Designing an eCommerce website entails more than simply creating a website to sell things; it involves creating an enjoyable online shopping experience. This detailed reference details the industry’s best practices.
Globally, eCommerce would continue to grow at a healthy clip of $2.3 trillion. However, what distinguishes one eCommerce site from another?
Numerous aspects of an eCommerce website’s overall performance include product quality, brand awareness, shipping costs, return policies, trustworthiness, and customer support. However, intelligent user experience design is equally critical to provide a gratifying, frictionless experience for consumers. It will not only convert prospective clicks into eCommerce sales but will also encourage customers to return often.
This is a detailed eCommerce UX design guide with examples for designing unique eCommerce websites.
Create an Ecommerce Site That Inspires Confidence and Security
To begin, it is critical to develop a website that customers trust. Most customers are concerned about their privacy and if the website would safeguard their personal information through a secure transaction. If customers do not trust the website, they will just purchase elsewhere.
The Following Are Some Strategies for Communicating Trustworthiness:
- Include a synopsis of your business
- Provide broad context information
- Photographs of the individuals that make the company possible
- Information about how to contact us
- Social media links
- A page devoted to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Publicize Shop Policies and Make Them Easily Accessible:
- Policies on shipping and returns
- Describe the return procedure and the products that may be returned.
- Make it simple for customers to obtain a privacy policy that protects their personal and financial information (this is crucial)
Avoid Using Legalese or Internal Policy Jargon in Your Writing
Distribute Product Evaluations
Create product reviews to educate buyers about the product; this will assuage any concerns and provide an excellent eCommerce user experience. Increase the value of your product reviews by including more information about the reviewers or by summarizing the reviews. This step can assist buyers in obtaining the full benefit of other people’s perspectives.
Make Sure You’re Using a Secure Server
Shoppers want their personal information to be protected when they make an online purchase. SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates verify a website’s authenticity and encrypt sensitive data. It is a critical indicator that checkouts are fast. Assure shoppers of the security of their data by installing SSL and prominently displaying SSL certificate badges.
Include Well-Known Trust Seals
A trust seal validates a website’s validity and security. Certain trust businesses even add a degree of safety by offering insurance in the event of a fraudulent transaction. Utilizing established trust seals reassures potential customers of a secure transaction, which results in more sales and a better eCommerce user experience.
Show a Keen Eye for Detail
Avoid typos, missing pictures, broken links, 404 errors (page not found), and other eCommerce UX-killing problems.
Considerations for Ecommerce User Interface Design
The appearance and experience of a website are the primary factors that influence first impressions. According to research, consumers will decide whether or not they like a website in less than 50 milliseconds.
Here Are Some Critical Tips for User Interface Design:
Adhere to the Brand Identity
The design should be consistent across the whole website. Choose colors that match the brand and establish a style that communicates the sort of things being offered. Ascertain that the brand experience is consistent across all channels—online, in-store, and on mobile. This will contribute to the development of a robust brand-customer relationship.
Establish a Visual Hierarchy
Above the fold, the important stuff should be presented. Using less white space to group items together is sometimes preferable to moving important things below the fold.
Avoid Excessive Design
Restriction of font forms, including font face, size, and color. When text appears to be too much like visuals, it may be misinterpreted for an advertisement. Make the message as evident as possible by using high-contrast font and backdrop colors.
Maintain Familiar Symbols
Utilize easily identifiable icons or logos. Unfamiliar iconography will only add to the shopper’s confusion. An excellent method to minimize any misunderstanding is to label icons.
Avoid Pop-Up Windows at All Costs
Pop-up windows are obtrusive. Even if they include important information, buyers are much than likely to discard them immediately. Once they’re gone, it’s difficult for shoppers to locate the information again, even if they want to.
The Benefits of Ecommerce Site Navigation That Is Frictionless
Being frictionless is the way to go. Navigation refers to the ease with which users can navigate a website, locate what they’re searching for, and then take action. The eCommerce purchasing experience should be frictionless to prevent customers from abandoning the transaction midway through.
