The world of online business is a very large and crowded place, so if you’re planning on sell your products or services on the internet, you need one important thing: a perfect ecommerce website.
That seems obvious right?
Well you would be surprised at how many businesses fail to meet even the most basic standards of ecommerce website design and usability. All this is good news however, for those who are willing to put in the time, effort and indeed the money needed to make their site as attractive and as easy as possible for customers to use so they are much more likely to buy their goods or service.
So what do you need to do to create a killer ecommerce website?
Look through the Eyes of Your Customers
This is a simple but often overlooked tip. You should always look at your website from the point of view of a customer, that way you will be able to assess whether it meets their expectations. You should ask yourself whether your site is putting any obstacles in the way that is stopping or putting people off making a purchase.
For example does a potential customer have to fill out a registration form which asks them for half their life history and favorite color before being allowed to buy anything? If so then you need to look at ways of simplifying the process. Internet users are impatient creatures so the simpler the better.
‘Pretty Up’ Your Site
Another important factor in creating a successful ecommerce website is to ensure that your site is attractive to look at. You may be thinking why is that important when I just want to sell shoes? It’s important because it won’t matter if you have the best products and prices in the world if they aren’t displayed properly with professional images with clear and concise descriptions, prices, sizes and other important features that the customer will want to know.
Another way to ensure that your website is pleasing to the eye is to use appropriate colors and feature eye catching ‘call to actions’ such as ‘buy now’ or ‘call us today’. If you have a dreary grey background and offer no encouragement or fail to highlight any special offers that you might have then you can wave ‘bye-bye’ to your visitors. Remember there is huge competition out there so make sure they will enjoy being on your site.
Let Users Search for Themselves
Visitors to your site don’t have the time to trawl through page after page of products, so don’t overestimate their attention span. All of your products and services should be categorized and each individual product should be found by typing in search queries.
This simplifies the process for those who know what they want and it is also a good idea to let the user know what products you don’t sell so that when they search for it they get a message letting them know that it’s not available. This will make the whole process more efficient and limit the amount of time people spend on your site whether they are making a purchase or not.
Reassure them that You’re Good People
As well as being impatient and having a low attention span, online shoppers can find it hard to trust ecommerce sites. To reassure them that you are really their friend and only want to give them a great deal it is a good idea to include testimonials from happy customers who have used your service and would be happy to do it again. Just make sure it’s not your mum!
Make Your Checkout a Breeze
The all-important checkout phase of your online shop is the most crucial element to get right, because this is where the customer finally has to decide to part with their hard earned cash. This makes it incredibly important that your checkout is as user friendly possible. For example, forcing your customer to register or to create an account before they can buy a product is a sure way to chase them away, as most put off being forced to hand over their details, so it’s better to give them the option of subscribing to your newsletter or becoming a member without making it compulsory after they have completed their transaction.
Are you willing to really put your customer first and make changes to suit their needs? If so you might just end up creating the perfect ecommerce user experience.
Timmy Thornton is an expert in ecommerce solutions. He is often asked for an ecommerce web design quote from people who are keen to start an online business.
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Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce tips, ecommerce web design, ecommerce website, ecommerce website basics, perfect ecommerce, website