The face of any online business is its website, which basically acts as the reflection of your online existence. Your first and then proceeding impressions are created by your website. We all know now that website conversion is primarily linked with business sales. Having a conversion-centric design is an essential component of the website design to boost e-commerce conversion, so much so that 75% users judge a website’s credibility based on its design. The presence of UX elements helps the online retailers in making their website conversion friendly.
There are numerous steps involved in crafting a high-quality e-commerce website that will drive sales for your business.
Guide to designing an e-Commerce website to increase conversion
If you run an online store and want to grow, you are always looking for ventures to boost your online business. It is vital to know how to increase the conversion rate of your e-commerce site.
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Use Intriguing headlines
In the online world, competitors are always on their toes with respect to the latest happenings in their surroundings. Competitor websites have already made their mark and secured their places on Google. You have to now penetrate into the segment and make your mark. Building your brand and making your loyal set of customers is one of the most important aspects of brand building. This phase is not easy; it requires a lot of out-of-the-box thinking and innovative solutions.
One way of adding value to your website is giving a catchy title, pointing out to your customer what they are going to get in the website content. The above image from HnM magazine is a classic example of an intriguing headline paired with a compelling subheading and design.
This is important because, in today’s busy life, time is money and if the customer is giving your content their time it means he is investing in you. You cannot afford to disappoint your customers in this regard.
A competitive and appealing title helps in catching the attention of the reader and entices them in taking an impulsive decision. In simpler words, a good headline attracts the customer to your product and creates a need for it in their mind. Few tricks to create a catchy and effective headline are:
- List headlines (for example, this could be the headline for an online fashion boutique’s post about their new winter collection could be: Here’s a list of essentials for your 2018 winter wardrobe)
- Use How To headlines (for example, this could be the headline for an online hair product brand: How to fix a bad hair day in 5 minutes!)
- Best and Worst headline (for example, this could be the headline for an online skincare brand’s post: the 5 best and worst cleansers for acne prone skin)
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High-quality product images
Product images act as one of the most fascinating elements of your e-commerce site. A customer can never really have enough of them, as the customer will always be keen to see as much of their desired product on the screen as possible. When paired with the right kind of design, they catch the eye of the customer immediately as visuals form a large part of a potential customer’s first impression in the buying process.
In the above banner from Sophie and Trey, for example, both the image and design are clear with an attractive, fun font. The featured product, jumpsuits, can be seen clearly in both their designs. There is nothing complicated about it and that is what makes it attractive; we will touch on simplicity once again later, as a separate point.
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Avoid heavy designing of the website
It is never a wise idea to overdo the design part of your website. The first attempt should be to make it as simple as possible so that the visitors should find it easy to navigate and understand the dynamics of the firm and its products and services.
Your website design portrays your business. This is the first meeting point of your business and your potential customers. You don’t want to be making this point of contact complicated; rather you should be looking to make it easy and comforting so that the user stays on your website. Remember, time is money.
Ideally, your website should tell the customer what they are going to achieve by landing on a specific page. This is what creates an impulsive sell. If your website is bashed with uncluttered sets of images, bands of colors, several icons, then it creates a sense of annoyance and visitor would leave instantly.
The image from 53 store shows the importance of keeping the page simple yet attractive. They use light and fewer colors quite wisely. By associating the information in an ideal manner, they have mentioned the important information professionally.
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Product details is important
The written description and details of your product matter a lot, as they directly communicate to the customers the relevant information about your product or service. A thorough, simple description helps in answering the unasked queries of the customer and helps them understand whether the product is suitable for them (or not). In either case, it helps save the customers’ time and aids them in making a more informed decision as clarity trumps persuasion.
One more advantage of having a quality product copy is the word of mouth for the online company as well as its product. Once your customer is happy and satisfied with the product you have sold to him, he will then act as a marketing man for your goods by spreading positive word. However, if the customer isn’t tackled well, they can create a lot of issues for your e-commerce store by propagating the weakness of the company and its products.
The above product details by White Duck Outdoors, for example, show in two different angles the product and its features (length, weight, color) are all noted down. Plus, the view 360 option is also there for curious customers.
The customer, in this case, will be sure of what he is buying. This helps in removing the element of uncertainty involving the product’s utility and function.
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Simplicity makes a huge difference
The essence of an online business is (or should be) the assurance of ease and comfort for the customers. Never create a battlefield for your potential customer to become your loyal and repeat customer. Serving the relevant information to the customer in the easiest way is the name of the game for all the online businesses. This efficient serving of information leads to conversions. Avoid confusion with multiple clicks that yield variable results, confusing tabs and unwanted blogs which puts them somewhere they were not intended to go initially.
Different studies depict the fact that poor conversion is not because of several clicks, but with the occurrence of unexpected outcomes.
When your customer visits your online face i.e., your website, they want the company to tell them what you are offering in the easiest way possible.
Conclusion
E-Commerce has taken the world by storm. The growth in this sector has been immense, and the competition quite strong. Businesses can’t afford to be complacent and are in a continuous phase of Kaizen. Designing the website is crucial and extremely critical.
The website is the mirror of the organization, however, buying a domain and choosing an ecommerce template design isn’t enough. The first meeting points between a company and its lifeline i.e., its customer need to be satisfied and optimized properly, and only those businesses who optimize their website correctly are the ones who will stand out.