07/22/2022

Key Elements To Create The Best E-commerce Website

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E-commerce’s meteoric rise is transforming the market’s consumption habits. E-commerce is gaining popularity and people are more inclined to shop online for goods and services than in brick-and-mortar shops. Although many businesses are tempted to make a move on to this digital platform, not all of them feel fulfilled.

This is due to the difference between online and offline marketing strategies. Physical shops may attract more customers with proper display planning and location, but e-commerce stores are able to prove their quality only through the products and services they offer and, most importantly, the user experience. An eCommerce store’s success or failure is determined by the customer’s satisfaction.

Businesses must invest in user experience if they want to build loyalty and increase sales immediately.

A look at the e-commerce shopping experience

What does an e-commerce user experience look like?

The E-commerce user experience is the impression that a user gets after they interact with a company or its products. This affects the user’s perceptions. These perceptions include all factors that affect whether users are satisfied with the encounter, such as how they feel while interacting with the site and how well they understand the guidelines. They also determine if the experience meets their expectations.

An authenticated UX might require:

  • Satisfying users’ demands: No complaints, no fuss.
  • Product simplicity and usability: Products should be simple to use and require minimal executing steps.
  • Optimal branding and promotional strategy: Besides giving customers what they want (which is a good thing), the user experience can also be assessed by how efficient a merger in promotional strategies like marketing, graphics, visuals designing, or engineering.

How to distinguish UX from UI

These terms are often misunderstood and incorrectly used. The user interface (UI) can be any device that a user uses to access digital goods or services. These elements could include touchscreens, keyboards and sounds. UX, on other hand, is concerned with how a site should look to maximize the user’s interaction. UX focuses on solving arising problems, while UI focuses on the functionality and visual aspects of a product’s surfaces.

UX is crucial

The user experience has a significant impact on the overall performance of an e-commerce company and its position in the market. Understanding users’ needs and expectations through user-centric design will help improve the quality of interaction with the product.

Attract commitment

Users will stay loyal if they know that engaged companies understand their behavior and can instantly improve their navigation experience. A long-term commitment to customers in order to help them reach their goals quickly and efficiently can result in a steady sales increase.

Refer customers

The best marketing tool is the one that customers recommend. It’s difficult for businesses to grasp this idea. The only way to understand customers’ expectations is by improving the user experience with goods and services. Companies can encourage their customers to share their positive experiences with their products and services online, or to refer them to friends.

UX design

UX design refers to the process by which design teams create products that offer relevant experiences for users. This includes the entire acquisition process, from branding and design to usability and function. UX design, in other words, is user-centric.

To create the best UX design possible, a UX designer must be able to see the user’s experience and act as if he were the guest. UX designers don’t just focus on making a web page usable. They also consider the factors of website efficiency as well as users’ enjoyment.

UX design encompasses the entire customer journey. UX designers need to have backgrounds in programming, visual, interactive, and psychology to be able understand customers’ preferences. Although UX designers have different tasks, they are all focused on the user’s needs. Designers must be able to work with users in every aspect of their design.

22 ways to have an excellent e-commerce shopping experience

It is no longer just the business’s marketing campaigns and engaging marketing strategies that define business position. Customers’ reactions also matter. Customers are the living promoters of a store’s goods and services. Businesses can achieve the best customer experience by understanding and meeting their expectations.

#1 Update your website with current information immediately

Sites that provide detailed information are more likely to get positive reviews from users. Specific information in the instructions makes it easier for customers to get to know the products. Customers will be frustrated if they don’t have enough information to make informed decisions.

These are some tips for website administrators to consider when updating their site.

  • Give precise and complete information about the product price, order status, additional charges, pickup time, arrival dates and contact information. Customers can keep track of the product or service they have requested.   
  • Keep your website content current by staying on top of the latest trends.
  • Clear terms and conditions

#2 Put in effort to improve the product description

A product description is a guideline that helps users to make informed purchases in an online store. Customers who have already selected the items they want will appreciate a detailed description that is clearly formatted.

Users browse the store to compare prices and find references. The website content writer is responsible for providing them with a cohesive summary that highlights the most important product features and answers the “what”, “who”, and “why” questions, while making the benefit elements standout.

To find more helpful tips, users often visit the Frequently Asked Questions section. Strong FAQ pages will help users solve their questions and give stores more positive impressions. To get a better understanding of the users’ experience of the site, content writers should create FAQ pages from the users’ perspective.

FAQ Extension for Magento 2

Your FAQ page will stand out 

#3 Display high quality images and videos of product features

Online shopping has the biggest drawback: buyers can’t physically inspect the products. Online shoppers are unable to physically verify the products. They can only rely on the photos and intro videos to see the item in person.

High-quality images and videos enable visitors to see the product in a more professional way to increase their purchasing decision. Although many businesses are hesitant to invest in product videos out of fear of high costs, they can also benefit from SEO and website visits by using videos.

