Best Design Practices for E-Commerce Websites –

BlogByDesignrfixJune 10, 2020June 10, 2020

For many people, the action of buying something is more than just acquiring a new item. It’s also about the memories they associate with it, the emotions they have when they unbox it, the dreams they achieve while using it, the changes they experience outside and inside, the feelings they get when they offer it to someone they love.

The Internet has brought new opportunities for sellers and buyers because it encourages their relationship to get to the next level. Twenty years ago, buying something on the Internet was a dream, but now people can do it while relaxing at the pool. All they need is a smartphone and a steady Internet connection.

But with all sellers using the Internet to reach their clients, it’s more challenging to retain buyers. Retailers need people to speak about their website because word of mouth is still a potent marketing tool. The present generation of shoppers is ready to buy everything online, but they demand user-friendly websites, secure payments, and fast delivery. Good design often makes the difference, and e-commerce sites invest in website development to provide their audience with a pleasant visual experience.

Today, we will check the most rewarding practices e-commerce websites should integrate if they want to attract and retain clients.

Branding elements should be immediately visible

From a corporate perspective, branding elements are crucial for successful marketing because they provide an organization with a recognizable name and personality. Generally speaking, branding defines the image a company has through the values it promotes, and the level of recognition its products get.

Branding is a crucial element for e-commerce user interface design, especially for retailers that sell their products online and have to use digital strategies to reach customers. When integrated effectively, identity marks can boost brand awareness. The resources spent on market research, competition analysis, public definition, and development of branding elements are a worthy investment when the website designer uses the information to create graphics for the web page.

There are some methods UI designers use to integrate branding into the interface of a site.

– They put branding elements in headers to strengthen memorability

– They add logos, mascots or messages in splash screens or welcome screens to create a visual connection with the user from the first time they open the website. A stylish animation makes the experience more memorable and engaging.

– They use mascots to communicate and interact with the buyers.

Easy and clear navigation is mandatory

When speaking about design for e-commerce websites, it doesn’t matter how amazing the page is, how trendy or stylish its design is, or how beautiful the pictures for products are. We don’t measure the success of a website in the number of wows it gets for its aesthetics. We analyse its efficiency in connection to the number of buyers it has. If the site doesn’t convince people to buy, the retailer loses all the money they invested in web design. User-friendly and straightforward navigation is essential in this context.

When they interact with a website, people need to understand some aspects clearly:

– Which brand sells the products

– What website page they’re at

– Where they can access the menu

– Where the search button is

– Where the product information is

– How they can customise the order

– How they can contact the retailer

– How they can check the reviews

Minimise the user’s efforts

A company shows respect for their clients not by putting the word ‘thanks’ on their homepage, but through the experience they provide. And when they do their best to save their clients’ time and effort, they show how much they respect them. When a website design agency creates the interface for an e-commerce website, they use some of the following practices to minimise the buyer’s effort.

They create a section that lists related products. They add a recommendation section on the page of each product that includes items with similar features so that they can make browsing faster for clients.

They create websites that require a minimal number of clicks. It’s essential to save as many clicks as possible during the shopping process. Operations annoy people, and the more annoyed they are, the more eagerly they’ll look for another website. Emotions influence people’s decisions, and it’s wise to encourage only positive feelings.

A simple sign-in process encourages the buyer to continue the shopping experience on the website. Imagine when you find the website of your dreams that lists all the products you want to buy, but you need 30 minutes to register and place an order. The last thing people want is to press the buy button and the website to direct them to a vast list they need to complete. The exhausting process curbs their desire to buy. Instead of thinking “take my money and send me that pair of boots”, they’ll think ”what’s the point of telling you my mother’s name?”

They use categories and color marking to group items. Category markers simplify navigation, and website designers often use them to enhance user experience. E-commerce websites are home for numerous articles, and a user-friendly interface that orders them by their category is the only way to deliver a top-notch experience to the buyer.

Experiment with the website design, but not too much

Everyone encourages e-commerce websites to experiment with aesthetics when they design their pages, but sometimes thinking out-of-the-box doesn’t deliver buyers the experience they expect. Design isn’t just pure creativity and art. It should provide solutions to problems and make users happier. When creating the interface for an e-commerce platform, designers need to evaluate it from the user’s perspective and find the solutions that provide a smooth and comfortable experience.

E-commerce websites are not the result of a creative competition or a gallery of art. They are mediums that serve the shopping purpose, and their dose of uniqueness should be limited. People always prefer a clean and straightforward page where they can easily find the items they’re interested in, rather than a directory filled with details that makes scrolling challenging and order placement impossible.

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