Ecommerce UX best practices for Shopify stores

When it comes to running an eCommerce store with the Shopify platform, there are certain ecommerce UX (user experience) best practices that you should be aware of. Here, we will be sharing these best practices with you.

What is UX?

If you are new to the world of eCommerce, you may be wondering what ecommerce UX even means. In this context, UX refers to the experience of the customer who visits your online store. UX is measured by how easy and pleasant your site is to navigate, how convenient it is for users. UX is important as difficult to navigate sites often lose customers during the browsing and buying process. Shopify’s platform is designed to be accessible – but there are best practices you should employ in order to ensure a smooth user experience every time.

Simplify your copy

UX means more than just the design of your website – the language you choose to describe your products and services, as well as the copy to draw people into your site on landing pages, is equally important. Avoid complicated language and jargon and try to get straight to the point. Even if you are committed to SEO heavy text, there are ways to incorporate this without rendering it unreadable. Keep it simple and retain more users.

Optimise for mobile

Nowadays, more and more people are shopping on their phones rather than using a desktop. This means that your site must be mobile-friendly, and with Shopify this could mean choosing a theme that has responsive web design, so it can be adapted to suit different devices. Using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) apps helps to make your store quicker and easier to use on mobile, but simple steps such as ensuring your fonts are large and clear and that important toggling buttons remain visible is equally important.

Match your theme to your store

When you think of UX, you probably immediately think about the design of your site. Shopify has a range of themes to suit all kinds of different eCommerce stores, so take your time in looking through these and do not rush to select one. Consider the look and whether it matches the products and overall feel of your store, as well as being careful with the colours you choose. For example, choosing red gives a sense of urgency and is useful for sales and discounts, or black is a good choice of luxury items and higher-end sites. You can also choose purple for a more calming or beauty product orientated site. Try to avoid clashing colours or too much brightness to create a site that is pleasing to the eye and makes sense to the user.

Remove unnecessary steps

Shopify is a straightforward platform in many respects, so make sure you aren’t accidentally overcomplicating it by having too many unnecessary steps throughout the browsing and checkout process. Having a simple and streamlined checkout process is especially valuable, as this is when you run the risk of losing users. This ties into making the site easier to navigate overall, with clear and easy to understand icons that translate well whether they are viewed on desktop or mobile.

Add CTA

Call to action (CTA) buttons are a vital part of Shopify stores. These make it so much easier to convert those visiting your site into users who complete a purchase. Having one CTA button per page is a good rule – for example, Contact Now on your contact page or Shop Now on a landing page. It’s all about simplifying things for your user and giving them an easier experience from start to finish.

As we’ve seen, being aware of the best eCommerce UX practices for Shopify is a great way to get the most from the platform, and can be essential for your overall success. You need to keep in mind that following best practices such as simplifying your copy, cleaning up your theme and design, and removing unnecessary parts of the checkout process will ultimately pay dividends in user retention and return. These steps will also have a positive impact on the marketing for your Shopify store.

If you want more advice and support with your own UX or any other area of eCommerce for your own Shopify store, Factory Pattern can help. We have extensive experience and knowledge of all things eCommerce UX – get in touch with us to see how we can best support you so that your store can thrive.