As many are already aware, e-commerce sales have skyrocketed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All businesses are looking for ways to grow their sales via as many channels available to them as possible.
With customers today frequenting websites for their every need, a poorly-designed e-commerce site that is difficult to navigate, challenging to shop, and has a confusing or complicated checkout process will not endure. These points of contention can result in the loss of sales, but there are a number of ways to avoid these issues by considering design options from a customer’s point of view.
Avoid overly complex layouts
There are ways that navigation can affect websites and the customer experience. The idea is to allow customers to find what they are looking for with the fewest clicks possible. Therefore, it’s important not to reinvent the wheel in terms of layout. One way to ease the process is to simplify the Search function and make filtering a priority. Since customers don’t always know how to find what they’re looking for, place the Search function prominently on the page, and allow in-depth filtering options.
Keep it simple
Visual appeal is also a big part of designing a website; as well as being essential for branding purposes. An over-the-top design might be overwhelming to a customer, or cause confusion. Try to limit the colour palette to a neutral colour with one or two accents dictated by the brand colours. Product imagery should be compelling and highlight the features of the product, or the least the ones that people would be most interested to see if they were in a physical store.
Do not forget about mobile
While it may seem obvious at first, many e-commerce sites are surprisingly ill-equipped to mobile devices. Some of the big name e-commerce websites such as Amazon, have up to half of their site views from mobile only visitors. 36 percent of millennial customers are making purchases from their mobile phones, with that number steadily growing in the current climate. Ensure that the website is responsive on mobile and consider auto-complete functions for ease of use.
Optimise the shopping cart
Once customers navigate the site and find items they are interested in, be sure that adding items to their cart is a streamlined experience. Make all calls-to-action easy to find by spelling out all product options in a visible location. No matter where they take action, the customer should know that their addition was successful through a popup, menu, or another visual cue. It would be a good idea to constantly think of ways to improve the shopping cart experience. Failing to do so may lead to higher rates of cart abandonment.
