7 Tips for eCommerce Website Design that Drives Results
It’s no secret that eCommerce is dominated by giants. Amazon, Wayfair, Walmart—these corporations hold a large percentage of the market share. Amazon alone is expected to account for 50% of all eCommerce transactions by 2021¹. Where does that leave smaller eCommerce companies and startups?
To become competitive, eCommerce retailers can implement eCommerce website design best practices to drive new sales and bring customers back again and again:
1. Prioritize Responsive Design
More consumers are using mobile devices each year. The number of mobile phone users globally is expected to increase from 4.57 billion in 2018 to 4.78 billion by 2020, which is 62.6% of the world’s population². eCommerce retailers need to meet the consumer where they are.
Responsive design, meaning the ability for a website’s layout to change depending on the size and orientation of the screen, is essential for effectively engaging consumers on the large variety of mobile devices and configurations being used. A successful mobile retail site won’t make consumers squint, zoom in, or load a special mobile version. Creating a responsive mobile site and app ensures that the consumer has an optimal browsing and shopping experience.
Additionally, search engines use responsive design as a ranking factor for search results, rewarding well-designed mobile-friendly sites with higher scores.
3. Use a Virtual Chat System
Often times, consumers who are considering purchasing a product or service need to learn more before making a final decision. Retailers can improve customer service, quickly provide access to additional information, and help convert site visitors into customers by implementing a virtual chat system.
A virtual chat system is much like walking into a store and being helped by an associate. Customer service reps will converse with potential consumers, find out their concerns, and turn visitors into buyers. Receiving that instant feedback from consumers can also be valuable as you make improvements to your website or app.
Chatbots are also becoming more popular and can handle many parts of the job that a live customer service rep can usually handle. 30% of survey respondents in the US said chatbots were very effective at resolving their issue, and 58% said they were somewhat effective³. Chatbots are expected to save businesses an estimated $8 billion by 2022⁴.
3. Include High-Quality Product Photography
Including high-quality imagery on your eCommerce shop seems like a given, but brands should not overlook the importance of this step. High-quality photos are necessary in order to build trust and confidence with the consumer, reduce return rates, and allow the consumer to get an up-close view of the product.
Hire a professional photographer who can use equipment, lighting, and editing software to produce imagery that will help make your products stand out above your competition.
4. Showcase User Reviews
User reviews essentially sell your product or service for you through customer stories. These recommendations inform website visitors about the good and bad parts of your product, and how it solved or failed to solve a problem. Positive feedback can be used to help market the product, and negative feedback can help you improve your future product offerings.
Similar to mobile-friendly websites, search engines also reward businesses that have positive reviews. A high overall score will boost your search engine ranking.
5. Provide Filtering Tools to Improve User Experience
eCommerce websites may include thousands of different products across multiple categories. Filtering tools are critical to helping a potential customer find exactly what they’re looking for in as few clicks as possible.
6. Implement a Speedy Checkout Process
Does anyone like waiting in line at the grocery store? That answer is almost always no. For Q1 2018, cart abandonment rates across all industries hit 75.6%⁵.
That means, statistically, less than one-quarter of the consumers who add something to their cart will complete the purchase. Lower your cart abandonment rate and drive sales by implementing a speedy checkout process. Consider including an express checkout feature for repeat customers.
7. Supercharge “Thank You” Pages
Get more from your customers by building “Thank You” pages that work for you! Implement share buttons so consumers can easily post purchases on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Use the page to offer additional products at a discount, or add a sign up for your email newsletter. This page presents many opportunities to encourage customer retention as well as new traffic.
Your eCommerce Website
Putting these seven tips to use will give retailers an edge over the competition. At Studiolabs, we specialize in building eCommerce sites and apps that drive results. Contact us today to learn how we can transform your eCommerce business and keep your customers coming back for more.
Sources
¹http://fortune.com/2017/04/10/amazon-retail/
²https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Phone-Smartphone-Usage-Varies-Globally/1014738
³http://info.microsoft.com/rs/157-GQE-382/images/EN-CNTNT-Report-DynService-2017-global-state-customer-service-en-au.pdf
⁴https://www.juniperresearch.com/analystxpress/july-2017/chatbot-conversations-to-deliver-8bn-cost-saving
⁵https://blog.salecycle.com/post/the-remarketing-report-q1-2018/
