With the world steadily moving towards digitization, it is obvious that soon enough, we will have a heavily digitized economy. To thrive in this future environment, several businesses and corporations are quickly moving towards an online base: e-commerce.
Be it an up-and-coming e-commerce website like Pinduoduo or a long-lived one like Amazon, featuring certain important elements on the website is essential. These features make the basic handbook a must-have if you hope to turn your e-commerce business into a success. Yes, the quality of your product matters, but if the website does not aid the viewer’s eye, it might be negative.
- User & Mobile-Friendly
- Home, Header & Footer Features
- Wish Lists / Shopping Cart
- FAQ, Return Policy, Shipping Information
- Lead Generating Pop-Ups
- Customer Support and Reviews
- Customer Checkout
- Payment Methods
- Security Features
User & Mobile-Friendly
The most important feature is that the website has to be user-friendly. It should be designed in a manner that looks polished and sophisticated. All products should be efficiently categorized to sort and filter them available, thus making the website easy to navigate. Statistics have shown that most users judge the functionality of a website by how easy to navigate it is. On an online market, there is barely any time available to sell the product to your user. If the website is intricately hard to navigate, the user will most probably move on to a simpler website.
Since a wide population today accesses the internet mainly via their mobiles or tablets, the website should adjust to any screen and browser while also being highly responsive.
Home, Header & Footer Features
These make up the key elements of your website. Ideally, they should consist of all the important links and ways to navigate smoothly through your website. They are the first thing that the customer sees on visiting your website, and therefore, they set the mood for the entire experience.
Wish Lists / Shopping Cart
A potential customer might not want to buy the product right away and instead, save it for later. The wish-list or shopping cart option gives them a way to do so. They can save their products here, so they do not lose them while they are surfing the website. This is also an excellent feature if the buyer needs to compare two or more products.
FAQ, Return Policy, Shipping Information
A detailed product description makes the customer feel comfortable while buying it, especially if it is expensive. Frequently asked questions or FAQ’s eliminate the need for your customer to contact you for more information. They also provide a way to explain the product better on your end.
Your return policy should be detailed and clearly stated on the website. This helps in building trust between you and the buyer. Hidden shipping costs are one of the major reasons for consumers to ditch their carts. Make sure to include all over-head shipping costs on the product description page itself. Free shipping has proven to be a huge advantage for most websites. Providing users with a delivery time-limit and options for quicker delivery also helps. If applicable, remember to feature any codes for free shipping you might have.
Lead Generating Pop-Ups
Incorporating pop-ups on your website can go either way. If not used strategically and correctly, they can cause the user to get easily irritated and leave. Thus, it is essential to use them properly. If you do, it can lead to improved sales and a stronger customer base.
Make sure the pop-up presents something of value to the buyer, like a discount, a promo code, or an attractive deal. However, try not to go berserk with the offers. Present only one offer at a time. It should also have an easy exit pathway. The pop-up should be well designed and should only consist of the most crucial information.
Customer Support and Reviews
Live chat is a newer feature that is being used by most of the e-commerce websites today. It allows the customer to seek help at any stage during their entire time spent on your website. It instantly facilitates the buyer to voice their concern or need with customer support, thus establishing instant communication.
The review section is read by a majority of the customers while shopping for products. Usually, negative reviews are frowned upon, but in reality, they add authenticity to this section. A product with only positive reviews looks fake and made up. It is important to maintain the review section as well and respond to as many of them as possible.
Customer Checkout
The checkout process should be made easy and quicker with options to eliminate products from the cart if needed. It should not look too complicated. Also, a bar to add promo codes can be added.
Payment Methods
E-commerce websites are used by people worldwide, which makes it necessary to add as many payment options as possible. Believe it or not, many shoppers abandon their cart just because of a difference in payment methods. Thus, make sure to include some of the most famous forms of payment. As reported by e-commerce CRO agency Conversionrate.store, the availability of multiple payment options can essentially upturn the conversion rate.
Security Features
The most crucial part of any e-commerce website is to build a secure payment pathway. With numerous fraudulent websites on the run today, it is vital that your customer can confide in you with information like their credit card password. The customer should be assured of the fact that their passwords are not getting saved. Make sure to also have an SSL certificate linked. A bonus would be a two-factor authentication system.
Conclusion
Always ensure that your website is user friendly and easily navigable. Social media is another important aspect that can be considered. A strong social media presence helps bring more traffic, and so does adding links to your social media.
The user should be engaged throughout the time spent on your website. Remember to keep your website updated and crisp with content. The better the user experience, the better will be your word-of-mouth marketing. To achieve this, consistently interact with your customers and keep them satisfied.