E-commerce Web Design: 6 Features Never to Compromise

The Arabian markets have recently witnessed a boom in e-commerce web designs, and it has become essential for every company to design their own website, opening a door for users to get their products and services using phones and laptops, with no need for shop visits, and as long as it’s available. So, here we will list some features that you shouldn’t compromise in designing your e-store if you’re looking for a true return, a positive impression, and a sales raise.

6 Features you shouldn’t compromise in the web design of your online store 

1. A delicate search feature

The lame search is an obvious weakness in any online store. The user may write the word (tab) instead of (tablet) and get no results. That frustrates the user, makes it difficult to access the products he’s searching for; and if this experience repeats with each product’s name, the user will exit your store without placing an order, and possibly may never return.

When you web design your online store, avoid the below search feature:

• A search that does not accept word alternatives: Fridge – refrigerator – refrigerate – refrigeration. Be careful to add the most commonly used words for each product, and add all alternatives available, so that the user gets access to each product regardless of the accent. 
• Giving the Arabian user a priority, you may add whatever helps searching in his tongue and covers the commonly used words. So, mainly avoid a search that only accepts English, or only accepts Arabic.

• A search that does not suggest results for the user before they complete writing.

• A search that gives the user too many irrelative suggestions that distract away from finding the products and placing the order.
• A search that takes more than 3 seconds to show results; Statistics say that most users exit a web page if it takes 4 seconds to download. Idyllically, the results should pop once the user starts writing.

2. Never compromise a User-Friendly web design 

A User-Friendly web design is the secret behind social media addiction. A User-Friendly web design is the secret why online shopping became popular in a short time. A User-Friendly web design is the secret behind a satisfied customer that comes back to your online store to repeat that successful purchase experience again and again. 

And what we mean by a User-Friendly web design is:

• Fast navigation between one product to another.
• Rational organizing for products and sections, taking into account the priorities of the target audience.
• And easy access to homepage, and previously viewed products.
• Icons that give the user shortcuts.
• An easy access to offers, discounts, and coupons.
• An easy access for the user to place orders.
• An easy access for payment, considering all payment options the audience commonly uses.

3. Products ratings and reviews feature

Products ratings and reviews are not only for users, they have an advantage for the online store owner too:

• There’s a culture that has recently been common among users, which is to guide each other with tips about the product, for example, you’ll find a user review saying: Pick a larger size, because it’s small. Or: It looks much bigger in reality. And sometimes buyers write: I am addicted to it, I buy a dozen every month. Which can drive more sales on your store for the successful products.
• Negative reviews can give you feedback on other products to work on better, by delivering this feedback to the manufacturer to improve, or for you to change the supplier and provide alternatives with better quality and sustain the consumers.
• A negative review for some people is a positive for others. A Bluetooth headphone review says that voice doesn’t exceed a specific limit, can be a positive review for a mom looking for headphones for her kids that won’t harm their ears. A review on an air cooler that says it only cools a small room but it’s the best price in the market, can be a positive review for another buyer who’s looking for the price advantage and actually needs it for a small room.
• If you are the manufacturer, and you have the Add Photo option in the reviews, that can give you more credibility for new visitors who see the products photos added by previous buyers, even if you asked them to add these photos and write their reviews. 

Yes, some visitors use reviews in a negative way, yet, the advantages of this feature is greater than the disadvantages, if you really have the intent to get bigger and bigger as an online store. On the other hand, you can always add a filter for negative reviews.

4. Your store mobile app

A normal evolution of a website design is to develop a mobile app for your online store, to have it located a few clicks away from your audience, connect with them better, and send them notifications on sales and new arrivals. The phone app also gives you more data about users. 

An account that requires a full name, email, phone number, and address can make you learn a lot about your current audience, if it’s the largest scale are women, under 20, or middle-income. Hence you can direct audience behavior, add/delete products, edit your targeting direction, or focus on specific products; consequently, you can have a better profit margin and a store closer to success.

5. Push notifications feature

A feature that you can add to your store web design and phone app, yet it’s a more effective feature on the app, sending the users notifications on products they’ve been waiting for, and discounts on the products they’re interested in. Push notifications feature shouldn’t be successive, driving the users to turn off notifications forever, nor should it be inert that users may lose interest in your store and delete the app.

6. The wish list and the add to favorite features 

Features that usually help consumers to create purchasing plans in your store, for products they’re interested in yet not a priority to buy now, or products they delay buying until they can afford. The 2 features are probably used for expensive and exclusive products in your store.

Pro tips for a successful web design of your store

• You can develop your store phone app along with your web design by creating a simple phone app first and developing it in many phases to come; just make sure it’s user-friendly, and make sure to develop a better user experience every time. 

• Allocating a budget for a continuous digital ads campaign is a must for your e-commerce. An online store requires non-stop ad campaigns, and it’s an essential part of your success, no matter how many thousands or millions of users you already have. 

The number of online stores is increasing, and the alternatives for each product are increasing as well; Allocating a budget for continuous advertising makes your digital presence permanent for your audience, in order to keep your store present among alternatives.

• When you add 5,000 products to your site, pushing them on your users path and hoping they will add as many products to the shopping carts, that can significantly reduce purchases. An e-store is different from an ordinary store. A regular store visitor can’t delay the purchase or put aside the shopping cart until making the decisions; a regular store visitor can’t leave without buying everything he needs and paying. However, an online shopping cart is delayable, postpondeable, and departureable.

Therefore, the priority in e-marketing is not in the abundance of products in each shopping cart, or the massive diversity, or the multisectoral, but the priority is for being very specific, directing the consumers towards the products they inevitably need and will immediately buy.

• When you web design your e-commerce, consider a product categorization that doesn’t confuse the users or make them not sure which to buy, and therefore delay the placing order step. The diversity of products is required but with limits and should be segmented.

Also, the longer your experience with your e-store users, the more aware of their behavior you’ll be, meaning: the products they monthly/annually consume, the product category they tend to be more/less interested in, hence you can reclassify your products for each audience scale and focus on products they get more interested in. 

• Resist the WhatsApp or Facebook notifications distractions  that usually get users out of your store, forget about the order for days, or totally cancel the idea. When you web design your e-commerce, be careful to have a path that helps users place their orders, shows them the products within their concerns and best sellings, and the not-to-miss opportunities in order to make the purchase decision without looking behind.
• Make sure the web design has easy-to-navigate paths and multiple payment options.
• Stay present on social media by creating official accounts for your e-commerce platform.
• Design a returning policy that guarantees the consumer’s right and guarantees his loyalty to your store.

And if you‘re looking for a professional website design agency that will give your e-commerce the best shape considering every aspect, you can now reach out to Rosella‘s team of experts. We call for a meeting to learn more about your business, give you good advice, start working on your success, and launch together toward the plan. Contact the Rosella team now.

Source

• 29 Must-Have Features For Ecommerce Websites, by SEJ STAFF Ben Steele, July 3, 2024, on Searchenginejournal.com.