When it comes to E-Commerce Website Design, you probably know that security and quality items are key components of your shop.
You want to create a design aesthetic that’s easy to navigate and leads users to items they want to buy with the ability to check out quickly.
A solid e-commerce website design can help you increase sales because it makes shopping easy.
Make How to Purchase Obvious
Have you ever tried to make a purchase online and found it difficult?
Sadly, this is a real problem that happens way too much.
Common issues include buy it or add to cart buttons that aren’t identified or visible. Too many options for purchase which makes decision making hard (or limits the ability to put an item in the cart), or even challenges with finding items in the first place.
Your goal is to make how to make a purchase obvious. This is one time where making the button just a little too big is just fine. Make sure the button clearly states what will happen next, such as “add to cart” or “buy it now.”
Show Items with Great Images
Online shoppers are used to seeing a product from almost every angle before making a purchase.
They want to see colors and sizes and comparisons and even dimensions before committing to buy. Great product photography can provide the answers to many of their questions and help them make a decision that will stick (meaning fewer returns or unhappy customers for you).
So, what makes a great product image?
It shows one thing without distractions such as a busy background
It looks exactly like what you will get if you order
Colors, shapes, and sizes are representative of the actual item
Images are clear and high resolution
Make the Cart Easy to Find
Where is your cart button? What does it look like?
Make it easy for shoppers to check out
Make it easy for shoppers to check out and make a purchase with a cart button that’s always in the main navigation (bonus if it is also in the footer) with an icon that looks like a shopping cart.
There’s no need to try to be different here or try something cute. Make it easy for users to understand. And even easier for them to make a purchase.
One more bit of cart advice. Don’t enter a step between the cart button and the shopping cart. Some sites offer bonus deals or related items at this stage. If a shopper is on the fence about a purchase or in a hurry, adding an extra step here might be the things that make them abandon the cart.
You can offer these things, just not on the path of accessing the cart.
Use Transparent Pricing
Is it clear how much an item costs in your online store?
Use transparent and easy to understand pricing. Shoppers are accustomed to taxes and shipping being calculated at the end. But don’t sneak in other fees or options that aren’t visible on the product page.
Make sure to show discounts as well. This includes discounts that are automatically calculated or those that are the result of a promo code.
Use shipping and tax calculators to ensure that options are presented for the shopper (not just your business location). Another option is to offer free or flat-rate shipping (with those costs figured into product pricing) to make prices more transparent.
The offer of free shipping makes people feel valued and can help push a purchase. Inflated shipping costs can have the opposite effect and cause shoppers to abandon carts and look for a better deal elsewhere.
It might seem like a game when it comes to pricing, but these little things can have a huge impact on conversion rates. A study by the National Retail Federation showed that many consumers expect shipping to be free on orders less than $50.
Something to think about when determining an online pricing strategy.
Making a purchase should be just as intuitive and easy from a mobile device as from a desktop computer. (Nothing is more annoying than clicking an ad on social media from a phone and then not being able to make the purchase.)
If optimizing your website design for mobile shopping seems intimidating, consider using a third-party tool to help. There are plenty of E-Commerce Website Design platforms (WooCommerce, Shopify and even payment tools such as PayPal and Square) that can help you sell online and in a mobile environment with ease.
Some products just go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Don’t miss the opportunity for an upsell. Offer related products throughout the website design.
