30-Second Summary:
What makes a good ecommerce website design? It’s not a simple question to answer as there are plenty of ways to approach this. However, you’ll want to know ecommerce website design best practices to help avoid the most common issues before launching your site. As the design of your online store is your digital shopfront, the way you present your products and services is just as crucial as what you offer. With 94% of first impressions related to your site’s web design, it’s vital to get it right in a highly competitive online world.
Having helped ecommerce sites with all manner of digital marketing, we’ve seen our fair share of Dos and Don’ts when it comes to design. To help, we’ve put together a list of best practices, and best to avoids, that may help your design thrive rather than dive in the SERPs.
As you’ll want to create an appealing and user-friendly digital marketplace, from the moment visitors land on your site, the design profoundly influences their journey, from product discovery to purchase. Neglecting these principles can lead to missed opportunities and frustrated customers – who wants that?!
So, join us as we look at how to design a good ecommerce website that entices and retains customers.
We may be stating the obvious, but a user-centred approach should be at the core of your e-commerce website design. If you understand your target audience, their preferences, and their behaviours (hopefully you do) you can ensure your design caters to their needs – not just yours. Ensure that your website is visually appealing and easy to navigate, keeping in mind that UX directly affects your conversion rates.
Your website’s navigation structure should be intuitive and user-friendly. A cluttered or confusing menu can confuse and put off potential customers. Prioritise an organised and straightforward navigation system and this will ultimately provide a more satisfying customer journey.
Visuals are pivotal in e-commerce, and with AI visual search becoming more advanced and useful, it’s important to use high-resolution product images that showcase your products from various angles. High-quality images provide your customers with a better understanding of what they’re purchasing and helps cement trust in your brand. Photos/images (40%), colour (39%), and videos (21%) were the top visual elements consumers appreciate, so ensuring you have a combination of these can be most effective.
Informative and easy-to-digest product descriptions are instrumental in persuading customers to make a purchase. You should look to provide detailed information about each product, including its features, benefits, and specifications. According to Google consumer insights, 85% of shoppers say product information and pictures are important to them when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from.
Your e-commerce site must have clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) that guide users through the buying process. CTAs like ‘Buy Now,’ ‘Add to Cart,’ and ‘Proceed to Checkout’ should be prominent and enticing.
Building trust is essential for e-commerce success. To help with this, it’s a good idea to include trust badges, customer reviews, and testimonials to reassure customers that they are making a safe and informed purchase with your brand. You want to avoid cart abandonment issues related to trust,
So, if those were the do’s when looking to create the best ecommerce website designs, what are the don’ts that you should avoid?
A lengthy and complicated checkout process is a surefire way to frustrate potential customers and increase cart abandonment rates. Keep the checkout process as simple and straightforward as possible as 21% of cart abandonments are due to complicated or lengthy checkout experiences.
Slow-loading websites are a burden for many and can lead to impatient users bouncing from your site and straight to your competitors. Long loading times can be the result of un-optimised images, excessive scripts, or inefficient server hosting. Websites that load within one second have a 40% conversion rate, with this dropping considerably with every second.
Neglecting to optimise your e-commerce website for mobile devices is a significant mistake. A mobile-responsive design is essential and failing to provide a seamless mobile experience can result in potential customers leaving your site.
Avoid cluttered and overly complex website designs that overwhelm visitors. A clean and simple design with well-organised content is more effective in guiding users to their desired products. As many as 70% of smartphone users have abandoned a poorly designed mobile site, so keep it simple for better engagement.
A subpar search feature can make it challenging for users to find what they’re looking for. Auto-suggestions, filters, and an advanced search functionality are essential if you want to provide user convenience. 36% of ecommerce sites do not support thematic searches, where you can search and get relevant results, meaning lost opportunities for conversion.
If you can steer clear of common design pitfalls, you can create a more user-friendly and efficient e-commerce website that encourages visitors to browse and complete their purchases without issue. By adhering to the ‘do’s’ of e-commerce website design, your site can become an inviting and profitable online shopping hub. Prioritising user-centred design, clear navigation, high-quality imagery, detailed product descriptions, effective CTAs, and trust signals paves the way for an engaging shopping environment whilst avoiding the many ‘don’ts’.
As you look to refine your site, keep in mind that a captivating, user-friendly, and trustworthy online storefront can significantly impact your success. If you can implement these design principles, you elevate your e-commerce venture to new heights.
For more insights and tips, please visit our blog for helpful topics, from navigating Google’s Helpful Content Update to learning more about what is responsive web design.
