If you are starting out an online business, there is no need for you to fret. Much like a brick and mortar shop, you need to take appearance into consideration. In this article, we’ll discuss tips on how to improve your eCommerce website design. Regardless of whether you are building one from the ground up or buying a website from Exchange by Shopify, these should be useful for you.
The Ultimate Guide to Designing an eCommerce Website
Whitespace
It might seem like a good idea to cram everything together, but that is a bad aesthetic decision. If you compress too many images in a tight space, it might even cause sensory overload and make the page look cluttered. The solution here is to use an ample amount of white space to give it breathing room. Don’t go overboard, however, as it might make the website look too sparse.
Photography
Make sure that the photos you put up are of professional quality. A low-resolution image will make clients doubt the credibility of both the product and the company. A good design might be rendered useless if you pair it with mediocre photography. Find a photographer who can highlight the important characteristics of your products to attract viewers.
Branding
Businesses have their own personalities in the same way how everyone does. This is something that requires planning, and it should manifest in the way that your shop looks and functions. Despite not having a physical store, you can still express your branding in the appearance of your website. This includes the color palette, the layout, and the copy. Make sure that it is appropriate and attractive for your target market.
Navigation
Your clients will benefit from a well-placed menu. They will be able to browse the catalog more easily, and this will be useful if they are looking for something specific. Provide appropriate categories and subcategories for customers, and make sure that the tagging system is efficient. Additionally, providing a search bar will make the shop easier to access.
Catalog
When working on the catalog of the items, make sure that the layout shows the variety of products in an organized manner. For the in-depth product pages, make sure to place images that provide different angles. A zoom-in feature will be useful for retail. You might also want to show the scarcity of the product, especially if it is popular. Once customers see that it is almost out of stock, they will feel more inclined to buy it. You will also boost sales if you feature a section with related items.
Social media integration
You can integrate your businesses’ social media accounts into the website. For retail and similar services, you can add an overview of your Instagram profile in the sidebar. You will improve your reach if you strategically place options for re-sharing in your shop. You might also gain followers if you put your social media links on your contact page.
Shopping cart
This feature is one of the most important portions of an online business. It is important that all of the items are laid out neatly and are complete with pictures and prices for the summary. The breakdown of the costs should also be easily seen for the sake of transparency. At this point, consumers are debating whether to pursue the transaction. The vibe of this particular page will influence their decision.
Mobile design
If you work on your business using your computer, you might neglect your mobile website. However, 59% of e-commerce website sessions were conducted with the use of a mobile device. That is a significant amount of viewers, so make sure that it is also easy to read and pleasant to look at. Account for the smaller size of the screen and opt for a scrollable page. It would also help your branding to make it similar to the desktop version.
Social Commerce
Social commerce refers to buying and selling of products via social media. It is an evolving trend in the e-commerce industry. It is helping conventional e-commerce websites to turn themselves into social commerce platforms. As the name social commerce suggests, it uses social media for commercial activities. It means to aggregate user-generated content from various social media platforms and turns it into shoppable galleries. Social Commerce Platform helps you collect content in the forms of images or videos. These galleries showcase brand products through their social media, user-generated photos, or videos in real-life backgrounds by tagging their products in them. Whenever someone clicks on those tags, they are redirected to the product page, and they can go ahead and buy the product. This is when the visitors become customers without any trouble of navigating those products all over the website. It makes the shopping process easier for users. User-generated content enhances the use of social commerce. It increases user-engagement by the more vibrant and lively feed than the boring white background branded images. Social commerce decreases the bounce rate as people get influenced by other people using a particular product. It makes them want to use the products others are using. Also, looking at the product in action gives visitors the idea if that product is for them or not. Social commerce helps build trust for a brand as it displays social proof of the users enjoying the products so much that they are posting about it online. A user-generated feed is a great way to clear the doubts of people about the product. It works as customer reviews and ratings that give them the final nudge to buy it. Using social commerce for your e-commerce website can prove to be a game-changer for your brand, and with the coming time, it is what will be taking over e-commerce’s conventional methods to sell.
Conclusion
First impressions are everything in our visual culture. With poor design, would-be consumers will immediately be turned off and will turn to your competitors. It will not matter how excellent your services are because the design of your e-commerce store will reflect badly on your company. These are all avoidable by investing in your design. To ensure success, it is vital that you make sure the aesthetics and branding complement the way you conduct your business.
