28 Feb Top E-commerce Website Design Mistakes to Avoid In 2019
Over half of the world’s population now has access to the internet, which has led to very successful online marketplaces. The thriving e-commerce industry allows patrons to buy and sell almost anything with just a few quick clicks or taps. However, because of this, competition has become very tight and overcrowded. In order for your business to be noticed and rake in customers, a good website design is a necessity.
Your business’ website is the face of your brand, which is why you can’t afford to make little or no effort. A poor web design will turn away customers and bring down your conversion rates. In order to stay competitive, it is essential to have a responsive, engaging and attractive website design.
Let’s consider some statistics on the booming e-commerce industry. In 2017, international retail e-commerce sales equated to about 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars, and revenue is predicted to soar to 4.88 trillion by 2021. To bring this idea more close to home, e-commerce sales in the UK alone amounted to 586.3 billion British pounds in 2017. Outside of just the UK, online sales of physical goods in 2018 amounted to 504.6 billion U.S. dollars and are projected to cross 735 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Suffice to say, e-commerce is big business, with immense competition.
When it comes to the importance of website function, as many as 39% of people are likely to leave a website if it takes too long to load, and 38% of people are likely to leave a website if the design is unappealing. Additionally, 51% of people KoMarketing surveyed believe that the most important factor often missing from many company websites is complete contact information.
So what do you need to do to succeed online in the e-commerce business in 2019?
First and foremost, stay clear of the following all-too-common e-commerce website design mistakes.
Not making a responsive design
One of the top e-commerce website design mistakes is not making sure your website design responsive. This especially applies to mobile devices and websites not being mobile-friendly. Responsive website design is when your web page adjusts its size and layout depending on the size of the user’s screen. This means that your e-commerce page should proportionately appear the same or similar across all devices. If your website design is not responsive, it will also not be favoured by search engine algorithms, leaving your site further down in the ranks.
Ensure sure that your website design is responsive so customers won’t leave your site frustrated and take their business elsewhere.
Not paying attention to the load speed of your website
There’s a big problem if your website is taking too long to load. Slow load speeds can affect your search rankings, conversion rates and overall revenue. Users don’t have the time or patience to wait when they could go somewhere else. Search engines also penalize websites that have slow load times. Your website shouldn’t take more than two seconds to load. While many factors can influence the load speed of your website like internet speed, hosting server, images on your website, etc., your website design can make a huge difference.
Because of this, you need to monitor and take care of load speed from the beginning. Top priority should be given to your homepage since Google’s algorithms place higher value on your index page than anywhere else.
Not having a trustworthy design
Trust is a pillar of business, and the same applies to e-commerce. A trustworthy design builds your business’ credibility with your customers and increases conversion rates.Outsource a professional web design agency if you don’t have the knowledge, resources or time to make a trustworthy design. Choosing the right layout, icons, colours and other design elements are all essential for creating a trustworthy design for your online store. Your customers are quick to tell a credible-looking website from an untrustworthy one.
Having an empty “About” page
Your “About” page should provide information on your e-commerce business, mission and website. Online shoppers are very likely to visit an “About” page before making a purchase or even looking at products. The information on your “About” page builds trust with your customers and encourages them to keep shopping.
Make sure that your “About” page has every essential piece of information. Your contact information should additionally be available on every page on your website and include multiple forms of contact, such as phone and email. Of course, always make sure that your information is up-to-date.
Having poor website navigation
Not providing easy and intuitive navigation is another e-commerce website design mistake. Great website navigation is a necessity for customers to engage with your website and products. It can directly impact your search engine rankings, drive down web traffic and increase bounce rates. You content can be great, but it might as well not exist if your customers can’t access it.
A seamless and user-friendly navigation strategy is essential to increasing conversion rates. Create specific product categories to make locating your products easier. Other potentially useful features are “recently added” and “recently viewed” product tabs.
Not having a search option
A search feature on your e-commerce website can improve conversion rates and satisfy customers by allowing them to look for specific products with ease. Not having a search option can negatively impact your mobile conversions, search engine rankings, and organic traffic.You should always have a search option on your website, and it should be easy to find and use. Search options improve overall customer experience and help retain customer loyalty.
Having a complicated checkout design
Complicated checkout processes can irritate customers, and it can, of course, cause a drop in your conversion rates. Your e-commerce website should always have a straightforward, no-hassle checkout process. You can simplify checkout design by displaying the current shopping information on your customer’s online cart with the complete fee and breakdown of cost. Load speed is also essential in order to prevent cart abandonment.
Not paying attention to social media integration
Social media integration is necessary in today’s market. It builds customer trust, increases site traffic and boosts your site’s search engine rankings. As always, social media integration can also help drive sales. Social media is a very cost-effective way to advertise your products. Share your products on social media with an included link to your e-commerce site in the description to increase both user engagement and sales.The other way around is essential, too—clearly place the icons for your social media accounts on your product pages to ensure your customers stay engaged with your brand.
Unclear and confusing product descriptions
Confused customers will not have a good user experience. Product descriptions are the descriptive content about your products on your e-commerce site, and these descriptions should not be confusing or vague. If they are, your conversion rates will go down from customers leaving your site.Clear and complete descriptive information will drive sales and conversion rates up. To boost your conversion rates, provide multiple, correct images along with fully descriptive, straightforward text about your products.
Not having high-quality images
Images are vital to the e-commerce industry, so your website and products need high-quality images to draw customers in and encourage them to make a purchase. A professional photographer is the best solution to ensure that your products are accurately presented with high-quality images. Additionally, providing a magnifying or zoom-in feature will give customers more control of their buying experience so they can get a clear view of your products.
If you’re looking to improve your e-commerce website or even start completely from scratch, Virtual Stacks Systems UK is your one-stop solution. Our experienced design teams offer both website design and website redesign services to ensure that your site is modern, trustworthy, responsive and engaging to your customers. Additionally, we offer affordable e-commerce website hosting options that are sure to meet your business’ needs. Contact us today to get started on a plan that’s just right for your business.