The best online shops in the world have a wealth of product options, stacks of information, an ever-updating product line, a clear interface and effortless payment process. In layman’s terms they are attractive to look at and offer an enticing shopping experience.
If you’re really serious about selling online and want to create an ecommerce website that can accommodate grand ambitions, you’ll need to invest in functionality and design. Spend time researching existing market leading sites and note what it is about them that appeals to customers.
The best ecommerce sites allow users to create a personal account, presenting them with tailored discounts, offers and updates; as well as the ability to view their historical transactions, deliveries and returns.
All of this detail creates a colourful user experience, but the more functionality and options on offer, the greater the need to order the site in a way that users find accessible and simple to navigate.
A common feature of the most successful ecommerce businesses is clarity. It’s tempting to overrun your website with product displays or bolt on every widget on the market, but this could leave customers dazed and confused – a feeling which rarely compels them to buy.
Therefore much of the functionality you offer should work in the background, in the form of post-sale order confirmations, email reminders when customers abandon shopping baskets and an integrated front and back-end which keeps track of stock levels.
Unless you have technical ability and an ear to the ground when it comes to software upgrades, it’s best to consult with a development company and, preferably, commission one to do the build for you. They should advise you on what your site needs to keep customers happy.
When your site is up and running, make sure your product pages are optimised for search engines and that when customers arrive on these pages, the information presented to the is clear and simple: product description, images of the product, add to basket icon and quick route to a sale, are the main ingredients.
Keeping your product pages simple will help customers make a decision about what they want to buy, give them further comfort with a comprehensive ‘about us’ page. This should explain the business and give some detail about you as the founder.
Don’t worry about appearing ‘small’; your customers will appreciate the personal touches and knowing who is behind the venture should give them confidence to buy from you.
The watch words for a great ecommerce business are: simplicity, functionality, clarity and confidence. Construct your site with close reference to these qualities and you’ll stand a much better chance of making your business a success.
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