An e-commerce store can take your business to the next level.
This is because the world has become digitalized and people do just about everything online— and that includes searching for products they want to buy.
Since more people prefer searching and purchasing products online, there is no better time to have an e-commerce store than now.
With an e-commerce store, you can build your brand, connect with more customers and sell your product.
Unlike a physical store, it allows people to check out your products and shop for them anywhere they are and at any time, and this is because an e-commerce store is always open.
Therefore having the option for people to purchase your products directly from your online store can be very important to ensure that you don’t lose out to competitors who are already offering this option.
But building an e-commerce store that will attract visitors and convert them into paying customers can be very challenging.
In this article am going to walk you through 10 essential features that your e-commerce store should have that will make it stand out if you already have one or you are planning to build one.
Also, for more detailed practical steps about the features that your e-commerce store should have to make it stand out register for our 90% digital marketing course and learn strategies that you can use to grow your business online.
What is an e-commerce website?
E-commerce (electronic commerce) specifically refers to buying products and services through an online process and the transfer of money and data to complete these transactions.
Therefore an e-commerce store is a platform where people can buy and sell their products and services online.
In 2020, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 4.28 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 5.4 trillion US dollars in 2022.
Nowadays, the number of e-commerce stores has increased, if you are planning to build one there are basic features needed for your e-commerce store to stand out.
1. Clean and simple design
When creating an e-commerce store, one aspect you shouldn’t overlook is the design.
This is because the way your e-commerce store look will determine if your potential customers will buy from you or opt-out.
Therefore when designing, you need to keep everything simple and clean.
You don’t need loads of elements (such as complex images, banner ads, pop-ups, multiple clickable buttons) on your e-commerce store because all they do is act as a distraction.
This may distract your site visitors from the main purpose of your e-commerce store.
Also when your e-commerce store has loads of elements, it will reduce the speed of your site which will lead to a higher bounce rate.
Hence, having a simple and clean e-commerce store would make it easier for your potential customers to find what they looking for easily when they visit your site.
Also, it will help store load faster and this can help you reduce the bounce rate on your site.
2. Shopping cart, login box, and search box
A shopping cart, login box, and search bar are essential features that are usually found together at the top of any e-commerce store.
The little shopping basket which is referred to as a “shopping cart” is an essential part of every e-commerce website because you can’t own an online store without this feature.
A shopping cart allows visitors to save and check out items when they see a product they would like to buy on your e-commerce store.
Many e-commerce stores prompt their website visitors to create an account, which makes it possible for them to save or check all their previous and current orders and this is a great way to make your visitors keep coming back.
If you have different types of products, a search box makes it easier for your website visitors to find exactly what they want quickly when they visit your site.
Internet users have a very short attention span and they want everything to be done quickly, so if your website is not easy to navigate, you will lose customers to your competitors.
Therefore making your websites easy to navigate, makes it easy for your customers to search for what they are looking for easily and this will help improve your user experience and leads to more sales.
But a poor navigation page can affect you negatively because if half of your website visitors can’t find what they are looking for, it will lead to higher bounce rates; lower time on your site, thus; a decrease in sales.
You should always remember that navigation is a guide that guides your customers through different pages on your page, therefore you must think about your customers when creating navigation on your e-commerce store.
4. Clear logo
A clearly define logo is essential for your business to thrive online.
With thousands of businesses online today, a logo is the foundation of your brand identity because it is what differentiates your business from other businesses online.
Logos are a point of identification; they’re the symbol that customers use to recognize your brand. Ideally, you’ll want people to instantly connect the sight of your logo with the memory of what your company does – and, more importantly, how it makes them feel.
Your logo should be able to grab attention, make a strong impression, and must be simple and memorable
For example
Knorr
Sony
eBay
Lipton
Macdonalds
Amazon
5. Make your website responsive
Over 1.2 billion people worldwide access the internet from their mobile phones and 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile devices in the last six months.
Since a lot of people make their purchases online using smartphones, therefore if your website is not mobile responsive you will be missing out on sales.
A responsive e-commerce store makes it possible for your visitors to easily access all of the important features, products and offers on your websites using any device (Smartphones, Tablets, desktops).
Therefore a website that automatically adjusts to a user’s device is the best way to make sure that everyone who gets on your site finds what they are looking for no matter what device they are using.
6. High-quality product image
Unlike a physical store, people can’t see, touch, feel, or try products when they want to buy your product. it is when they look at the images of your product that they will decide if they want to buy your product or not.
Therefore, a high-quality image of your product is very important for your site because it can either attract or turn away your website visitors.
Getting a high-quality image for your products helps to build confidence and trust in your website visitors and turn them into customers.
This is because they will feel confident when they know what they are buying, and they are more likely to make a purchase.
But if there are no images of the product they want to buy, they are going to feel reluctant to buy your product and this will lead to a decrease in sales or conversion.
Product images or videos can help you encourage more users to buy your products thus increase sales for you.
It is also important to show different angles of your products and people using your products.
You should always remember that no one is going to buy your product if they are not visible on your site, if you want people to buy your product you need to display them on your site via a high-quality image.
7. Product description
Having a detailed description of your products on your e-commerce store makes it easier for consumers to make purchasing decisions.
A detailed description helps guide your website visitors through your products.
it allows them to compare benefits and features across other products and brands and to confidently choose the right product.
Therefore if the quality of your product description is poor, customers will let you know by not buying your products and you will lose out to competitors.
This is because people won’t buy from you if they can’t get all the information they are looking for.
Thus, success in online sales only comes when the right type of product information is available to convince your website visitors to buy your products.
That is why your product description should contain relevant information about your product. They should cover the benefits of your product and its features.
8. A clearly defined call to action
A clear call to action button is something that indicates to your customers exactly what you want them to do on your site.
Without a clear call to action, customers will be unsure of what they are expected to do when are on your site.
When you are clear about the action you want people to take when they visit your site, they are more like to take that action.
For example, a call to action can buy now, call today, book now, shop now, and so on.
9. Contact information
Since an e-commerce store is always open 24/7, there should always be 24/7 hotlines, online chats, or an option where they can send an email.
Your hotline and online chats should be noticeable on your e-commerce store so that current or potential customers can easily access them whenever they want to contact you.
This is because when there is a problem, customers would more likely prefer to have someone they can talk with.
Therefore providing contact information on your e-commerce store makes it easier for your customers to contact you when they have issues, concerns, or questions about a particular product or service.
It will help to build trust and transparency with your potential customers.
10. Easy check-out process
An easy check-out process is one of the important features of your e-commerce store.
It is what allow your website visitors or potential customers to pay for the products they’ve added to their shopping cart
Therefore your e-commerce store should have a great checkout process that will make it easy for buyers to make payment.
In order to give your website visitors or potential customers an easy checkout process that has features such as multiple payment options, easy form filling, and a guest checkout option.
Always ensure that your customers can view exactly what they have in their shopping cart during the checkout process
You should also enhance your checkout process for speed. Improving your checkout experience can help you encourage more sales in the future and increase your customer retention rate.
If you want people to buy from you, you need to make the process of buying as simple, straightforward, and pain-free as possible.
Conclusion
In this article, I share with you ten (10) essential features that can make your e-commerce store stand out on the internet
If you need additional help to optimize your e-commerce store or you want to build an e-commerce store for your business, register for our 95% digital marketing courses and discover other digital marketing strategies that you can use to increase sales.
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