#4 Review, remind, and rate your site

A new study found that 90% of consumers look at reviews before making a purchase decision. 88% trust online reviews more than real-life recommendations. Online reviews are a reliable source of real-life experience and customers are more likely to trust them.

An increase in customer reviews can lead to a better customer experience. To improve the customer experience, it is important to invest in product viewing tools. Product Reviews on Magento 2 can be used to encourage customers to leave interactive reviews, while store administrators can keep track of the feedback. This extension provides additional features such as a buyers badge or summary of reviews, which ensures customers have a seamless experience with product analysis.

Magento 2: Better Product Reviews Extension

You can convince your customers to buy by getting better reviews and ratings

The market is e-commerce-driven and Review Alert has proven to be a powerful method of getting reviews. This method is effective for customer service after-sales. Stores can send out emails asking customers to leave positive comments about their items.

It’s not easy to get customers to leave reviews. If the conduct isn’t valuable, customers won’t be willing to do additional work that could take 5-10 minutes. Users will only write reviews if they make a strong impression on the purchase and genuinely want to share their shopping experience with potential visitors. 

Show star ratings are the best option. Rating with stars takes only seconds and still has the same impact as manual reviews. The higher the star count, the better product quality.

#5 Improve shopping cart quality

The shopping cart is an integral part of the e-commerce market.

Customers have high expectations of shopping cart functions. They are not satisfied with adding purchase-demanded products to the final checkout. Customers want to be able to compare multiple products and can customize product attributes in their cart. Customers will be frustrated when they are redirected to another site while adding items to their carts. This can also lead to frustration if the page loads slowly. Businesses should have an “add to cart button” that is intuitive and easy to use to provide a great customer shopping experience.

AJAX technology is being used more often by online shops to ensure the best user experience. AJAX cart extension allows users to instantly add products to their carts on the Product Listing Page, Home Page and, more conveniently, on a supported QuickView Popup. Not to mention the Add To Wishlist/Compare features that allow buyers to instantly view details of their wishlist and to compare items.

Quick View & AJAX Cart Extension Magento 2

Enhances the shopping experience and increases conversion rates 

#6 Provide a decent sizing system

E-commerce is often outweighed by brick and mortar stores that can verify physical measurements when it comes to clothing sales. Many online shops have developed an instinctive sizing system that is based on relative numbers or physical measurements. Scaling size can be from 1 to 5. These stores are often a risky place for customers who fear not finding the right item.

A standardized Size chart can be offered by businesses to ensure customers’ buying security. Customers will feel more confident making their own decisions. This will result in a smoother user experience.

Magento 2 Size Chart Extension

Unlimited size charts templates for all types of products 

#7 Speed up page loading

If a page takes too long to load, it is a sign that you have not invested in quality content.

According to, half of internet users expect websites to load in 2 seconds. 40% would abandon pages that take longer than 3 seconds. They will click away if the page takes longer than this and go to sites with faster loading speeds. Page exit rates are increasing due to slow page loading times.

Some specialized tools are available for web designers. However, the best way to speed up loading speeds is to keep images and graphics as small as possible.

Magento 2 Image Optimizer Extension Free

#8 Make sure navigation is simple

While web designers tend to create visually appealing home pages, they often forget to implement the basic principles of website marketing to support user experience.

Users would appreciate shortcuts to help them find the desired items quickly when searching. Navigation performance is key to ensuring users engage with you.

A strong site navigation will optimize search engine features to better track consumers’ preferences. Conversely, a poorly performing one could frustrate visitors’ patience when it comes to finding the information they are looking for. A site navigation investment will ensure a lasting user experience. 

To improve customer satisfaction with product searches, stores can equip ultimate Layered Navigation.

Magento 2 Layered Navigation Extension

A complete product filtering system for your store 

The search bar is the fastest way to connect users with their desired products. Users expect to be able to navigate to the correct product page quickly and without having to type keywords. A search box that is efficient should have features that minimize keyword insertion and optimize the search process.

Drop-down list of suggestions

Drop-down suggestion lists (also known by drop-down menus) are search features that allow a list search results to be displayed after one letter of the keyword is entered only. This suggestion list is made from data from previous searches and tries to predict the closest keywords. The list also includes related product categories that users can view.

Autocomplete

Autocomplete works in the same manner as the suggestion dropdown list, but with some differences.

The drop-down suggestions for search queries are based upon data from the search history. Autocomplete suggestions are online suggestions for categories that are available by the brand. This feature allows customers to narrow their search by category. It also encourages more product observations, corrects misspellings, and provides alternatives for unidentified products.

Magento 2 Search Extension

AJAX & Autocomplete Search for More Than 10,000 SKUs Read more

#10 Avoid page reload

Users expect to be able to click on a page without being redirected, re-navigated or redirected. Users filter product attributes and categories while browsing the site. However, they might become annoyed by page reloads at every click. They may leave to go to other sites that have a more cohesive page function.

As a solution, businesses should look at AJAX loading products. AJAX technology allows the webpage to reload only what has changed, and not the entire page. Buyers can save unnecessary reloads by allowing the web application to be more readily available for them.

