With the surge in the trend for online shopping, many brick-and-mortar stores have developed an e-commerce website to stay competitive. The mindset of buyers is continuously shifting. Consumers are now more comfortable buying online for various reasons.
According to Statista, the following are the leading reasons for online purchases worldwide:
- 53% free delivery
- 41% coupons and discounts
- 35% reviews from other customers
- 33% easy return policy
- 30% quick/easy online checkout process
The current pandemic followed by extensive lockdowns has boosted online shopping. With stores operating at a limited number of hours, allowing a restricted number of shoppers in the store and the fear of getting infected has drawn people away from the stores. Worldwide online sales of grocery and apparel have picked up. The following graphs show the number of pages seen by buyers worldwide in 2019.
Following are the design elements that will make or break your e-commerce stores:
Clear Design
The structure and the layout of an e-commerce website play an important role in keeping the customer engaged in their buying process, beginning from browsing the product to the secure checkout. Just like the look and feel of a physical store bring more business, similarly, the design, color, and organized categorization of products affect the purchases. The layout should be clear for navigation and must be user-friendly to avoid the bounce rate.
Product Photography
Compared to the traditional shopping experience, the buyer can touch and feel the product in hand and can try it out in some cases. However, in online shopping, the buying decision is dependent on the display of the product on the screen. Therefore the quality of the image, lighting, and angle must be accurate. If possible, the 3D display of the product will be a plus!
Calls to Action (CTAs)
Implementing CTAs on the website is a great strategy to bring the customer to the bottom of the sales funnel. Strategic placement of CTAs with the right content can make or break sales targets.
Responsive Website
Gone are the days when the web traffic used to come mostly from PCs and laptops. Not anymore, there is such a wide variety of gadgets these days that it is hard to keep track of them. Your website should be compatible with multiple platforms or devices that your target market is currently consuming.
Mobile App
Mobile applications for E-commerce websites are going to give you a competitive edge. It is a great way to stay connected to your consumers with personalized offerings, even if they are offline. These applications are devised specially for mobiles, so from a design and functional point of view they are far better than the mobile version of the ecommerce website.
Secure Payment Method
Consumers’ hearts still skip a beat by putting their credit card information on the site. Ensure that you have an SSL certificate on your website. It will secure consumers' information, will get their trust, and will protect your site from hackers.
Ratings and Reviews
Rating and reviews greatly influence the buying process. Users go through the reviews of the
products before putting the selected item in the cart. It is free marketing, good reviews will
automatically give you good ratings.
