10 Brilliant Features of perfect Ecommerce Website
A Forrester study forecasts online retail sales to reach $327 billion by 2016 and by any stretch of the imagination, this is a massive figure. Remember, we are talking about sales in one country alone.
This further illustrates that ecommerce has tremendous potential and if your business is not reaping its benefits, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. But to tap into this opportunity, you need a website and not just any website; with the kind of competition out there, you’ll need a near perfect site to make an impression on your target audience. Gone are the days, when just about any and every ecommerce website had a shot at success; now it’s only the ones that offer great UX and SX (Shopper Experience) that work.
So, what are the qualities of the perfect ecommerce site? How do successful sites deliver a near perfect shopping experience that turns first time shoppers into loyal supporters of the site? What are the various aspects of an effective ecommerce website that convert loyal shoppers into brand advocates? Let’s take a look at ten qualities that give us an answer to this question.
Clean Design
By their very nature ecommerce sites are prone to becoming cluttered. But with the arrival of the minimalist approach to design, even sites that host thousands of products, can be made to look clean and uncluttered. Clean designs are the hallmark of all successful designs because they facilitate informed and quicker decision making.
A Well-Designed Logo Displayed Prominently
You need a logo that clearly differentiates your sites from its competitors. A logo is a visual representation of all that your brand stands for, and is closely associated with it. A good logo improves the recall value of the site and makes it more recognizable. Preferably a logo must be present on all the pages of the site. A prominently displayed logo also improves the credibility of the site.
Calls to Action Buttons
A profitable ecommerce site makes perfect use of calls to action buttons. These buttons stand out from the other design elements used on the site, are perfectly placed on the page, and use words that convey the perfect meaning ( there is no doubt in the user’s mind about what will happen when they click on the button). What’s more, there are multiple calls to action buttons that are used on longer pages. The perfect website leverages the immense potential of these buttons.
Design Does not Overwhelm the Products
On ecommerce sites, the design is used to enhance website functionality. It helps enhance the buying process to make it more seamless and convenient. Also, the design is used to focus the attention of shoppers on the most important part of the website – its products. It doesn’t act as a distraction, and makes sure that the attention of shoppers if firmly fixed on the products.
Links to Social Presence
Your ecommerce site needs social proof; if your shoppers know other people have used your products (many of whom are a part of their social network), they will be more inclined to buy the products on your site. There are many different ways that this can be achieved. You can put up consumer reviews and comments on product pages; you can place ‘Like’ buttons on the product pages, the number of Likes a product receives will improve its acceptability in the minds of the target shoppers; you can even give target shoppers the opportunity to go to the social media page of the ecommerce site.
An ecommerce site that links to an active social media presence is proof that the site is keen to engage its customers and know more about them. This is something that is appreciated by shoppers, and leads to improved revenue generation.
Easy Navigation and Checkout
One reason why some websites do well, while others don’t is their navigation. Yes, users want website navigation to be high on the usability scale. It needs to be intuitive, so much so that users need to spend time wondering what to do next. An easy checkout process is an extension of the user friendly navigability of the site. Usually, a one page checkout process is best suited to deliver a fantastic shopping experience. Shoppers don’t want to go through multiple pages to buy their product. This just takes up unnecessary time and can lead to confusion. The best sites are easily navigable and have a quick checkout process. This is why they are so successful.
It Displays Featured Products on the Home Page
The perfect ecommerce website strives to make the job of shoppers simpler. You must have come across sites that have a section called featured products up on their site; these sites are trying to do just that – make shopping process simpler. They are trying to focus your attention on the best products available on the sites, or products that have some special significance. This helps save valuable time and as they say time is money.
Quality Product Images and Description
Product images are the only way, an online shopper will know what the product looks like. So, these need to be of very high quality and better still, they must be taken from all angles to ensure that a shopper get the product view from all sides. This ensures he has no doubts as to what the product looks like, its strengths and weaknesses. Something else that is important is a comprehensive product description that gives him all the necessary information about the product and which allows him to make an informed buying decision.
Products Suggestions
The best websites also offer product suggestions. If you are searching for a T-shirt on an online site, it might suggest some T-shirts for you. This is again a feature that makes shopping simpler and quicker for online shoppers. A website user is a notoriously impatient user, and products suggestions make his task quicker.
Search Box
Your ecommerce site needs a search box, and if possible an advanced search box. You might have the best product navigation menu, but users still might want to look for the products of their choice through the search box. They might not want to go through the long winded process of searching for products by going through various product categories. You need to make sure that they get the search box.
End Words
Get these ten qualities right on your ecommerce websites and you will have a perfect site on your hands. But bear in mind, it’s not easy to get such websites up and running. You’ll need to work with expert designers, with a comprehensive experience of designing successful ecommerce sites, to get your hands on a perfect online ecommerce site.
