When it comes to eCommerce, having the right set of features on your website can make all the difference as they can help to attract and retain customers. So what are the key features of an eCommerce website and best practices to follow?
In the competitive world of eCommerce, your website’s features can make or break your success. The right elements not only enhance user experience (UX) but also increase conversions and customer retention. So, what are the must-have features of an eCommerce website and the best practices to follow for success?
Best practices when designing an ecommerce website:
- Include high-quality photography
- Include product reviews and social proof
- Make the path to purchase effortless
- Include a hassle-free returns policy
- Include prominent search functionality
- Include clearly signposted FAQs
- Provide rewards for loyalty
- Boost sales with smart product recommendations
- Ensure the navigation is clear
- Prioritise security
Key Ecommerce Website Features to Include
High-Quality Photography
Almost half of consumers judge a store’s credibility based on image quality and design, so visual presentation is paramount in eCommerce. Product images are a significant factor in driving conversions, as a large percentage of online shoppers rely on them to make purchasing decisions.
Ecommerce Web Design Example: Patagonia
Patagonia employs high-quality visuals, showing the product in real-life situations. The site uses features like immersive scrolling, infinite scroll, image-led navigation and provides the user with an array of colour filters and advanced filter options.
Include Product Reviews and Social Proof
Customer reviews play a vital role in building trust and influencing purchase decisions. Research shows that nearly all online shoppers read reviews before buying, and according to Fera.ai 93% of consumers say that online reviews influenced their purchase decisions. What’s interesting is that products with a mix of positive and moderate reviews are often more trusted than those with exclusively positive ones. According to Fera.ai, negative reviews can actually increase conversions by up to 85%!
Use social proof to build trust, consider adding UGC (user generated content) to your site to cultivate user confidence.
Ecommerce Web Design Example: John Lewis
John Lewis’ reviews enable users to upload images, adding valuable context and enhancing trust among potential buyers.
Make the Path to Purchase Effortless: How to Reduce Cart Abandonment
The buying process should be simple and barrier-free. You’ll need to ensure that your call-to-action buttons are clear and compelling. Complex checkout processes are a big reason for carts being abandoned, so it’s best to try to streamline the path to purchase.
Include a Hassle-free Returns Policy
In eCommerce, trust is key, and a straightforward return policy reassures customers that their purchase is risk-free. Easy returns have become a top reason for choosing a retailer, with 96% of consumers saying they would shop again based on a hassle-free return experience.
Include Prominent Search Functionality
A user-friendly search bar is crucial for helping customers find what they’re looking for quickly. This feature is even more critical for stores with extensive product ranges. Include FAQs and relevant blog posts in your search results to enhance the user experience.
Ecommerce Web Design Example: Nike
Nike provide suggestions on search terms, using popular search terms to assist the user in looking for particular products.
Include Clearly Signposted FAQs
Including a section for frequently asked questions on your eCommerce site can boost sales and reduce the workload on customer service. Addressing common customer inquiries about products before and after purchase helps to improve the overall shopping experience.
Provide Rewards for Loyalty
Loyalty and referral programs are effective ways to maintain customer loyalty and attract new ones. Loyalty programs offer points for future purchases, while referral programs provide discounts for sending new customers to your site.
Boost Sales with Product Recommendations
Implementing product recommendation features can increase average order values and overall sales. Amazon’s recommendation engine, for instance, accounts for a significant portion of its sales. These recommendations can be based on sales data, product descriptions, and predictive algorithms to offer personalised suggestions.
Ecommerce Web Design Example: Gymshark
Gymshark’s ‘You may also like’ feature displays related products below the main product on the product page.
Ecommerce Web Design Example: Space NK
Space NK goes one step further and has added in a layer of personalisation to their offering through their reviews. Through their ‘ask a reviewer’ feature, you can use filters to ‘find people like you’ and discover products that others with similar skin and hair concerns enjoyed.
Clear Navigation
Make it clear where products are located, and ensure the site and navigation work well on mobile devices, so users can find the products they are looking for with ease.
Prioritise Security
Use SSL certificates and firewalls to protect customer data. To protect against fraud, use security measures like “https” for secure connections, implement address verification services (AVS), require the use of CVV codes and integrate with a payment processor that offers advanced fraud detection algorithms.
Ecommerce Web Design FAQs
The most important features of an ecommerce website include high-quality photography, product reviews and social proof, clear navigation, security, hassle-free returns and FAQs among other factors.
Optimise your ecommerce website for conversion by including clear navigation, and prominent search functionality so users can quickly find what they are looking for, implement a ‘quick buy’ option and avoid additional fees at checkout.
The best practices for reducing cart abandonment include avoiding additional fees at checkout, providing ‘quick buy’ options and making your returns policy hassle-free.
To make your ecommerce website mobile-friendly implement a responsive design, optimise images, avoid intrusive pop-ups, optimise website speed to provide quick loading times, and test your site on different mobile devices to ensure it works correctly.
The best practices for user-friendly navigation on an ecommerce site include optimising for mobile, adding a search bar to allow users to find specific products they are looking for quickly, and limit the number of menu items so not to overwhelm the website visitor.
Empowering Your eCommerce Success
Having a website with the right features is absolutely essential for success. These include high-quality imagery, product reviews, a user-friendly purchasing process, easy returns, effective search functionality, loyalty rewards, product recommendations, and a comprehensive FAQs section, all of which are important features for successful eCommerce website design. At Yellowball, we understand that these features are key to attracting and retaining a loyal customer base for eCommerce websites in the UK and beyond. Yellowball is a web design and development agency based in London, UK, contact us today and discover what we can do for you!
