You’re looking for an affordable pair of binoculars, so you run a search engine query for reviews. Settling upon the pair most suited to your needs, you run a search for that make and model.
The first seller’s site upon which you land is a cluttered mess, with seemingly every product they sell on the home page and no regard for usability. The second site you visit has a clean design, easy navigation, trust seals, customer reviews — and a higher price.
Form which site would you feel more comfortable buying?
Such is the power of avoiding common ecommerce site design flaws.
Here’s what your site needs to have.
Instant Identification
Users should be able to tell at a glance what your site is all about. Getting back to our binocular example — if that’s your specialty, it should be immediately apparent, so shoppers know they’re likely to find what they came looking for.
Short of naming the site BinocularsAreUs.com, (which was available as of this writing by the way), consider ways you can let binocular enthusiasts know they’ve found the Promised Land and implement them.
Within that, your home page — and indeed all of your pages — should be pleasantly laid out, with sufficient white space and easy navigation. You should also include trust seals and customer reviews to inspire trust.
Mobile Friendliness
The smart play here is to use one istanbul escort of the available premium website templates like Shopify’s, based upon responsive design. This way your site will look good, regardless of the device upon which it is displayed.
You’ll also be freed of the bother of creating one version for desktop machines and another for smartphones and tablets. Given mobile commerce is rapidly overtaking ecommerce, this strategy positions your store to function well in both environments.
Easy to Find (and Use) Search
Most people expect the search window to be at the top right on a desktop screen and across the top of a mobile screen. It should also be configured to remain visible, regardless of the page or screen currently being displayed.
Large, Crisp Images
Thumbnails only work underneath a larger image to show a shopper which additional views of a product are available. People want to see as many different angles as possible, as well as close-ups of key details and features. Zoom capability is nice too, especially for handheld devices, as screen size is limited.
Concise, Yet Insightful Product Descriptions
Some shoppers want reams of information; others just want to know what they expect is what it is. You’ll have to strike a balance between supplying enough information for the former while avoiding boring the latter. You can always offer a separate in-depth page accessible from a “Learn More” link at the end of the concise description on the product’s landing page.
Speed, Speed and More Speed
Along with the rise of mobile computing has come the need for faster response time. People are usually multitasking and don’t have a whole lot of patience for a site that takes forever to load.
Simple Checkout
Every piece of data you demand over and above what is absolutely required to complete the transaction nudges your customer closer to abandoning their shopping cart. Rather than requiring shoppers to register to make a purchase, invite them to do so after they’ve paid for their items. Your site’s one and only goal should be to close the sale. Anything that gets in the way of that should be eliminated.
Most underperforming ecommerce sites fall down in those seven areas. Avoiding the most common ecommerce flaws will ensure yours isn’t one of them.
