Today, almost every company has a website, and these websites serve different purposes. They can represent your services, they can serve as a portfolio, they can advertise a certain event, or they can allow consumers to purchase your products and services directly.
A website that allows consumers to purchase products directly is known as an e-commerce site. It requires features that may differ from other types of websites. And, because it serves as a main source of income for your company, it must be functional and engaging.
So, the question e-commerce companies should be focusing on is, what are the most important components of my business website and how can I optimize them? This article will provide you with the information you need to know.
Easy Navigation on e-Commerce Website
Your e-commerce website won’t be worth much if consumers can’t find the products they are looking for. A website that’s easy to navigate will not be overly cluttered. This will ensure consumers locate the products they are after without having to search through a sea of text and images.
Top of page menus are also essential. For example, if you sell clothing, you may want to have different tabs for shirts, jeans, shoes and so on. If you have a lot of items, you may enable more advanced searches that help people find products by color, size and so on.
Mobile Optimization on e-Commerce Website
Statistics show that 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase via a mobile device in the last 6 months. 84% have said they’ve had difficulty completing a mobile purchase at some point in their lifetime.
To keep up with the competition, your website must be optimized for mobile. It should show up clearly on a mobile screen and be easy to read. It’s advisable for testers to try out your site on mobile devices to ensure it is optimized for smaller formats, so you don’t miss out on a good portion of sales.
Convenient Checkout on e-Commerce Website
Statistics show a 69.57% rate of cart abandonment among e-commerce shoppers. While there are various reasons consumers may leave items in their carts without paying, it is often linked to a poor checkout experience. In fact, checkout optimization has been shown to decrease abandonment rates by 36.62%.
So why do users abandon their carts? Here are some common issues:
- Their method of payment is not accepted: An e-commerce company will be wise to accept as many forms of payment as possible.
- Being forced to create an account: While shoppers should be given the option to create an account, they should not be forced to do so.
- Extra fees: Shoppers may abandon their cart because they find they are being charged an exorbitant amount in tax and shipping. It’s best to make them aware of what they will be paying before they check out, or better yet, keep these fees to a minimum.
- The page takes too long to load: Statistics show that shoppers will abandon their carts if the pages take more than three seconds to load.
- Complexity: Shoppers may also become frustrated if they have too many forms or fields to fill out. The fewer fields they must deal with, the better. You can limit the fields involved by allowing them to fill out their names in one box instead of two, enabling them to enter their address on one line and eliminating unnecessary optional boxes.
- Having to enter their credit card and shipping information: You can make this process more convenient by setting your website, so it repopulates this information.
- The discount code won’t work: If a shopper is promised a discount, it’s up to you to make sure they can access it easily.
Using retargeted ads can be effective in getting users to pay for the items they have abandoned. You can use platforms like Google and Facebook to remind users that they have abandoned items in their cart in the hopes they revisit the site and convert.
Customer Support
If a shopper has questions, you want to provide them with answers as soon as possible. If you are unable to do so, they may just bounce off to another site.
Here are some tips for optimal customer support:
- Have phone agents as well as email: When people have questions, they want answers now. If they send an email, they know they will be waiting up to 24 hours for a response. Phone contact is preferrable.
- Have a chatbot: A chatbot may not be able to answer all customer inquiries, but unlike a phone agent, it can work 24/7 bringing customers closer to getting the answers they need.
- Have an FAQ section: An FAQ section provides answers to commonly asked questions and can offer solutions to customer inquiries when a live agent is not available.
Shipping and Return Information
Shipping and return information are a common customer concern that should be included on your website. Not only will it provide answers to customer questions, but it will also reduce the amount of time your agents spend on the phone.
The info should be available on the website and not just provided at checkout. If customers are unhappy with the policies they find out about during this last crucial step, it could cost you a sale and leave customers dissatisfied with your services.
Your return and shipping info should include delivery times, minimums for free shipping and any processing delays the company is experiencing.
CTAs
CTAs or calls to action, are very important. They tell the customer exactly what you want them to do.
You may think it’s obvious that you want a customer to buy a product or subscribe to your newsletter or services, but you may be surprised to find out how effective it can be to clearly express your intent. Not only will it send a message, but it will also get them to act, and it will be more likely to produce conversions.
CTAs should be included on any web page that’s intended to make a sale. They should be accompanied by CTA buttons that are displayed in a bright color (ideally red) and will allow the consumer to click on them so they can get to the page where they can carry out the desired action.
Clear Images
When you sell e-commerce goods, you are at a disadvantage in that people can’t touch your items or see them up close before they purchase them. It’s up to you to provide them with a simulated experience so they have a good idea of what they are getting. This will make them more likely to buy and less likely to ask for a return.
The website images of your goods should be clear and high quality. You may also feature a zoom mode so users can see the products up close. Another option is to include a video of the product being used or a 3D video that simulates a real-life experience of the person using the product.
Inventory Management
Keeping track of inventory is essential in the world of e-commerce. You never want to oversell an item, nor do you want to buy more than you need.
Software is available that helps e-commerce websites keep track of items being sold across various platforms. This keeps business owners updated on what they have in stock and what they need to order. It prevents them from disappointing customers because they are unable to fulfill orders.
Marketing Tools
Marketing tools can also be integrated into e-commerce websites. Shopify, Zapier and Google Analytics are examples of tools that can be used to analyze customer behavior and help you organize retargeting campaigns. They can also assist you in automating tasks, communicating with customers, and setting payment options.
Blogs
Your e-commerce website should have a blog section. Blogs are a great way to keep users engaged. They let consumers know about new trends, what’s going on with your company, and they can provide valuable information that establishes you as a thought leader in your field.
They are also a great way to integrate keywords into your website which helps you improve your search engine rankings.
Other SEO Elements
Blogs are a terrific way to boost your e-commerce company’s SEO, but there are other things you can do to get yourself to the top of search engine pages. Ensuring your pages load quickly will be helpful and it will keep users from bouncing to another site. Alt text on images will also keep you visible.
A Review Section
Online reviews are very important. It’s a good idea for you to include product reviews on your website. It sends out a vibe of transparency and it gives users the information they need regarding the quality of your products without making them to travel to another website where they can get lost forever.
E-commerce is the way of the present and the future, but your website is everything. Now that you know the elements you need to make your site function properly and yield conversions, you can move forward in the industry. What will you be doing to ensure your online business is successful?
If you have questions or would like to get started, please give us a call at (312) 834-7787 or visit our website to request a free quote and consultation.