Unlike brochure style sites, ecommerce websites give the opportunity for greater functionality and mean immediate sales for your business. This not only aids in enhancing overall customer experience, but also acts as an effective marketing tool. See below our recommendations for getting the most from your ecommerce website:
UX and UI Design is Critical
What exactly is UX and UI?
UX focuses more on a customer’s experience on a website, which covers functionality and ease of use. If it takes a visitor more than two clicks to find the desired information or product/service they’re after, this is an issue that may need resolving. Try looking at the top searches in your industry, or how competitors have laid out their site to get a better understanding of industry best practice.
UI on the other hand is more centered around the design elements. This includes colours, imagery and text. Not only do these design elements have to compliment one another (for an overall pleasing aesthetic for the user), but they also need to align with your brand to promote recognition and recall. Finally, it is crucial for businesses to make sure they keep up to date with the latest design trends to promote a forward thinking and innovative brand.
As you can probably tell, both UI and UX designers need to be in constant communication to ensure the overall aesthetic and usability of a website is perfectly aligned.
Tips:
- Don’t overwhelm a potential customer, look to use less text and a picture or video instead to make the content more engaging.
- Be sure to only include information that will allow for customers to gain a greater understanding of your product or service offering.
- Keep it as simple as possible, for instance a search bar is always effective to help customers easily navigate your online store and reduces the need for multiple clicks to find that pair of shoes.
Improving Ecommerce Functionality
1. Enhancing the Shopping Cart Experience
A shopping cart is necessary for any ecommerce site, however how a business’s shopping cart is setup can make all the difference. A shopping cart should be easily visible, allowing your customers to see what’s in the before checking out. This should be the case across multiple pages on the site as they continue to shop.
When proceeding through with a transaction, there are a number of touchpoints that can be improved on an ecommerce site. For instance, many ecommerce businesses now offer the option for customers to become members, providing their email and personal information in exchange for emails on sales or exclusive discounts. This not only allows for businesses to gain a greater understanding into their customers, but also allows for added targeting and marketing efforts. However, customers must have the choice to opt in as a member; be sure to offer the option to checkout as a guest as many prefer not to give their personal information and may abandon their cart if forced to do so.
Cart abandonment is an issue experienced by many ecommerce sites and while in some cases this is due to the website, in most cases it happens due to customers simply forgetting or even moving on to another task and closing the site. For customers that have signed up to become members, cart abandonment is a perfect opportunity to re-target them and showcases an example of effective omni-channel marketing. In these cases, carts are abandoned with items inside and the individual is then sent an email reminder, further increasing the chance of a customer purchase and maximising the efficiency of your ecommerce shopping cart.
2. Exploring Products & Services Display
Whether a business is selling products or services, it is key that they are presented to potential customers in an efficient way. Many businesses provide the option to view multiple products on one page, as well as options to increase the number of products on a page depending on individual preference. This allows for customers to tailor their shopping experience and be able to easily differentiate products/services.
When presenting products or services there are a number of aspects which should be considered. Professional photography should be used, to not only present the best possible image to customers, but also to minimise issues with products not matching customer expectations. Alongside this, accurate and detailed descriptions should be provided, as well as the option for individuals to view product variations without leaving a page. For instance, one page on a plain crew cut t-shirt might allow for the colours to be changed, without the customer being taken to a new page.
Looking to further optimise your ecommerce website? Contact the team at Redline Digital today.
