There are a lot of factors that contribute to a successful ecommerce design. Most designers have no trouble with the obvious ones, like having a good layout and expressive imagery and typography. But what about the less obvious aspects design can affect? Here are a few of things you might not think of that are just as important as the look of the site.
Great Product Photography
Anyone who’s shopped on the web has had the unpleasant surprise of opening a package to find a product that looks nothing like what they thought they were getting. Avoid this faux pas at all costs, and make sure all your product photography is large, high-quality, and taken from multiple angles. The yield in customer satisfaction is definitely worth the hard work.
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Combined Functionality
Because a lot of information needs to be displayed in as little space as possible, it’s always a good idea to try to consolidate information and function. You might try some of these techniques:
- Use rollovers: For example, use a “social” rollover that displays all the ways you can share a page. This saves on space and stops your page from looking messy and disjointed by displaying a bunch of logos.
- Create page previews: Some sites let customers access a preview of their cart without having to leave another page.
Clear Navigation
The more categories and products your webstore has, the more important it becomes that your navigation system is up to par. Make sure that all your categorization makes sense, and if you have enough products, consider using breadcrumbs as a guide for your users. At the very least, customize your URLs to reflect their breadcrumb trail.
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Good Calls to Action (CTAs)
The way you phrase your CTAs can make a huge difference when it comes to attracting customers. For example, you might announce a new sale with a black Helvetica headline that says, “Summer Collection Sale”, or you might rephrase it to “Up to 60% Off the Summer Collection!” in red, using a block uppercase. The more enticing CTA could make the difference between hundreds of sales.
Error Anticipation
It’s best to assume that users will run into problems on your site, and to prepare for that eventuality. Make sure you include these courtesies:
- Descriptive error messages: When a user fills out a form field incorrectly, highlight their error in a bright color, and add a message that helps them to understand their mistake.
- FAQ page and Contact Info: Make sure you include both of these essentials, in a place that’s easy to find.
Fast-Loading Pages
Ecommerce sites take an average of 10 seconds for pages to load. Unfortunately that’s far too long for impatient customers, who will abandon your site if a page takes even close to that length. Use a site speed testing tool to make sure that yours is up to scratch. If it’s not, the problems most likely lie in poor front-end design practices.
As any ecommerce case study could tell you, there are many other ways to improve on your webstore. It’s all a matter of picking and choosing the issues that are most relevant to your specific needs, and finding solutions that work for both your long and short-term goals.