#11 Special Offer

In the age of e-commerce, buying incentives are an essential element. Businesses compete to attract the most customers to their stores by offering them buying incentives. Incentives are a way to reward customers for purchasing your products or services.

The following are two types of purchase incentives that are in high demand and can be used by businesses.

Free delivery

Over half of e-Commerce merchants offer shipping free of charge. When it comes to purchasing, the delivery fee is the main factor. The top reason for cart abandonment is the high delivery costs.

Free shipping is an essential psychological trick that draws more people to the idea of benefits. A business that does not offer free shipping is more likely to lose customers to its competitors. To preserve resources, the best way is to raise prices enough to pay shipping costs.

Businesses can get a shipping extension for free to maximize the benefits of the policy.

Free Shipping Bar for Magento 2

Coupon codes for a limited time

Customers love to know if they qualify for a coupon code at checkout. A coupon code that is highly sought-after should be in a clear condition. It must be able to only be obtained and used for a specific time. Secret coupon codes are used to indicate the benefits of multiple purchases, and the urgency element encourages customers to pay their bills quickly.

Coupon codes should be made automated so that they can be used with support tools such as email or private links. This will ensure a great user experience and minimal effort. The Better Coupon extension is a great option with instant codes that can be generated quickly or sent via email or private links.

Tip: Customers who have spent time and effort in the store tend to want to be treated as special and receive customized offers.

Businesses should be aware of this psychological tendency and offer exclusive incentives to these customers. Each personalized incentive is an opportunity for a long-term partnership and an improvement in user experience.

Magento 2: A Better Coupon

Get instant coupons to import and generate.

#12 Make a sorting table

This may make it difficult for users to browse the entire web store without finding the right item. Instead of getting frustrated and going to the end, you should spend your time on more valuable activities.

Proper product sorting that is based on the most relevant criteria can increase in-store time. Stores that require an improvement in the user shopping experience can benefit from Better sorting extension. It has 12 outstanding sorting criteria.

Magento 2: Better Sorting

You can add 12 product sorting options that are flexible customizable

#13 Use price sliders to optimize prices

Customers may have an established price range for a product line during the awareness phase of a customer journey. Customers are likely to be confused if they encounter a website that sells thousands of products.

Although the purpose of the price search box was to help customers, it has been limited by inefficient price range. Customers may also demand multiple price options. Users could also be frustrated by manual typing, which could lead to a page exit.

The creation of price slides has proven to be more efficient in smoothing customers’ shopping experience on the e-commerce marketplace. Customers can now adjust the price bar to limit their price range, making product filtering easier.

#14 Reduce checkout steps

According to a 2018 study, 26% of US shoppers abandoned the checkout process because it was too complicated. A simplified checkout process is a growing demand from customers. This has prompted a need for an optimal solution.

These are the basic criteria that can be used to assess efficiency of checkout processes.

  • One-step checkout: Customers will have a more intuitive experience when navigating through categories. Also, a one-step checkout form will enhance page loading speed which will elevate better user experience compared to a multiple-checkout-pages process.
  • Customers can check out as guests: Customers who use guest checkout do not need to create an account. This helps to reduce friction during the purchase process.
  • Auto-fill the related information: This act reduces unnecessary fields. Customers who have provided their country information should automatically fill in the country postcode.
  • Customers’ information can be saved for future purchases: Optimized checkout pages should save shoppers’ personal data during the final checkout step, and then auto-fill it for the next purchase to give shoppers the best experience.
  • Secure payment badge: The Checkout page is a great place to create a trust mark. This has a significant impact on customers’ purchasing decisions. The security badge, which is located below the “Place Order” button and includes possible payment methods, will ensure credibility and trust.

The One-step checkout works well on Magento 2. All checkout information is displayed in one page. This extension allows customers to have a faster and more satisfying checkout experience.

Magento 2: One-Step Checkout

Reduce checkout time by 80% and increase conversion rates by 30% 

#15 Social login made easy

Users are often annoyed when they are forced to register in order to save their temporary data while shopping online. When they have to complete an inefficient information form to create an online account, the frustration only increases. Each user should demand a login method that is efficient and minimizes time and effort.

Social login is a user-friendly method of registering. Businesses can access customer information and can learn about their customers’ behavior by allowing customers to log in using their social accounts.

Magento 2: Free Social Login

Get 30% more sign-ups 

#16 Easy Return Policy

Businesses’ commitment to customers is implicitly demonstrated by a free return policy. Customers who hesitated at first to place final orders may find such policies as a guarantee. Customers who are not able to return their orders within a specified time frame run the risk of being replaced by customers who have more flexible return policies.

It is imperative to establish a rational return policy in order to improve the user experience. The Return merchandise authorization extension allows businesses to manage returns and exchanges more efficiently while customers have access to a more transparent and user-friendly policy that is supported by many exceptional digital features.

#17 Allow store credit system

A store credit system that rewards customers is one way to increase customer loyalty. To encourage credit accumulation, the credit amount will automatically be added to users’ account balances. