The Web today is saturated with a million and one different eCommerce websites, so you must do whatever it takes to stand out in this cut-throat industry of selling online.
To be well and truly effective with your eCommerce goals and to ensure those ever needed online sales, your eCommerce website should have the following four traits.
Keep It Simple
We have seen in the past, websites that are flashy and full of sales pitches, forcing offers and discounts on to the customers visiting the sites. This is a terrible strategy, almost like the pushy salesman when buying a new car!
Customers are more inclined to respond positively to a simple clean website than an overly complicated complex site with all the bells and whistles.
Things to avoid are
- unnecessary popup advertisements
- Falling animated items (except snow at Christmas, we like this)
- Excessive amounts of media (such as promo videos and pointless ads that just fill spaces)
- definitely no music!
- Needless extra web pages to make your company look larger than it is.
Keeping your ecommerce website simple will help keep load times super fast, overly complicating your website with fancy widgets and plugins can have a negative affect or server load times which in turn loads your website slower.
This does not mean ‘Don’t use plugins and Widgets’ it means just use what really benefits you and your customers, no more and no less.
Easy Navigation
Customers to your web shop should be able to find exactly what they need almost right away. They shouldn’t be made to think about where products are, everything should be simple and intuitive.
If you are not sure if your website navigation is simple, ask a friend or colleague to browse your ecommerce website, test to see if they can find products easy, if they can, you’re doin a great job, if hey cannot, perhaps it is time to rethink your design.
This applies to product filters also, try to be methodical about your category listings in your shop, as this can help determine your filter functionality also.
Target Audience
Considering your target audience when designing your ecommerce website is a very important factor. Firstly, the initial impression of your website will either gauge your customers attention or deter it. If the website appeals to them, they will stay longer and more likely make that sale!
The Design and subject matter of your website needs to appealing and targeted to your market. For Example, you would not have a pink website that sells Men’s Power Tools, or have inappropriate images on a children’s toys website.
Some very extreme examples there, but it’s just to put it into perspective that your website design and style should suit your target audience.
Engagement
Keeping your customers engaged in your website will ensure they browse for longer, trust your brand and of course spend more money with your business. Reinforce the trust between your customers and your business by writing compelling blog or news articles that your users can relate to.
Respond appropriately to comments and feedback on your website, good or bad!
Good ideas for Articles are writing helpful tips and tutorials, showing your customers you truly know your business. They will also benefit from these and often return for more!
This also applies to your social networks.
Conclusion
To be the best you dont always need the bells and whistles and you certainly dont need to invest thousands and thousands trying to perfect every aspect of your ecommerce with every feature known to man.
It is about providing a simple, easy to use, appropriate website that your customers will enjoy using and ensure a continued return on your investment by becoming lifelong customers to your business.
