How Can You Improve Your Ecommerce Web Design?

Best Practices for Ecommerce Web Design in 2020

Our economy might be opening back up, but that doesn’t mean ecommerce websites are a thing of the past. Our reliance on online ordering throughout the pandemic has only furthered a pre-existing trend: People like to do their shopping online.

Hopefully you’ve already made the push to improve your online sales. Your products and services are going to have a great effect on your ability to convert customers online. Your website itself can either help or hinder these efforts.

Ecommerce web design is different from other forms of web design. The goal is to prove your worth to visitors and convert them into customers. There are certain aspects of a website that can help achieve this goal. But what are they?

Horton Group, a local ecommerce web design agency, will show you how can you help your visitors find exactly what they need and effortlessly move them through the buyers journey.

Here are the Best Practices for Ecommerce Web Design in 2020:

Make It Easy To Find What They’re Looking For
Use High-Quality Images
Provide Engaging Product Descriptions
Bold CTAs
Various Payment Options
Expedite the Checkout Process
Accessible Customer Service Options

1. Make It Easy To Find What They’re Looking For

Website visitors often have a clear goal in mind. Any extra barriers between them and accomplishing that goal are going to be frustrating.

Label your product categories clearly and make your navigation bar easy to find.

You should also include a clearly-marked search bar. Put it near your navigation bar so visitors can easily find it. This way, they can peruse your offerings much easier and quickly find what they’re looking for.

A visitor isn’t going to become a customer if they have problems looking through your offerings.

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2. Use High-Quality Images

Striking images catch people’s attention. This is particularly advantageous when a visitor is simply browsing through your website.

Presentation of your products will have a great effect on how new visitors will view them.

How would you like your customers to feel when they interact with your products? You can influence this by how they are presented.

Think of how your favorite store looks when you visit. Are all of the items strewn about haphazardly? Or are they arranged in attractive displays?

Your website should accomplish the same goal by presenting your materials in an intentional manner.

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3. Provide Engaging Product Descriptions

The image will catch the visitor’s attention. The product description is where you can capitalize on that interest.

Provide engaging copy that not only describes the item, but communicates its worth.

How is it different from similar products from competitors? Use this as an opportunity to align your products with your brand identity. Put your personal spin on the descriptions.

You don’t have the luxury of salespeople when someone visits your website. That puts more emphasis on these short blurbs that introduce your products. They essentially take the place of a salesman. Use this space to explain why your visitors need your products.

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4. Bold CTAs

Ecommerce web design is meant to inspire action. Providing great content is one thing, but converting your visitors into customers is the ultimate goal.

Calls-to-action (CTAs) are meant to spur this behavior. Use imperative statements that point your visitors toward the checkout process.

This also includes providing a clearly-marked and bold “add to cart” button.

Remember the goal is to make the process as easy as possible for the visitor. Filling up their cart is what it’s all about.

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5. Various Payment Options

The various outlets that protect users’ payment information are expanding all the time.

Many people are still using more traditional methods of payment like credit cards, but it’s becoming increasingly popular to use third-party options such as Paypal or Venmo to transfer funds.

Give your customers the ability to use their preferred payment method. You want them to feel comfortable. Inputting payment information to a website can make people nervous.

Providing the option to use their preferred method gives them a level of security they might need to comfortably complete the transaction.

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6. Expedite the Checkout Process

Every step between finding a product they want to purchase and the confirmation of payment is another chance for your customer to change their mind.

Now, you don’t want to trick your customers into completing the transaction, but you also don’t want to frustrate them until they give up altogether.

Streamline the process.

Don’t force the customer to make an account before completing the purchase. Don’t include unnecessary forms or ask for superfluous information. Include a status bar so they know exactly what steps will need to be taken and where they are in the process.

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7. Accessible Customer Service Options

Ecommerce web design works to make up for the fact that your visitors aren’t going to have the interpersonal communication they get in a physical store.

However, customers will still occasionally have questions. You should offer clearly-marked customer service options.

Answering your visitors’ questions could be the deciding factor on a purchase.

Online customers also like to know the process for returns. Providing customer service information gives them the assurance that they can get a hold of you should something not meet their expectations.

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