More than aesthetics, a good e-commerce web design can help boost your sales. In fact, your search engine optimization, social media marketing, and paid advertising efforts will be useless if your web design causes friction during the buyer’s journey.
Basically, your design should make it easy for customers to do the following:
- Search for the product that they want
- Easily discern if the product is worth buying
- Have a hassle-free checkout process
Simply put, your online store should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and secured. Doing so ensures that you can keep your site visitor and convert him into a customer.
That said, here are eight surefire web design ideas that can help your e-commerce business double its sales:
Apply Hick’s Law
Named after British psychologist William Edmund Hick, Hick’s Law states that the more choices a person has, the longer it will take for him to reach a decision.
Imagine that you are designing an online store for a clothing brand. You would realize that there are actually tons of types of clothes: T-shirts, blouses, sleeveless, dresses, pants, shorts. There are also underwear, swimwear, socks, sneakers, loafers, boaters, boots, slip-on.
Add to that the different types of clothing for every occasion: Activewear, formal, streetwear, casual, sportswear.
The list goes on. And that could also mean that it is unrealistic to show all of these categories in a navigation menu. After all, as per Hick’s Law, a long list of clothing category could mean that a buyer might spend at least 20 minutes choosing what to wear. That is if your website manages to make the site visitor stay.
However, the solution to your dilemma could be a drop-down menu. Categorize the apparels according to Types (e.g., Tops, Bottoms, Dresses) or Occasion (e.g., Formal, Smart Casual, Casual).
That way, it will not be overwhelming for your customers to comb through your products.
Leverage the Rule of Thirds
What do you think makes a user stay on the website? You would be surprised to know that it is not the images, videos, or cool animation.
Retaining your site visitors’ interest lies with your layout techniques. According to Max Thierry, an architect, and photographer, “You could have all the great images and effects in the world, but if they’re not laid out in a way that the viewer can easily interact with, you won’t retain their interest.”
One of the most popular layout techniques out there is the Rule of Thirds.
You can create thirds by dividing an image using a 3 x 3 grid. After that, you can place the important website elements along the lines of the grid or in the intersection. That’s because your site visitors’ eyes will initially land along with those grids.
They also have an informative guide on how you can best place the important elements on your website with the help of Rule of Thirds.]
Have a Well-designed Product Page
A well-designed product helps your e-commerce business stand out from the sea of competition. Not to mention that it can help you win over your site visitors and turn them into customers.
According to Connie Wong, a web design expert, “The key to creating a successful page is to know what visual stimulus helps you attract the consumers you are targeting, and make them react the way you want them to.”
Meaning, the way your product page look should make a person say, “I want to buy this now!” instead of “Meh! Maybe some other time.”
So, what should you include in your product pages?
- High-quality product images
- Informative product descriptions
- Clear placement of the product’s price
- Product demo videos
- Customer reviews and ratings
- Related and recommended products
- Add to Cart button
Designing a product page does not necessarily require hardcore design skills. However, you must know your target customers well. That can help you make an informed decision on how your product page should look.
Use Product Pages as Landing Pages
In relation to point #3, a product page can also make use of important landing page elements. Just like the Apple Store does!
They can make their product pages appealing with the help of aesthetics, compelling content, high definition images, and a strong call-to-action. Come to think of it, Apple is known for its clean design that makes a call to action really obvious.
Keep in mind that your e-commerce web design’s aim is to boost sales ‒ conversions. And what’s a great way to optimize your conversion rate other than a landing page?
Another tip according to Sytian Productions, you need to know is that your content should be concise and relevant. But instead of describing the product, it is always a good idea to talk about your product’s features and value.
Instead of saying that a smartphone has a 12MP rear camera, why not say that the product allows its owner to take studio-quality photos?
Provide Social Proof
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon wherein an individual tends to do what the majority does. For example, when you are compelled to cross the street because everyone does even when the traffic light is red.
Fascinating enough, you can use this principle as part of your e-commerce web design.
A very basic example of social proof in e-commerce is online reviews. In fact, a Business 2 Community study revealed that customers are likely to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews.
This means that online reviews and ratings are key deciding factors for a potential customer. This can help him decide whether he should buy from you or not.
According to Mark Schenker of The Glorious Company, “When more people think that your client’s store deals with many other businesses, get a lot of social shares, and is the recipient of a lot of positive customer reviews, you’ll see your client’s entire operation get a nice conversion lift.”
Boost Your Loading Speed
According to a KISSmetrics infographic, “A 1-second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversion.”
A slow website loading speed can be detrimental for your e-commerce business. Here’s why:
- It can lead to page abandonment, which can increase your site’s bounce rate.
- A high bounce rate could mean your website has usability issues, and search engines take note of that.
- Search engines may deem your website is not helpful to users, which can negatively affect your rankings.
- Low search engine ranking minimizes your audience reach.
- A small number of audience landing on your website could mean only a few will convert, which can affect your business’ bottom-line.
Sure, you may design a clean, appealing, and user-friendly e-commerce website. But if it takes more than two seconds to load, your target customers are less likely to purchase from you.
So, how can you optimize your site’s loading speed? Here are some quick tips that you can do:
- Reduce the size of your images without compromising the quality
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
- Enable caching
- Compress the data that your website sends to a browser
- Have a dedicated server that can meet your traffic requirements
Say No to Stock Images
A lot of businesses use stock images in their marketing materials, including their website. This is not surprising since it is time-saving and more affordable than hiring a model, hiring a photographer, and renting a studio.
But should you use it on your e-commerce website? Definitely not!
According to Mike Wood of LegalMorning, “While stock images can fill up space on a website, they can’t really capture what your business is all about. Most stock images feel manufactured or set up, and their environments are rarely reflective of your actual workplace.”
Instead of a stock photo, hire a professional product photographer. You can also opt to invest in a professional camera and create a DIY photo studio instead. If you want to have a photo of people using your products, you can seek the help of your previous customers or partner with social media influencers.
Design for Easy Navigation
As mentioned earlier, it is unrealistic to put a laundry list of product types in your navigation. Thus, your e-commerce site must be easy to navigate.
According to Andy Crestodina, Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, “The structure and labels of your navigation can have a huge impact on results.”
He further explains that your navigation can affect website traffic and conversions.
So, how can you design your website’s menu? Here are some quick tips:
- Be Descriptive: Instead of saying “About Us” or “Products” go for “About [Brand Name]” and “Clothing for Women.”
- Limit the Number of Menus: Limiting the number of menus forces you to have a specialization, which makes it easy for both users and search engines to determine what your business is all about.
- Order of Menu Items Matter: Your customers’ attention and retention are highest at the beginning and end of the list. Put your best selling items or products for sale in this section.
- Optimize Your Navigation Menu: Use web analytics to know which menu item your customers are often using and which are not. And then contemplate whether to remove, rename, or move the items.
Optimize E-commerce Web Design and Boost Your Conversions
In summary, your e-commerce website should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and secured.
Don’t overwhelm your customers with choices. Create product descriptions that talks more about the value it brings. Show proof that it will be worth it for them to buy from you. And make sure that your images show authenticity.
Otherwise, the money you spend on marketing will just go down the drain.