10 Website Essentials for Ecommerce Setups
While it’s true that every website, regardless of the business it supports, is unique and backed by sizeable efforts on the part of developers and designers, it is also important to note that e-commerce sites have a lot more to worry about and therefore the execution process is slightly more convoluted. Moreover, every e-commerce site needs to take certain indispensable aspects into account, including the likes of dynamic product search, advanced filtering, 360-degree holistic reviews, and animations, to grow and generate sales. However, staying abreast of the mentioned trends and technologies isn’t sufficient at times and an e-commerce website needs to incorporate certain essential tools, to remain competitive and relevant.
Here are the 10 essential features which might just guarantee highly robust customer experiences and increased conversions:
User-Friendliness
Every e-commerce website needs to have a simple layout that might or might not have been achieved upon sacrificing elegance for utility. Reports suggest that 76 percent of clients prefer the ease of usage over any other website attribute, regarding accessing products. Therefore, the concerned e-commerce website must be willing to minimize unnecessary complexity and make room for faster checkouts. The best strategies for achieving the same include auto-complete functionality, effective visual navigation, and pre-populated forms.
Mobile-Friendliness
Needless to say, more than 50 percent of online transactions are initiated via mobile phones and this is where it becomes necessary for an e-commerce website to include responsiveness and mobile-optimized layouts. This attribute makes sure that the content layout and structure automatically get aligned depending on the device in question. Therefore, it becomes easier for the e-commerce setups to increase and improve sales while amplifying rankings quite considerably.
High-Resolution Videos and Snapshots
Ecommerce setups must let go of the obsolete habits of posting one image and exploring the prices with a few basic points. Customers, pertaining to the modern era, prefer looking at images from diverse angles as they desire a 360-degree viewing experience. That said, companies must also spare a thought for the technical aspect of images; thereby concentrating more on the loading speed and concerned drop-off rates. Independent researchers have suggested that certain companies have increased checkout rates by almost 24 percent by regularly concentrating on adding Instagram posts. In simpler words, texts do not sell anymore unless they are paired with credible images.
User Reviews
Word-of-mouth marketing is still in fashion and this also works in regard to reviews, which are probably the most useful assets for the concerned e-commerce setup. Studies have shown that almost 95 percent of customers prefer hustling through the reviews before making the final call. Moreover, almost 57 percent of the existing customers make a purchase only if the product is rate four or more, in terms of starts. In simpler words, reviews should be used as user-generated pieces of content by businesses, in order to build a loyal fan base and drive social validity. Therefore, brands have some negative reviews also make decent sales as they look more organic as compared to the ones with only positive reviews.
Wish Lists
Ecommerce sites must immediately make room for website wish lists in order to help customers bookmark their choices for future references. This feature is more like a remarketing dream in regard to the existing advertisement campaigns. Based on research conducted by Forrester, having a website wish list can increase the open rates by almost 80 percent while even maximizing the returns by at least 5 times.
Related Items
What new e-commerce setups miss out is to add a segment called related items, in order to propose a relevant list of items that might also cater to the customer. Having this feature makes sure that a desirable amount of stickiness is added within the website which eventually compels customers to make additional purchases. Something called ‘You Might also like this’ fits perfectly into the scenario where the online seller pushes more than one item for sale by making organic yet relevant recommendations.
FAQs
Every purchase isn’t a straightforward one and the customer might often require insights, depending on the price and even complexity of the product. Having a section named Frequently Asked Questions offers a platform to the customers where they can interact with the concerned sellers and ask questions regarding products, prices, discounts, and even warranties. This, in turn, helps establish credibility and necessitates confidence building.
Security Features
Needless to say, e-commerce setups require transactional platforms as users purchase products and make payments accordingly. This is why websites must be secured against diverse cybersecurity threats. A secured e-commerce platform, therefore, automatically caters to a wider audience base. Some of the additional resources include the pairing of WordPress and Magento with specific WooCommerce platforms. Apart from that, customers are usually on the lookout for SSL certificates, firewalls, privacy policies, 2FA, and a host of other security features.
Shipping Details
Most e-commerce stores fail to gauge the foremost reason for cart abandonment i.e. exorbitant shipping and fulfillment costs. However, the best way out for an online seller is to detail the shipping information and offer a complete breakdown on the concerned page. This would also mean that separate shipping rates for different ZIP codes are also provided. Other insights regarding delivery date and time also need to be provided, in order to help customers make purchases on the basis of urgency.
Return Policy
Customers aren’t always satisfied with the purchased product and a credible e-commerce website must, therefore, offer them a chance to return the same sans hassles. However, the website must clearly state the policies associated with returns, in order to avoid ambiguities. What e-commerce stores need to understand is that having a well-etched out return policy actually increases the trust-building quotient of the website and allows clients to make hassle-free purchases.
While these are 10 of the most important features which new and even established e-commerce websites can use for increasing conversions and amplifying the loyal customer base, there are a few more which can be added along with the mentioned ones for ensuring a holistic website development. In due course of time, online sellers can start incorporating contact pages that focus on multiple touchpoints, special offers, in-store identification, social proof, and advanced payment schemes for sweetening the pot further for the customers.