Several Critical Components of Ecommerce Website Design That Facilitate Navigation Include the Following:
Well-Defined Product Categories
The site’s categories should be shown at the top level of navigation—sort items into logical categories and subcategories. Category labels perform best when they are single words that explain various things, allowing customers to scan them and comprehend what they represent quickly. It’s critical to user-test site navigation extensively to ensure a positive eCommerce UX, as it’s an essential make-or-break aspect of the site.
Product Lookup
Simply, if buyers are unable to locate a product, they will not purchase it—create a search tool that enables them to find what they are searching for readily:
Make Search Ubiquitous
Include a search box on each page and in prominent spots. The box should be readily visible, easily identifiable, and simple to utilize. The search box is typically placed at the top right or top center of pages or on the main menu.
Support for a Wide Variety of Queries
Searches must accommodate a variety of query types, including product names, categories, and qualities, as well as information about customer service. Include an example search query in the input area to demonstrate how to utilize the various features.
Have an Auto-Complete Search Feature
By proposing items inside the region in which they are currently searching, auto-complete technology assists buyers in locating what they are looking for and enhances sales potential.
Allow for Result Sorting and Filtering
Allow shoppers to select search results according to a variety of criteria (top sellers, highest or lowest price, product rating, and most recently added item), as well as remove things that do not fall into a specific category.
Products for Filtration
The more options available, the more difficult it is to pick. By using filters, you can assist shoppers in finding the appropriate goods. It will help consumers in narrowing their options and navigating straight to their selected product range.
Quick View of the Product
A “quick view” shortens buyers’ time to discover a suitable product by avoiding needless page loads. Typically, product information is shown in a modal window above the currently viewed page. Instead of displaying all product details, give a link to the entire product page where you may read all details. Incorporating a visible “Add to Cart” button and a “Save to Wishlist” capability.
Offer Specials
Shoppers are constantly on the lookout for special offers, discounts, and the most excellent bargains. Make special deals apparent to customers, so they are aware of them. Even if the price differentials aren’t significant, the psychological benefit of saving money provides the perception of having an advantage.
Design of an Ecommerce Product Page
For exceptional eCommerce user experience, when customers locate the product they seek, they can learn more about it. Create a product page that emulates the in-person shopping experience as closely as possible by adding numerous photographs, extensive descriptions, and any other pertinent and related information about the product. Let us examine this statement in further detail.
Provide Outstanding Product Illustrations
Ecommerce customers are unable to touch, feel, or try the goods. Rather than that, everything is based on what they see online. This is why it is vital to provide product photos that depict all features of the product. The following is a checklist for creating perfect product images:
Utilize a White Backdrop
The background for product photographs should not be distracting or contradictory to the product. A white backdrop is optimal since it highlights the goods and complements practically any style or color palette.
Utilize High-Resolution, Big Photos
Compelling visuals help to market the product. High-quality graphics capture buyers’ attention and demonstrate precisely what they are purchasing. Having huge images enables buyers to zoom in on a product and explore it in more detail.
Utilize a Range of Photos
Present the product from various perspectives and add close-ups to provide a whole impression of the item. A 360-degree view, which allows them to move the object around, is an excellent method to simulate the experience of physically entering the store and engaging with it. Virtual reality commerce is the next evolution of this experience.
Utilize Video
Videos have the potential to convey a great deal of information in a short period of time. Utilize video to demonstrate the product’s functionality and to give as much information about it as feasible.
Maintain Consistency
Utilize photos that are consistent throughout numerous pages and match the website’s overall design and feel. This will keep the area appearing neat. The primary product picture should be consistent throughout the site, including product highlights and the highlighted products section.
Summary
Every online buyer expects a smooth experience. When developing an eCommerce website, the goal is not simply to create a website but to create an online shopping experience that converts passive shoppers into paying customers.
Overall, this eCommerce website design guide will assist you in making critical design decisions that will result in an excellent eCommerce user experience that is professional, appealing, user-friendly, and encourages shoppers to return time and time. Due to the combination of rapid growth and a small market share, there is still a huge possibility for new entrants to outperform established industry giants.
