The Ecommerce world is one of the most lucrative industries to be involved in and lot of people endeavor into starting up their own online store or business. Ecommerce website owners often ask “what does it take for a web site to succeed?” There are many factors but here is a list of 10 most important areas to concentrate on.
1. Clear Storefront Layout and Navigation – Design cannot be overlooked. A user should instantly feel like he or she knows what to do and what is being asked of him or her to get to a preferred destination. An ecommerce web site should home page almost always must include a search bar, a navigation bar with browse by category, special offers via a colorful rotation banner such as deal of the day, merchandising boxes that work together to offer popular items, security and confidence building purchase icons such as contact phone numbers with customer service links, SSL and secure experience icons, shipping and credit card/payment option logos, and a clearance or discount section.
2. Significant, Useable, Filterable, and Actionable Product Information – First, provide an easy to filter navigation and the option to compare items. This puts a user in charge of his or her own shopping destiny and encourages buying by increasing participation in the selection process. A good amount of content in each section and about each product allows users to learn more about your categories, products, your company, and the experience one can expect, building the consumer confidence needed to make a purchase and be happy about his or her decision.
3. Product Photos – Product photos are a big deal! Many users need to see, in good detail, the quality of the product he or she will receive. Include zoom tools so users can see the detail, even if you think this is not important. If your product warrants multiple angles or light shots, show them. Your users will reward you with a confident purchase, one less likeley to be returned. Best practice would be to find the best competitor out there and make sure your site has better or “as good” pictures as that site.
4. Calls to Action – Invest in features that will help customers interact with your site and understand your products better. Investment ideas are to go with some leading trends such as expandable interactive images, flash, interactive tours, videos, live chat with customer service, professional looking slideshows that show high level technical prowess, and the list goes on. The idea here is to provide a user an experience eh or she cannot find elsewhere.
5. In Your Face Product Promotion – When you go to a store are all products set up the same? Most likeley, no. A store’s objective is to push viewers to see many items in a way that is fashionable and exiting to the customer. Many stores forget that cross selling suggestions, product reviews, featured products sections, clearance areas, coupons, and any interactive presentation is seen. Push viewers to more interaction, and to buy today! Additionally, merchants that now provide advanced, exceedingly fast shopping experience tools such as AJAX can now gain a competitive advantage via site speed increase, earning customer loyalty and additional revenues.