Many transactions online don’t make it past the ‘Add to cart’ stage. These supposed purchases are abandoned, unable to see the light of day. It is not a bad idea to see things through the 100/10/1 rule. Out of the 100% of people that visit a website, only 10% will add stuff to their cart, and only 1% will actually ‘Check Out.’
As much as it is important to work on a site’s web traffic, it is also essential to have effective strategies around converting leads to online buyers. Focusing on ecommerce web design will help website owners work on both – website traffic and conversion.
As people shop, their minds are taken off of stressful things. There’s nothing that a little retail therapy can’t fix, people say. The process of purchasing puts the control in buyer’s hands and boosts their confidence. Shopping makes people feel good and is often seen as a way to exercise self-love.
Websites that are designed to enrich this experience will achieve a satisfying profit. Sites that don’t meet the stakeholders’ revenue expectations do so because they don’t meet the retail experience expected by consumers. What do virtual consumers expect?
Understand what consumers expect from ecommerce web design
Purchases are motivated by the desire for financial gain, the fear of financial loss, comfort and convenience, security and protection, the pride of ownership, and to satisfy an emotion. A website’s product or service will have to satisfy these motivations, first and foremost. When faced with overwhelming opportunities to satisfy one of these motivations, consumers pick the product or service they trust best.
The hierarchy of trust between brands and consumers are governed by five levels:
- Customers will trust a brand that exudes credibility and the ability to deliver. Buyers do not want to deal with companies who fail at holding their end of the bargain.
- Customers will trust a brand that provides the best value in the market. Buyers who continuously get the value of what they pay for will generally feel satisfied and are likely to stay regular clients.
- Customers want a brand they can entrust their personal information with. Many companies will ask for the client’s name, birthdate, and email address for promotions. Buyers won’t mind giving away information to trustworthy brands.
- Customers trust companies that safeguard their financial information. Businesses have the account details of their clients and brands that take strides in protecting this received respect.
- Customers will only trust companies that are interested in long-term relationships with them. If buyers feel taken care of, they will take care of the trading relationship too. Consumers even go as far as advocating for free.
Businesses that are serious about satisfying their customers will have to work on earning and sustaining clients’ trust. This means carefully designing their consumers’ online and offline shopping experiences, with the hierarchy of trust in mind. Since the trading scene has been increasingly shifting to the world wide web, the optimal use of ecommerce web design principles has become a competitive advantage.
Aspiring website owners can leverage web design to create a memorable and seamless browsing experience for their target audience. To achieve this, web designers plan and create exacting online content, featuring engaging layouts intentionally designed to achieve business goals. In simple terms, web designers turn websites into solutions.
Through well-designed websites, business aspirations like expansion and revenue growth are made more reachable. Reviewing Google analytic reports and complementary marketing plans usually supplement these growth strategies. An effective web design also makes use of search engine optimization and mobile-responsive websites to achieve better reach.
Create exacting ecommerce web design solutions
Customer satisfaction in today’s time has become heavily reliant on web experiences. This virtual interaction between a customer and brand includes the ease of searching, the convenience of comparing, interactive browsing, the fun of finding, and the comfort of comparing. Since digital shopping consumes less energy than physical shopping, consumers occasionally browse with the hopes of finding something.
A one-stop-shop website that’s such a joy to use is more likely to be patronized by bored browsers and intentional buyers. On the contrary, a dysfunctional website will drive many motivated consumers away.
An inviting online presence displays usability and interactivity, functions that ecommerce web design experts focus on. Websites are deemed high on usability when browsers can find their desired information smoothly and with minimal effort.
Consumers appreciate knowing how to go to other parts of the website as well as go back to the homepage. In a similar light, web pages that are high on interactivity display a heartwarming level of personalization, which includes after-service sales and a section where e-consumers can interact with each other.
Designing web pages that are easy to navigate and are personalized is important to every product-selling and service-providing business. Since consumers value customization, this can be seen as an encouragement to innovate. Innovation is a game-changer nowadays.
Use ecommerce web design to support consumer purchase decisions
A well-designed website has an established effect on improved web traffic, better conversion rates, and building trust-based relationships. Exacting websites can also cater to undecided shoppers, browsers who don’t know what they are looking for, and frugal buyers who are searching for the most cost-efficient deal.
A quality website also includes Decision Aids. These are sections, pages, or functionalities on the website, which helps with product comparisons. This can come in the form of ‘filters,’ ‘search functions,’ or ‘category menu’ where browsers can narrow down their search. ‘Ratings’ can also help aid decisions through real-life and real-time testimonials. Decision Aids help buyers make the right purchase decisions while minimizing strain.
A website that features complete information and photos about its product, services, and the company help in more ways than one. Firstly, the availability of information facilitates the making of a decision. If a consumer is pleased with the product specifications or the service details, the purchase will occur. Secondly, this information exudes credibility, which shows brand identity and superiority. These reasons provide great first impressions, builds an excellent reputation, and facilitates recall.
A trustworthy website gets a timely update too. Up-to-date information accurately sets consumer expectations, which, in return, complements a trust-based relationship. Consumers don’t expect perfect websites from businesses all the time. Although this is the case, notifying them about system updates and apologizing for unprecedented downtimes are appreciated.
What else can ecommerce web design do for individuals and businesses?
Web designers are skilled at making customers happy every time they visit a particular website. They create attention-grabbing landing pages that keep the target audience browsing for more. Interface designers are also good at telling stories. They function like advocates of the brand – they herald its name, which in effect entices the audience to try the brand out.
Experts in the ecommerce web design field will go as far as use art direction to present the website in the most engaging and interactive way. They make websites stand out, allowing for valuable brand differentiation. They strategically use colors to communicate brand identity and to solicit the right emotional response from consumers. Since a lot is going on in a website, professional designers know how to play with the hierarchy of texts to illuminate their preferred focal points. They know too well that when everything stands out on a website, nothing truly does.
The Internet is a highly competitive marketplace, and websites have become valuable brand ambassadors. Therefore, it is important for brands to leverage their websites and what these could do for them and their customers. When done well, the application of ecommerce web design is ground-breaking. It offers gleaming opportunities that help businesses get ahead.