Top 10 Most Important Features for Your E-Commerce Website
Thanks to the rise of online shopping, eCommerce websites are becoming more and more sought after and for good reason!
Not only do eCommerce websites allow your customers to purchase goods from the comfort of their own home, it also allows you to expand your audience – all at a cheaper price than running your own physical store!
Now, to set up your eCommerce venture you’re going to need an excellent website in both design and functionality if you want to succeed. If you follow our advice these essentials can give you the best possible start!
Here is what you should be looking for if you want your eCommerce website to flourish.
1. Easy Navigation
It may seem small but having a comprehensive and easy to use navigation is incredibly important.
Attention span online is very short and if your navigation is confusing or users can’t find what they’re looking for, then those potential customers will likely look elsewhere and you’ve lost a sale!
At Gromedia we can offer many menu options, whether you’re looking for a mega menu with featured posts & products or just a simple hamburger menu that looks great on mobile!
No matter what menu you decide for your website make sure it is easy to read and navigate!
2. Responsive Design
Responsive design is an absolute must if you want to succeed!
Today, over half of people are viewing websites on their phone and 40% of those people will look elsewhere if the website they land on is not responsive! That can be detrimental to your business.
Furthermore, Google rewards sites for having a responsive design so this actually has a direct effect on your SEO which can affect your search engine rankings.
At Gromedia, all of our websites are built with responsive design as you can see here with our Casamo Furniture portfolio piece!
3. Product Detail
One downside to online shopping is that you don’t get to ‘try before you buy’, so it is essential to optimise your page! The more optimised your product pages are the better – you can never have enough information about your products.
Information such as description, sizing, rating & features gives your customers enough information to trust that your product is the one they need and answers all the questions they may have!
It’s also important to include large high-quality photos so that your customers can get a good look at the product.
All of this will help to improve your conversion rates.
4. Easy Checkout
It is a well-known fact that many customers abandon their purchase at the checkout stage, this is called cart abandonment.
There are many reasons for this including things such as hidden delivery fees & complicated checkout processes.
To ensure your customers don’t ditch their trolley it’s key to make sure that your checkout process does the following:
- No Hidden Fee’s – This is one of the main reasons for cart abandonment. Not many customers appreciate an added fee out of nowhere and it encourages them to leave and look elsewhere!
- Progress Indicator – As stated above, attention span is short and users don’t like to spend too long on one thing. A progress indicator is effective in the checkout stage as it allows the user to see how much longer they have until the process is complete.
There are many other steps and processes that can be added & removed to make sure that the transition between buying and checking out is seamless!
5. Clear Delivery & Returns Information
It’s important to have clear delivery and return information that is easily accessible for your customers.
Making sure that any additional delivery charges are made known at the start will lower the chances of cart abandonment at the checkout.
It’s also important to outline where you will deliver and how long it will take as these are important aspects for your customers to know.
Regarding returns, this is also very important. As stated above, you can’t ‘try before you buy’ online so it is more likely your customers might need to return their item.
Making your returns process clear & easy increases trust and is more likely to make your customers convert.
6. Security
It is absolutely essential to have effective security measures and features in place when operating an eCommerce website.
eCommerce websites deal with personal information frequently including addresses, names & payment details so it is vital that steps are taken to protect that information and ensure privacy.
Using a secure eCommerce platform is a great way to do this as they offer excellent security features.
Content management systems like WordPress & Shopify are some of the top platforms used online and it’s no wonder why!
There are some other steps to take to secure your eCommerce website including:
- SSL Certificate
- Two Factor Authentication
- Firewalls
- Secure Checkout
7. Offers & Wishlists
Being able to promote offers is an excellent way to drive sales as it truly incentivises people to buy – especially if it’s only available for a limited time as this creates a sense of urgency!
Good eCommerce websites will be able to offer this functionality.
What’s even better are wish lists! They are a great function to have because it increases the likelihood of a sale (especially if you can set up email marketing reminders) and it’s also a great opportunity to introduce remarketing!
8. Related Products
Having a ‘related products’ feature, or the ability to up sell and cross sell products can be incredibly effective!
It allows you to target relevant products towards customers who are buying related products.
Not only does this make your customers feel as if you understand their needs, it can also be truly beneficial if you are able to do this at the beginning of the checkout process because it’s just a quick and easy way to add a related product to their basket!
9. Reviews
How many of us rely on customer reviews before we buy a product?
If you are able to incorporate reviews and ratings on each product (and gain positive reviews) this can help your users to convert!
If you’re seeking to gain more trust from your customers then this is also a great technique for that too!
10. Frequently Asked Questions
Another functionality that can help your customers feel comfortable about buying from you.
A ‘frequently asked questions page’ allows you to answer any questions they may have without having to go through extra barriers like waiting for a return email or sitting through a phone call.
FAQ’s establish credibility and build confidence and trust with your buyer.
Do You Need an eCommerce Website?
Our experienced team can help you design and launch a website that provides a seamless shopping experience.
When we’ve done that, we’ll work with you to continuously optimise your site, adding extras as you need them.
Contact Us
Contact us today and claim your free consultation!
- 01935 420780
- info@gromedia.com
