The eCommerce industry in the US has grown from 167.3 billion U.S. dollars to 304.1 billion U.S. dollars over the last 4 years. And it is slated to touch 500 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2018. This is a crucial time, and therefore, the primary focus of your ecommerce website should be on increasing the conversion rate.
More and more people are resorting to online shopping with the steady advent of technology. Over 70% of social media users prefer buying from businesses they follow online. Smartphones and Tablets have also made it easy for online shoppers to make purchases on the go. As a result, ecommerce businesses have had a stupendous growth over the past couple of years… and this rate will keep on soaring higher in future too.
Some Interesting Ecommerce Stats
- Over 60% of mobile traffic comes from iPads and iPhones
- Returning visitors spend more time and visit more pages than new visitors
- Marketing and Promotional campaigns are most effective in the middle of a week
- Product comparison ecommerce websites have around 75 million monthly visitors
- Although Facebook has been the most beneficial social platform for ecommerce conversion, most ecommerce pages have less than 500 followers
If you are planning to venture into the world of ecommerce, you have chosen the right track and the right time! However, there is a little glitch. Like anything else on the Web, every element on your ecommerce website must be useful and offer some value to your visitors. Otherwise, they will not even think twice before hitting the Back button.
One such element is web design. The design of your ecommerce website will be responsible for creating the first impression. In other words, it will have the power to make or break your reputation. As a result, you will only have a single chance to hit the bull’s eye.
So how will you create a user-friendly and visually striking ecommerce website? In this post, we’ll take a look at the 5 key pillars that hold the powers to provide maximum support to your dreams.
Pillars of a High Conversion Ecommerce Web Design
The primary goal behind of your website is to convert the visitors into customers. And the Call-to-Action (or CTA) buttons play the most crucial role in it. These buttons give directions and take visitors take the next step. Therefore, it is important that the CTA buttons are easy to spot, placed at the right locations, have easygoing color and typography, and fully functional.
Pro Tip: Use ‘Add to Cart’ buttons instead of ‘Buy Now’ buttons. In this way, customers will have the chance to buy multiple items at one go, rather than getting directed to the checkout page every time they select a product.
#2. HD Pictures and Proper Descriptions
The very first thing that makes us like a dish is the presentation; its taste comes in the second spot. We eat with our eyes first. The same rule applies in online shopping. As a result, you need to make sure that every product in your ecommerce website has clear, HD pictures that don’t get distorted or pixilated when enlarged. Moreover, there should also be complete details available on each product, thus making it easier for visitors to make comparisons.
Pro Tip: Hire a professional photographer, as he will have better knowledge about the various camera angles. While writing the product descriptions, do not make them too long as the adequate range is between 75 to 100 words per product.
#3. A satisfying FAQ section
Get one thing straight! Your visitors are keener on knowing about the return policies than about your business history. Therefore, keep the ‘About Us’ section short and simple, and focus heavily on the ‘FAQ’ section. Try to think like a visitor and come up with every question possible. Studying the ‘FAQ’ section of other ecommerce websites is not a bad option either. Do not forget to provide answers to the important questions regarding your service, shipping, delivery, and return policies.
Pro Tip: An ‘FAQ’ section is usually lengthy. Therefore, it doesn’t have to heavy on design. Using easy to read fonts with a plain background is the best option you have in hand.
As it was pointed out earlier, most visitors use their mobile devices to shop online. Now let me tell you, these people are an impatient lot, and they will bounce to your rival website if it takes more than 3 seconds to find anything. Therefore, focus on keeping the navigation as simple as you can. You also need to make sure that your visitors have an easy access to your contact information. Or else, how do you expect them to rely on you when they have no means of getting in touch with you personally?
Pro Tip: Place a 24×7-service number on every page of your ecommerce website, so that your visitors do not have to jump back to the homepage to get the contact details.
#5. A strong Search Functionality
How will your website help a visitor who is not looking for a specific product? It’s pretty obvious that he will try to find a list based on his requirements. And in such cases, the Search bar doesn’t help much. Make sure you visitors get the option to streamline their search based on brand names, price range, sizes, availability, and various other categories.
Pro Tip: Your visitors may also like to view the other purchases made by customers who bought a specific product. Both Volusion and Magento are great platforms that offer you this advantage.
And last but not the least, make sure that your website has been integrated with responsive techniques. If you create an ecommerce website with these pillars acting as the supports, then there is no way anyone can stop your business from becoming a raging success. If your ultimate aim is hitting the bull’s eye, isn’t it a smart move to come to the battlefield fully prepared?
Images: ”Female hands using touch screen device for online payment/Shutterstock.com“
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