The 3 Foundations of an Ecommerce Website Design
The most important questions seasoned eCommerce professionals receive are about three key areas:
- the checkout process
- the product page content
- and the best ways in which to engage with customers
This article is for everyone involved in the above key components of eCommerce websites.
eCommerce Checkout
The checkout process has to be first, as it’s the most important aspect of your entire website. If you make it too complex or lengthy for customers to purchase products, then they won’t. It’s that simple. Ensure your checkout system is as secure as possible. Enable SSL encryption! Make your checkout as safe as possible, and ensure that you are visually communicating that safety net with your customers.
You should also ensure that there aren’t too many pages in the checkout process. If you can get them to input their information on just one page, then that’s the best option. The less hoops they need to jump through in order to purchase, the better, as then there will be less cart abandonments.
And finally, don’t hesitate to call in a professional to ensure that this checkout is the best process for you! This is one aspect of your website that you need to be very in point with.
eCommerce Product Pages
A product page should be like a showcase of a product. It should be able to sell to anyone at any stage of the buying cycle. Whether they’re in the stage where they are first seeing the product or they already know that they want it, this page through its messaging, imagery and rich content should be able to push them to the buying phase.
In the description, it pays to write great, explanatory copy. Don’t copy and paste the same spiel for every single product. Get a professional to do this it will help. While almost everyone can write, writing copy that sells is a particular skill. Ensure that you’re including any technical specifications and every detail that the customer needs to get the sale over the line. Ensure the critical information is always above the fold.
Imagery and Video
Good images, when coupled with descriptive copy, sells products. The copy should act like a gentle message and the images should be the beauty. A good product stylist can make any product look beautiful. It is a skill, however, that you may need to learn if you are in a small business and can’t afford professional help. Video is a great asset as well, especially in cases where product functionality is key.
eCommerce Customer Relations
How can you effectively connect with users that will love your products? A great way that most retailers already know the value of is reviews. A lot of ecommerce websites choose to integrate a review system as it provides them honest feedback into their product selection, valuable selling potential via personal recommendations and can even appear on Google as rich snippets. What could sell your product better than a customer who is genuinely ecstatic about it?
Another way to develop your brands authority is to include a network!
Many brands do this through a forum or a Facebook group where customers can talk to each other, to your business and get recommendations on products. This is such a valuable way to enrich the conversation that you can offer your customers beyond a customer service email. They can connect with each other too and form a real community.