The popularity of Ecommerce has been steadily increasing since the past few years. According to Statista, by 2023, 22 percent of global retail sales will be accounted for by Ecommerce alone. Currently, over 3.53 trillion USD worth of sales is generated by the Ecommerce sector.
While this might suggest that all Ecommerce platforms will do well in the modern landscape, this is not exactly true. Since the sector is quite profitable and is set for immense growth, the industry’s competition is increasing as well.
As per WP Forms, in 2020 alone, 12-24 million Ecommerce platforms are operating around the world! And Inviqa further reports that Amazon, the first biggest online retailer, is the first choice of 61 percent of online consumers.
Hence, to stand out and reap profits, your Ecommerce website must deliver what the users expect it to. This includes the following elements.
Responsive Web Design
Finance Online reports that a whopping 51 percent of online shoppers use their smartphones to access Ecommerce websites. Additionally, it is being predicted that by 2021, 72.9 percent of Ecommerce traffic will come from mobile phones.
With such statistics, it will be a mistake to not make your Ecommerce platform mobile-friendly and responsive.
What is a responsive web design? Well, it allows your Ecommerce solution to offer an optimum experience to users, regardless of which medium they view it on. This includes smartphones, desktops, and tablets.
Not only do consumers expect your website to be mobile-friendly, but search engines expect the same. You can boost your SEO efforts by implementing a responsive web design.
Customers count on e-commerce websites to accurately represent products they are considering buying. Low-resolution images can be confusing and misleading, leading to a poor customer experience. High-quality images will ensure your visitors have the information they need to make the best purchasing decision while creating a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness that can increase your website’s engagement. In addition, using high-resolution images enhances SEO efforts, helping sites rank higher in search engine results pages. If you’re looking for consistency across all images, services like Pixelz provide the functionality needed to ensure your photos are always of the highest quality.
Express does an excellent job of making its Ecommerce platform mobile-friendly. The clothing store features high resolution and clear images, with all the required information about each item below the image. This eliminates the need to click image for information – something mobile users hate.
Another significant element adopted by the site is that users can slide their fingers to view the clothing from different angles. Considering how inconvenient it is to load new pages on mobile phones, such features have made the business popular among the masses.
Consistent Branding
Forbes reports that consistent branding across different channels and mediums can boost revenue by 33 percent. One medium where users expect you to be consistent in your website.
Branding helps in ensuring that the masses recognize and recall your business. Therefore, it is imperative that you use the same logo, color palette, and design elements across all platforms.
Within the website, users expect you to stick to your color scheme. For instance, you will always see the same black and white scheme on Nike’s web pages, regardless of which section you opt for. This is consistent with the colors of its logo.
Make sure to brand your website consistently. While you are at it, don’t forget to strategically place your logo on each web page. This will help in increasing brand recognition. Here, having an effective logo is also the key.
For example, your logo must be simple, memorable, relevant, and meaningful. Take your time to design the perfect visual representation of your Ecommerce site. Experts like the Logo Design Valley can help you. Or, you can choose to design it in-house.
Fast Load Time
The consumers of today live a fast-paced life. Or, you can say that they are used to speed. Gone are the days when people didn’t mind waiting for a page to load. Now, a mere second more delay than what the masses deem acceptable can cost you a customer.
Various studies have illustrated how every additional second contributes to the page abandonment rate. Here is a graph by Kissmetrics that helps in understanding the relationship. It showcases how a four-second delay in page load time can increase page abandonment rate by 25 percent.
Users expect your website to load quickly. And your Ecommerce platform must deliver this.
To do so, use a reliable web hosting provider for your website. Opt for a simple web design to reduce the clutter and load time. Additionally, rather than opting for high res images, compress images to a level that is satisfactory for users yet not too heavy for the website.
There are various tools out there that can help you in testing your loading time. This includes Page Speed Insights, GT Metrics, and Pingdom Tools.
Product Detail Elements
There are four things that every product webpage must-have. This is because online shopping carries a lot of risks. Since users cannot physically check the product, there are certain elements that they expect the Ecommerce platform to provide.
Firstly, the Add to Cart button should be visible and prominent. Use a contrasting color and place it at the top. Also, allow customers to checkout directly from the product page.
Secondly, include vivid product imagery with a 360-degree view, product video, and close shots. The purpose is to try and show consumers exactly what they are buying.
Thirdly, allow users to add reviews to each product. Since most shoppers seek peer reviews before purchasing products, this element helps in simplifying their buying journey. Amazon does so perfectly. You will both good and bad reviews about a given product on its site.
Free shipping and promotions
According to Walker Sands, 79 percent of US consumers are more likely to purchase from platforms that offer free shipping. Additionally, flash sales and promotions are also likely to attract customers.
You are much better off, including your shipping cost in your product price and offering free shipping. Also, you can leverage email marketing to promote the different sales on your platform. Here is an example of how an online printing company, Vistaprint, who did so.
Offer seasonal discounts and promotions as well as free shipping. This is bound to attract the value-conscious segment of your target population.
Ending Remarks
Now that you know what users expect from an Ecommerce website go ahead and incorporate each of the five elements in your online site. Watch as a steady stream of online shoppers visit and purchase from your platform. Good luck!
Author Bio
Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1