There is pretty tough competition out there in e-commerce. This makes it imperative for an e-commerce website to flaunt the essential design elements to make its presence felt. Read on to know how you can come up with a worthy e-commerce website.
You do not get the second chance to make the first impression, do you? And neither does your website. You need to make the splash in the first few seconds or you risk being set aside. E-commerce websites face pretty tough competition out there and it is imperative you make your website convincing enough to get visitors stick around long enough to convert.
To make sure that you are getting things done in the right manner, ask yourself the following questions:
• Can my users get the desired information in two clicks?
• Are my visuals distracting or useful?
• Are the technologies appropriate or a overkill?
• Do the users know their location within the website at all times?
• Can users get back to the home page with a single click?
• Is my content accessible to disabled users?
Adherence to these basic rules will get you an above average website. You can make it an excellent by implementing a few more essentials.
Catalog Design – Catalog Design is much more than just a collection of colorful pages that give an overall idea about the product or service. Product catalog must be designed to sell, not to introduce. On an e-commerce website, it is the catalog that does the talking as there is no salesperson over there. A creatively designed catalog will create a buzz persuading visitors to buy products or services that they do not really need.
Shopping Cart – Shopping Cart is the interface of user interaction with a website just before the purchase. MarketingSherpa's study in 2007 revealed that there was an average shopping cart abandonment rate of 52.1%. You must focus on getting the abandonment down with your designer. A good layout with Product Summary, Shipping Methods, Final Pricing (with taxes and shipping), Multiple Payment Options, Promo Code Field, Free Shipping Offers, Complimentary Products, Secure Checkout Logos, Links to Return Policy and FAQ's, and Checkout will help.
Payment Choices – The website must provide as many Payment Choices as possible. A seasoned web designer will set up a secure online payment system that accepts almost all the frequently-used payment modes. You can also mention other modes of payment such as PayPal, bank transfer etc.
Apart from these user specific design elements, you also need to factor in SEO right from the design phase and a Content Management System that fits in your specific requirements. Taking into account the SEO requirements of a site during the design phase will save you from trouble later. Selecting the appropriate content management system is also important. CMS such as Drupal, Joomla, WordPress and Concrete will enable you easily work on pdfs, images, audios, videos and other documents on your website.
Professional e-commerce website designers will make sure that your website has all the essential features to mint success. Along with it, you can also expect them to provide ancillary services such as graphic design, PSD to HTML conversion and development of mobile ready websites. They will provide you complete one stop solution for your requirements regarding e-commerce website development.
