wise that your e-commerce store is primed for mobile viewing which will not only improve retention rates but also boost conversion rates.
4. Prioritize performance:
This tip works for all websites and pages on the world wide web. A survey conducted by researchers in Canada revealed that the average human attention span has reduced from 12 to 8 seconds as a result of the increasingly digitalized lifestyle. With so many competitive products around, only optimal performance can ensure that consumers stick to your website and product.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a delay of just one second in page load time can reduce the site conversion rate by as much as 7 percent. Besides, slow load speeds also impact your search ranking. So, before you add any creative designs and illustrations, make sure they don’t hamper page loading. Consumers are impatient, and they will look for other options to find their product or solution.
5. Leverage quality product visuals:
In the brick and mortar store, consumers can directly look at and touch a product that they are purchasing. But how do you provide this feeling when you’re running an online leather jacket store for instance. High-quality imagery is one way to do it. Product images and videos provide not only essential information about the product but also a reliable indicator to go by in the online world. Make sure to use multiple eye-catching images captured from different angles with text that directs the prospects’ attention to a call to action.
6. Review section and customer support:
Another way to maximize conversion rate is by providing reliable customer support and a section where users can review your products or services. Your e-commerce store should have contact details, address and instant chat options so that consumers can connect with you in case they face any issue with the product or placing their orders. The review section is equally important and the fact that around 67 percent of consumers’ purchasing decisions get influenced by online reviews clearly highlight their importance. A study also revealed that almost 88 percent of people consider online reviews as important as personal recommendations.
The above stats show how vital the review section can be to your e-commerce store. Make sure to monitor the online reviews about your products and address the issues raised by consumers with your product.
7. Include multiple payment options:
Currently, there are more than 200 methods to pay online that don’t rely on a card. These include direct bank transfers, e-invoices, cryptocurrencies and many more. As e-commerce stores have to deal with customers from all over the world, it is possible that they have different payment systems. When designing your e-commerce website, make sure you include all the popular payment systems so that you do not lose prospects due to the unavailability of a payment method.
8. Sturdy Secured Website:
A secure website helps in bringing a high conversion ratio on the site and it can be achieved via SSL certificate. SSL certificate/HTTPS secures online credentials and financial information between the web server and the browser. If you are not sure which SSL is the best for your site then, there are many options available in SSL industry for example, if your site is running on one domain, then a single domain is necessary on the other hand, if you wish to protect unlimited subdomains, then a cheap wildcard SSL certificate should be there on your site.
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Conclusion
The suggestions provided here will help you design an e-commerce store that drives maximum conversion. These strategies approach e-commerce from a design perspective, but for a successful e-commerce business, the design and sales strategies shall go hand in hand.