Ecommerce Web Design Mistakes to Avoid
Over the next 12 months, online retailing will grow even stronger, offering customers faster, better shopping experiences. To get your share of success, you must avoid these ecommerce web design mistakes.
Post-pandemic, consumers will buy more things online, and more often.
The need to use ecommerce to fill our shopping lists is being replaced. Instead, consumers want to use ecommerce. It’s convenient, often more cost-effective and something you can do on your phone anywhere, anytime. Plus, you get things delivered right to your door.
Online retailers have a chance to ride the crest of this wave. Yet, some are set to sink.
Whether you enjoy success or struggle to survive could be nothing to do with the products you sell. It could be entirely about website performance. Especially, whether you’ve avoided fundamental ecommerce web design mistakes.
Putting up checkout obstacles
Overly complex transactional processes can reduce your conversion rates
One of the leading causes of abandoned shopping carts is overly complex transactional processes. You waste the money invested in driving traffic to your website if visitors click away from your checkout page.
Modern internet users want speed and ease. It’s why they love online shopping. If there are lots of complex questions, multiple fields to fill in, or forms unsuited to mobile devices, your would-be customers disappear.
One of the biggest bugbears for the buying public is filling in their information, only to be timed out or randomly seeing an almost completed form wiped clean. Asking people to register before they buy – with no option to complete transactions as a ‘guest’ – is also off-putting.
These are hurdles that make site users leave and never come back.
Your payment systems and checkout page need to be simple, clear, easy to navigate and quick to use.
Underestimating the power of visual content
Good quality imagery will help you stand out against your competitors
Reports into the number of active ecommerce sites differ, but the range is between 12 million and twice that amount. New ones appear every day.
In the face of such competition, if your website design is outdated, dull or overly packed, you will lose disastrous levels of page visitors.
One of the most basic elements of good user experience (UX) on ecommerce websites, is visual content. At the very least, your product photographs must be of good quality, clearly illustrating the benefits of what you sell. Preferably, you should explore how to add video content to your ecommerce website, such as explainer videos.
Website imagery builds trust with your customers, making your products attractive and your brand identity more memorable. Text accompanied by an image is far more likely to be read and remembered.
Don’t overdo it though. A mass of visual content, including scrolling photos front, left and centre, is an overwhelming turnoff.
Ecommerce sites not optimised for all devices
With the ever-growing technology, you should ensure your site is optimised for desktop, mobile and several tablet / screen resolutions
Over 50% of your customers search for your products and engage with online retailers using smart technology. This percentage is growing, as is voice-activated internet access.
This makes it commercially vital to have a responsive website design. Your online store must perform well on any device or browser.
The legendary impatience of modern consumers means if your online store is clunky or bewildering on a small screen, there are no second chances.
Complicated Navigation
The easier it is for customers to find what they want, the higher chance they will convert into a sale
This is another fundamental mistake for ecommerce websites, which links to the points above. The easier you make it for customers to find what they want, the more chance they will buy from you.
Sadly, some online retailers have complex websites and poorly laid out product pages. You could be selling ‘the best thing since slice bread’ but you still won’t cut it in business.
You must offer quick load speeds, intuitive navigation bars, logical drop-down menus and good search capabilities. Adding chatbots to help customers get to what they want is also a brilliant idea.
Hidden Shipping information
It is important to manage user expectation especially when looking to enquire loyal customers
Hidden shipping information is another leading cause of abandoned ecommerce shopping baskets. You can’t leave it to the last minute to tell customers about any lengthy waits for their goods. Nor can you suddenly tell them their online bargain carries a heavy delivery charge.
Alongside unexpected or unattractive shipping details, another final obstacle for sales is last-minute out of stock messages.
It’s important to manage the expectations of your ecommerce customers. This builds trust and a good user experience. Use well-written content that promotes your products, while succinctly clarifying delivery information.
Common theme to ecommerce site errors
There’s something that unites these ecommerce web design mistakes to avoid. They all depend on the best website designs.
You must have online retail pages that match the demands and behaviours of modern consumers.
Chat to the team at Factory Pattern about getting a new or upgraded ecommerce website, with the potential to get your sales soaring.