So you’ve made the exciting decision to open an eCommerce store. And why not? According to Forbes, it’s a great time to start, with eCommerce predicted to grow by $1 trillion by 2025.
But if you want a share in this expanding market, it’s not enough to have a fantastic product. You must have a beautiful and functional eCommerce website that your customers will love and trust.
Here is the ultimate guide to designing eCommerce websites in 2021 and beyond.
Consider Your Brand
Before creating your eCommerce website design, you need to have a clear idea of your brand’s look.
Are you a niche store or general? Are you a premium brand or discount? Do you have a fun, friendly vibe or a traditional, trusted feel to your brand?
Asking these questions will help shape a brand that will fit with the direction you take your business.
Use Reviews and Testimonials to Build Trust
The most significant barrier to purchases is a lack of trust. That is a considerable problem for new eCommerce businesses that don’t have the household name of a well-known store.
Create trust by adding testimonials and reviews into your design phase. Ensure they are apparent to visitors when they first land on your website and when they are at the checkout.
Create Simple Searches
The best eCommerce web design offers visitors a simple search. Buyers don’t want to spend hours looking for the perfect product.
Invest in a good search design and make sure your categories and sub-categories are evident to your customer. If in doubt, test the layout with a focus group or get the support of a web design company.
Showcase Every Aspect of Your Product
When customers buy from you, they’ll want to make sure they make the best purchase possible. So give them plenty of information to help make that decision easier.
If you are a discount store, make your pricing, including shipping costs, clear and prominent.
If you are a product for the home, add images to show measurements and pictures of the product within a furnished room to give buyers a better feel for how that product will look.
Have Clear Policies
Policies might seem tedious, but they are critical to the web design of your store.
You must make it easy and quick for buyers to determine how long a product will take to ship, whether they can return an item they don’t like, and what to do if an item is faulty.
Create a design that puts customer service front and center. Add telephone numbers, email addresses, and frequently asked questions before you get to your policy small print.
Think About Security
If you are a new store, buyers will need reassurance that you are a trusted business, especially when handing over their credit card details.
Always use an HTTPS certificate and make your security credentials clear in your e-commerce design. Choose a trusted payment integration platform like PayPal or Apple Pay, as these are platforms customers already use and trust.
Remove the need for a customer to enter any more personal information that you absolutely need to process their order.
Designing eCommerce Websites for the Future
You may be eager to get your eCommerce website launched so you can start seeing some profit. But when it comes to designing eCommerce websites, it pays to take the time to get it right before you start.
Of course, you also need to know how to market your new business. So if you enjoyed this article, check out our other guides in our advertising section on how to promote your new business.
