Shopping online is gradually replacing traditional mall-shopping. You no longer need to drive to the supermarket to purchase your daily supply of groceries or even a bunch of flowers for your loved ones. eCommerce is growing fast, which has resulted in a high demand for quality and reliable Web design services. Online entrepreneurs are out searching for the best designers to get their products and services to the screens of millions of Web surfers’ laptops, tablets or smartphones.
Whether you are a designer or an entrepreneur, it is paramount that you understand the qualities of good eCommerce Web design if your site is to effectively compete for a slice of the rich online pie. Below are five of the most crucial features every site must have.
Stress-Free Navigation
Most users won't have the time or patience to click on one page after another. The moment you make navigation complex, you risk losing out on prospects as they are likely to click on the next link in the URLs and never come back. Finding items on a site should be effortless. Ensure that you have easily recognizable and clickable buttons that go to all of your pages, and a visible search bar. It should only take a couple of seconds for customers to find whatever they're looking for.
Minimize Advertisements
Attaining a higher rank in SERPs is not an easy feat, and since you are in business, advertisers could express interest in placing ads on your eCommerce site. This is great news, because it is an extra income stream for you. However, you shouldn’t get so excited that you let advertisements shadow your main products. The design has to be done in a way that allows ad placement on very limited space on a page, leaving the rest to showcase your core products or services.
Simplicity is Golden
Design in its nature is creative. In as much as a designer may be really talented and capable of coming up with fancy layouts, it should never be lost that the golden design rule is KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid – and the simpler, the better. Stylish designs will possibly overpower the products on display, and some users find that annoying. Avoid animation and graphics because they slow down page-loading.
Brand Identity
Your brand identity has to come out as clear and consistent across all the pages. Proper use of colors should blend well with the items on the pages. The items and icons must share a common design language. If there is a similar offline business, then brand identity components such as logos, color schemes, mission and vision, among others, should be similar as well.
Simplified Checkout Option
An online purchase is only complete after the customer has successfully checked out an item. It is such a waste for someone to sift through items on a website, decide to make a purchase and fail to buy because of a complicated checkout process. If possible, limit the process to three simple steps. A good eCommerce website should also support multiple online payment systems.
Finally, the fact that an eCommerce website must load fast and not waste people’s time doesn’t require emphasis. Do we have to point out that you must have the best hosting plan so that you are guaranteed the longest possible uptime? Whether you are an eCommerce Web designer or an online entrepreneur, consider the above factors for your site.
