Tips for Ecommerce Website Design
It’s a well-known fact that people shop with their eyes, which means that they’re more likely to buy from your ecommerce website if is attractive and well-organised. But how do you achieve that? Here are some tips for Ecommerce Website Design.
Tips for ecommerce website design
Consistent branding
Your brand is more than just your logo. It’s the look and feel of your whole company, and it should be consistent across all your marketing channels, such as your website, social media pages, product labels, printed brochures and email signatures. When applying your brand to your website, there are a few key points to consider.
Colour:
It’s a good idea to limit yourself to the main colour and one or two complementary colours. Too many different colours will make your site look cluttered and disorganised, and make it hard to find the important elements on your pages. Consistent use of colour can help your customers identify strongly with your brand. A great example of this is Cadbury’s iconic purple – as soon as you see it you think of chocolate! Digital colours all have an individual hex or RGB code, making it easy to duplicate them across all your digital media.
Fonts
If you look at the e-commerce web design of any large retailer, you’ll probably notice that they use just one or two fonts for headings, subheadings and body copy. When you choose fonts for your site, look for something that fits your product. For example, if you’re selling laptops, something clean and futuristic might be more appropriate than a flowing script-style font. Make sure your chosen fonts work nicely together and that they’re easy to read at various sizes. By choosing a font service, you can be sure it will display correctly on all devices, even if the reader does not have the font installed on their device.
Style:
Whether you go for a minimal layout, large animated banners or flat design, it’s important to make sure you apply the same visual style across your whole website. You should also ensure that your preferred style works equally well on desktops, tablets and phones – this is called a ‘responsive’ design.
Quality photography
Have you ever ordered something online and then been disappointed when it arrived because it looked nothing like the picture or was only half the expected size? One of the drawbacks of online shopping is that your customers can’t pick up your product and examine it. This makes the photos you display extra important. Make sure your photos are high-resolution, well-lit, display the product’s most important features, and provide a sense of scale so that your customers know exactly how big the item is. Consider hiring a photographer who specialises in product photography to show your products off at their best.
Great copy
What you say on your website is as important as how it looks. Well-written copy not only helps to sell your product, but it can also help your business website rank more highly in search engine results. Clear, informative product descriptions are vital. Ensure you include information about dimensions, ingredients, materials, and other important points that make your product more appealing. If writing isn’t your strongest skill, consider employing a copywriter to help you with your content and tone of voice. It’s also a great idea to have your site professionally proofread. A website that’s littered with spelling mistakes and bad grammar can give the impression that your company is unprofessional and sloppy. Also, read Blake Denman's Four Phase Process for Effective Content Creation.
Easy navigation
It’s crucial that your website is easy to get around and that your customers can find everything they want intuitively. Online attention spans are short, and a frustrating browsing experience will quickly drive your customers to a competitor’s site. Use drop-down menus or breadcrumb navigation trails to reduce clutter while providing fast access to other sections of the site. Make sure your shopping cart and checkout buttons are easy to find.
Searches and filters
By including a good search function, you will help your customers browse straight to the item they’re looking for. If you have lots of products, a filter will help eliminate unwanted items from the search results. For an example of an excellent filter, check PB Tech’s website, where a smartphone shopper can filter the overwhelming range of over 300 phones by price, brand, screen size, connectivity, network, battery capacity, camera quality, RAM, storage, operating system and processor power. This ensures the customer sees only the phones that fit their needs without having to review all 300 of them.
Look at the sites of some of your favourite online retailers and you’ll see how these five elements are applied. By getting your ecommerce web design right, you’ll soon have a web store that encourages your customers to buy from you today and return in the future.
Read more about Web Design For Product Pages.
Why get an eCommerce website for your retail shop?
Here are a few reasons why getting an online shop might grow your retail store.
- It will give you the ability to connect with visitors passing through the area and make them repeat customers.
I'm often in more of a spending mood when I am on holiday. I have more time to look and usually have set aside some money for shopping. I often visit the local craft shop and pick up a few unique treats for my crafting hobbies. If that shop has an e-commerce website, I'll often go back and visit it again, even when I return home. Even better, ask me if I would like to be signed up for your promotional emails.
- Opportunity to collect more customers for your email marketing and reach new prospective customers
Having an e-commerce store is an opportunity to get repeat business from people physically passing through your shop. It is also an opportunity to collect potential customers who find your website after doing a google search.
- Reach people who are searching the web for answers
Give your customers and potential customers additional information to help them make buying decisions. You will also be adding value to your products rather than just competing on price. You can take a proactive approach and recommend that customers buy specific products to solve problems in specific situations.
Google has noticed that people are doing more and more searches that are questions, particularly on mobile devices. Have a mobile responsive e-commerce website that has a blog that answers real questions, e.g., For a hairdresser, you might answer the question, why is my hair so dry? That could link to a specific product you recommend or a booking service where someone can book in for a conditioning treatment.
- Reach customers outside your normal business hours
People are shopping online as a form of relaxation. Is your store open? With an e-commerce website, you never close.