Essential Features of a Good E-commerce Website
It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on difficult times for businesses across the world. One of the industries hit the hardest by recent events have been brick-and-mortar retailers. With the majority of us in the United States being unable to leave our homes, retailers and restaurants of all shapes and sizes are looking to fill the sales gap by implementing e-commerce. Not only is e-commerce a great way to allow your customers to buy from you without needing to visit your physical location but it can also expose your product to new customers that you may not have been able to reach before. Much like with creating a successful physical store, there are certain features that every online shop should have. In these difficult times, DRM would like to share five of the most important features of an ascetically pleasing and profitable e-commerce website.
Mobile Usability
According to OuterBox, 79% of Americans have used their mobile device in the last six months to make an online purchase. One of the core benefits of e-commerce is that customers can buy from anywhere at any time. Not surprisingly, mobile shopping is on the rise with no sign of slowing down. It’s absolutely essential that your online shop is easy to navigate from smartphones and tablets. If a potential customer finds your mobile shopping experience to be slow or clunky, they are likely to move on to your competitors. Not accounting for traffic coming from mobile devices is essentially leaving money on the table!
Product Photography and Videos
While modern online shopping has created new opportunities for businesses to reach consumers like never before, one hindrance is that people can no longer inspect products prior to purchasing. Weebly recently reported that 22% of all online returns are due to an item not matching the picture or description of what was advertised. Great photography and video of your products can help to prevent this by giving a comprehensive view of each of your products.
Another benefit of implementing high-quality photo and video assets in your shop is to improve the overall user experience. Research from ViSenze shows that 62% of consumers favor visual search capabilities in their online shopping experience. High-quality photo and video assets can not only help your products stand out but they can improve the overall look of your shop. High-quality photography also helps to increase consumer trust in your brand and give customers more confidence in their purchase.
User Reviews
“Profit in business comes from repeat customers; customers that boast about your product and service, and that brings friends with them.” – W.Edwards Deming.
While outbound advertising definitely helps to increase sales, nothing beats word-of-mouth referrals! According to XSellco, 66% of online shoppers make a decision to purchase based on user reviews. Featuring reviews on your product pages helps to build trust and boosts the online perception of your products.
Security
In the early days of online shopping, there was a certain stigma to online shopping. Due to the prevalence of online scams and identity theft, many consumers were slow to adapt to e-commerce. Services like PayPal and Apple Pay have strived to create a safe and secure way to pay online without having to worry about stolen credit card numbers. The buyer is trusting the seller with personal information and many consumers feel uneasy about this. Providing proper security features in your shop is vital in building trust with potential buyers.
Special Offers & Promotions
Once you have a functioning online shop, it’s time to start marketing your products! Special offers and promotions can help drive traffic to your shop and increase sales. Special promotions or coupons are also an enticing incentive for getting customers to opt-in to receive email newsletters and other forms of advertising. Building a list of customers that have opted in can be a powerful sales tool for future marketing efforts. Marketing automation platforms such as SharpSpring can be powerful tools for creating behavior-based digital marketing campaigns.
Including all of the following features will help you create a safe and user-friendly shopping experience for your business. Do you need help creating an online shop for your brand? Dallas Riffle Media is a full-service marketing agency that specializes in web development, digital advertising, search engine optimization, digital advertising, photography, video production and more. Give us a call to speak with a member of our team about your next project!
