A business website is like a canvas for your e-commerce business. The best e-commerce website design invites potential customers in and helps them make the purchase. You will enjoy business success if your business can design a great website to tell the tale.
E-commerce is no longer a niche. More companies and even more shoppers are going online. According to Statista, there were 2.14 billion active digital buyers in 2021. The number of online shoppers went up by 900 million from 2020. Another research found there are around 12-24 million active e-commerce sites. Out of these, less than one million make more than $1,000 in revenue. Competition is tough, but there is room for growth. The right design could help you break into that elusive club of e-commerce businesses turning over a sizable profit.
If you want your business to be one of the success stories, you need to play your cards right. The best way to start is by carefully designing your e-commerce website.
5 E-commerce Website Design Features
Designing the perfect e-commerce website can take a few iterations. There are many ways to design a functional site, and you always need to remember your business and clients are unique. Certain design elements might not work for a business selling clothes but would look good on an accounting website for corporations.
No matter what kind of design choices you want to make, you must have a few essential features. The most important e-commerce website design features are:
1. Your site is mobile responsive
The numbers speak loudly for mobile responsiveness:
- 75% of consumers say they abandon websites if they aren’t optimized for mobile
- 46% of consumers make purchases online
- 40% growth in m-commerce sales since 2017
Your fonts, SEO optimization, pictures or products won’t matter if your potential customers can’t view the site on a mobile device. Mobile responsiveness should always be your priority. Despite this, some small businesses are still lagging. Only 18% of small enterprises and micro-businesses have mobile-friendly websites in the UK!
Mobile responsiveness should keep the same level of user experience. You don’t want the viewing or purchasing experiences to alter depending on the device. Shopify’s website is a good example of this. Your experience is the same whether you’re buying things on a desktop or a mobile phone.
2. Your site aligns with your brand
You also need to ensure your website follows your general branding. If you are a retail business with a brick-and-mortar store presence, your website shouldn’t look too different. Even if you only operate as an e-commerce website, your site must feel similar to your other online platforms. Your social media profiles and logos must have a similar vibe to your website.
If your logo is simple with a toned-down color palette, you probably don’t want a website design in sparkly neons. Always showcase your brand and its values with your design.
Take a big brand like Apple as an example. The company’s website has a similar look to its retail stores. The values of simple and innovative design are at the heart of the design, and the color scheme is familiar across the different channels.
3. Your site is user-friendly to navigate
The best e-commerce website design promotes user-friendly solutions. Navigation is a broad term covering elements like product category pages, filters and on-site search. Your goal is to ensure your customers can quickly find the information they are looking for. If they find it hard to search for products, they are likely to move elsewhere to shop.
Adding a search bar to your website is an easy way to add plenty of usability to your site. A clearly visible and centered search bar helps your customers to search for the information they require. You can further enhance the search bar by adding voice recognition, filters and language options.
Great websites, such as Bliss, have visible navigation menus and on-site search bars. These elements remain the same throughout the site so that customers always know where they are. You don’t have to waste time trying to find what you are looking for. The site feels familiar after a few minutes on it.
4. Your site is fast and reliable
Your site design needs to ensure it promotes functionality above all else. The beauty of your design is irrelevant if your potential customers can’t access the website. Loading times are important, as even a one-second delay can result in 11% fewer page views and a 16% decrease in customer satisfaction. It’s important to avoid overburdening your site with bells and whistles. More often than not, simple design solutions are the best.
Take a look at the Speak Languages website, for example. The website is easy on the eye, and it opens within seconds. It is easy to navigate from one place to another without delay. The site is responsive and won’t keep you waiting for results.
5. Your site is secure
Security functions are part of good e-commerce website design. You need to ensure your website is safe to use. You need to implement encryption and valid SSL certification protocols. Strong security measures will protect your customers but also your business. You’re not only putting your brand image at risk but also inviting financial risks if you overlook site security.
You don’t want to keep site security in the shadows. The website visitor needs to see you take security seriously. You want to:
- Showcase your certification protocols
- Reassure customers during the checkout process that security is taken care off
- Prompt customers to practice good security by asking them to change passwords regularly, for example
Design your e-commerce website for success
E-commerce sites are more than places to sell products. Your e-commerce website design reflects your brand values from the moment a potential customer lands on the page to when they check out. Spending time designing your site is valuable and can help your business succeed in the competitive online e-commerce space. If you start by placing the above five functionalities at the centre of all the design decisions you make, you can begin your journey to e-commerce success.
