Everyone’s going digital nowadays. With most audiences turning to online shopping to scratch the itch, having an e-commerce site for your business is just common sense at this point. It’s easier now than it ever was before to set up an e-commerce site. In fact, you could, theoretically, do it in a day. But just having an e-commerce site isn’t going to drive the sales alone. You still have to do the usual marketing, promotion, and designing. i
A website’s design is often a deciding factor to customer retention and sales. Your site’s design needs to appeal to your consumers, draw them in and put your product or service center stage to encourage sales. You can’t just rely on the effectiveness of your product or mere chance—web design matters.
Here are some ways you can effectively utilize web design to drive traffic and sales towards your business.
Find the right platform or software
Nowadays, there are a ton of platforms and software that help businesses of all sizes to build e-commerce sites. But of course, with variety comes the conundrum of which site is the best pick for you. There can be plenty of deciding factors when picking out the right platform or software service. You can consider the cost, the platform’s reliability, its ease of use, and the overall design and system.
Good e-commerce software will guide you through the whole process and make setting up a site easier. It can also help you manage your inventory and automate tasks such as payments and order statuses. It can implement third-party integration and even help you with marketing and SEO.
A service that offers these at an affordable price might be hard to find, if there is any at all. But take note that this is an investment, and if you invest in a good software or platform, you’ll get a higher chance of a higher return on that investment.
Make safety a priority
Most online shoppers are wary of sites that ask them for critical data such as their full name, address, and a credit card or bank information. They want the assurance that they’re giving their information to someone they can trust — don’t we all? When directing people to your e-commerce site, you want to reassure them that it’s entirely safe to enter their data and buy your product through that site. If your site looks shady, you can’t blame your consumers for seeking safer options.
Make your customers’ safety a priority when designing your site. Encrypt all your data to protect your customers’ information and only ask for their data upon checkout. Nowhere else should you try to elicit any information from your customer unless it’s for a survey or a newsletter. Give them multiple payment options, so they can pick one that they trust.
Another way you can keep your site safe is by conducting maintenance and security checks routinely. A breach in your website’s security can not only affect customer trust and loyalty but endanger all of your company’s data as well. Hiring someone to do network security services for you is one way to stamp out any threats before they happen.
Splurge on graphic design
If there’s one thing you want to splurge on, other than the platform or software, it’s your overall graphic theme or design. What kind of colors do you want to use? What sort of theme fits your product or brand? What looks the most pleasing or attractive to the eye? These are all questions you should be asking yourself. The sooner you decide on a graphic design theme, the easier it’ll be for your graphic designer or artist to get done, and the better it’ll be.
You want a design that’s smooth, sleek, and aesthetically pleasing without being inaccessible or difficult to navigate. At the same time, you want your product to take the spotlight and not be overshadowed by anything else on the site. Having a vision for your site is good; hiring a great graphic designer to make this vision a reality is even better. Be prepared to spend a large chunk of your budget on graphic design — an excellent graphic design makes for better customer retention and a higher return.
Keep it user-friendly
Second only to graphic design, a site’s accessibility and navigability are paramount to attracting customers. A site may be pretty to look at. But if a customer can’t access any links or finds it difficult to get around the site, what good is it for? Make sure that even the most technologically illiterate consumers, if your target audience falls into that category, can navigate your site easily. Put in the correct link text and the right fonts and colors to convey a clear message.
It should also be easy for customers to browse your site and find what they’re looking for. Give them the option to filter search results for a faster and better experience. Design your layout around giving your customers the most streamlined experience possible, and don’t forget accessibility features for customers with disabilities such as color blindness or limited mobility. And most importantly, have a customer service tab or option to answer any of your customers’ pressing needs.
Optimize for mobile
Most online shoppers browse and pay from their smartphones more than on their PC or other devices. So it’s essential that your site looks good on all devices and not just on a PC. Optimize your site for mobile for easier access and navigability. If you can, you may even invest in a mobile app to make things easier for both you and your customers. Otherwise, it’s always wise to have a mobile mode available if most of your customers prefer to browse on their phones.
Your e-commerce site’s design can make or break any potential sales and customer retention. So make it count and watch your numbers rise.
