Running an e-commerce website is not as easy at it seems. There are sales to make, orders to fill, and payments to receive. This is why it is essential to make sure you are doing everything within your power to attract and retain customers. Here we will look at things from a visitor’s point of view and see what e-commerce customers want in a site.
E-commerce customers want design
Appearance is just as important with an online shop as it is brick and mortar. Would you rather buy from and Apple store, where you can find exactly what you want quickly and easily? Or from a jumble sale where you have to waste a lot of time scrambling through to find what you’re searching for? Design matters to e-commerce customers; and good website design signals that there’s a solid company behind the screen.
Related: What is Effective Web Design? | Call In The Experts
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E-commerce customers want speed
E-commerce customers want speed. If a website take ages to load, how many of us simply get fed up and go to a different website? With so much competition out there because of the online platform, your website has to be functional, easy-to-use and quick. Long load times will lose you customers. Speed is extremely important for the bottom line.
E-commerce customers want good product selection
The key to success isn’t having a huge product selection; it’s having a carefully curated collection that meets your audience needs. Having too many choices can actually be damaging to sales. Product selection should be carefully thought out and strategised.
Sometimes limiting your selection can:
- Allow customers to quickly find what they are looking for.
- Keep customers from having “decision paralysis”.
- Increase conversions by naturally limiting the number of clicks to checkout.
E-commerce customers want quality product pages
Content is king. A person should be able to find out everything they want on that product, from that page. The best product pages also take advantage of both pictures and video. This will fill the customer with confidence on the product they’re buying and also limit the amount of returns.
E-commerce customers want a smooth Transaction
The customer has come this far. They’ve visited your website, viewed your product selection, picked a product they want to buy, and put it in their shopping bag. Make sure you don’t fall at the last hurdle with unexpectedly high shipping costs, not accepting certain payment methods, and requiring users to create accounts before they place an order. It needs to be as easy and stress free as possible.
If you would like help with your e-commerce site, digital marketing or more general help to grow your business, call Sarah, our company Director and Marketing expert on 0870 062 8760 or email her at info@aiminternet.co.uk
If you found this blog useful, take a look at a previous one: Which E-Commerce Skills Make A BIG Difference? Or How Has E-Commerce Evolved Over the Last 10 Years?
