A successful e-commerce website has to connect with the users, take them to the products section, and the payment gateway in a fun and easy manner. In 2012, most e-commerce websites managed to convert only 1-4% of their leads, while the popular sites managed to convert almost 15% of their visitors.
Let us discuss how the successful e-commerce websites are managing to get the desired attention and leads –
THE WEB DESIGN FOR USER EXPERIENCE
The design of the website is the first and most important aspect that has to be taken care of, if you are eyeing an expansive customer base. Unlike general websites, an e-commerce website doesn’t just have to offer basic information, but also the display the products, their features, images, price, reviews and add to cart option. While these are the common features of an e-commerce site, uniqueness to the web design has to be added by understanding the nature of the targeted customers.
Another important aspect while building a web design for your online store is understanding the nature of the targeted customers. There are primarily three types of customers- power buyers, recreational customers and reluctant customers. The power customers are those who know what they want and have a set purchasing strategy. For such customers, you must provide a convenient search bar that takes them to the desired product, without taking much of their time. Recreational buyers are those who shop not for a reason. They buy anything that catches their fancy and gives them a unique experience. To woo such customers you need to have an attractive home page and product display. Daily deals should also be flashed prominently on the site to reach out to the recreational buyers. The reluctant buyers are the most difficult to convince. They feel uncomfortable and reluctant to shop online and their biggest concerns are privacy, security and reliability. For such customers, the web design should be such that it gives them a sense of security and guarantee of original products.
Checkout process is the other factor on which the success of an e-commerce web design depends. It is your job to get the customers through the payment as quickly as possible and without any hassles. You can go for one-page checkouts that have a track record of higher conversions.
THE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION & SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR VISIBILITY & AWARENESS
A user-friendly web design is one thing, and an easy-to-find website is another. What if you invest in high-quality web design for your online business, yet only a few people come to shop at your e-store? Such circumstances occur mostly in the absence of effective search engine optimisation and social media marketing. While search engines are the most widely used platform for searching about businesses and websites, social media is a modern mode of establishing the connection with the target audience.
Through search engine optimisation, your website can rank in a prominent position and get utmost visibility when a search query is made using the targeted keywords. For successful search engine optimisation, it is important to implement a strategic approach for on-page and off-page optimisation that allows search engine spiders to crawl your site quickly.
Social media marketing is the modern strategy that has helped a large number of businesses to build a brand image and spread awareness. This interactive medium allows you to connect with your target audience, share exclusive information about your brand/products and direct them to your website.