Solving E-Commerce with Website Design

Most Common Mistakes With E-Commerce Solutions

E-commerce solutions have evolved in the last years as well as the different types of offerings. No matter what type of company you have, it is important to choose the right solution for your business needs and leverage your differentiators as a brand. As of today, quality of content and proper design are basic requirements for competing in the online space. Let’s look at some common issues e-commerce solutions face.

Lacks Ease of Use

With so many options available to users, an e-commerce platform that is difficult to use will result in poor results for the business owner. The slightest difficulty in navigation can cause a visitor to click away and to take his or her patronage elsewhere.

Confusing Product Catalogs

Another mistake to avoid is a design that makes it difficult to view products. The more clicking and scrolling a user must do in order to view the product catalog, the lower the chances of closing a sale. Having streamlined navigation through your product catalog is key, especially if you want to showcase different lines of products. 

Poor Findability of Products on Site

One common issue e-commerce solutions make is poor findability. Customers should be able to find the products they need through a variety of search and filtering options. Additionally, the search function should accurately display search results.

Lack of Updated Information

Even though a business may know its products very well, it is important to communicate its features and benefits to the user. Being able to update product information in a timely way is key to engaging with traffic peaks and new waves of incoming users. The less dependency you have on your technical team for updating information, the better the business will be able to scale. 

Not Conducive to Closing Sales

One of the worst errors an e-commerce business owner can make is using a solution design that isn’t conducive to closing sales. Remember, the purpose is to showcase products and to inspire the visitor to click on “buy.” An overly cluttered design that distracts from the transactional end goal is counterproductive. 

Not Visible in Search Results

An important part of e-commerce solutions is ranking well in search engine results. You want a platform to be among the first results when users search for keywords that are related to your products. Proper design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy will help to improve rankings, as well as a content authoring functionality that will enable you to manage and keep information updated. 

What Factors Should Be Considered When Choosing an E-Commerce Solution?

Now that we’ve covered what to avoid, let’s take a look at the factors that will lead to a successful, user-friendly e-commerce solution.

Keep Navigation Simple and Easy

Your navigation should be intuitive and easy to navigate. A user shouldn’t have to spend too much time figuring out how to move between product pages.

Straight-Forward Shopping Cart Functionality

Users should be able to click on a button under or near a product for it to enter their shopping carts. Checkout should be just as simple and should not require too many steps to complete.

Easily Accessible Search Bar

Sometimes users will want to search for a product by name or with the use of a keyword. They shouldn’t have to hunt for the search bar in some hidden corner of your platform.

Keep Social Media Icons Visible

Although social media is an important part of marketing today, icons should be visible and accessible on the platform. Users are generally aware that e-commerce portals have social media accounts and will look for them in your footer, header, and contact page if they are interested.

Smart and Unobtrusive Newsletter Sign-Up

Building an e-mail list is an integral aspect of maintaining an e-commerce business. Signing up for a newsletter is not, however, what your visitors initially come to your portal for. A good e-commerce portal will find a way to include a newsletter sign-up field without cluttering the home page and turning potential customers away.

Keep Visual Content Paramount

High quality photographs can be the difference between a product that sells and one that is passed over by users. It’s important to make sure any images are high-definition while trying to incorporate videos into your marketing where possible. Video tutorials and product reviews add value and allow you to position your business as an authority in the space.

Make Reviews Your Strength

Approximately 90% of buyers like to read up to 10 product reviews before trusting a brand. With 70% of consumers needing to read up to six reviews before making a purchase, it is obvious that reviews have an important role to play in the success of an e-commerce platform. By showcasing reviews or allowing easy access to review sites featuring your brand, you can boost sales without much effort.

Prioritize Site Speed and Mobile Responsiveness

An e-commerce portal should be designed for speed and mobile responsiveness. A slow-loading site will increase your bounce rate whereas a portal that isn’t easy to read on a mobile device can severely impact your bottom line. The fact that over 52% of web traffic is now from mobile devices should be enough to drive this point home.

Deliver an Optimal E-Commerce User Experience

To achieve the best results from an e-commerce solution, it’s important to work with an firm that understands e-commerce and user experience. These designers and developers should have experience implementing successful retail portals.

Let’s discuss how we can help you design and build a solution that provides the best shopping experiences while growing your bottom line. Contact our team at Base22 today.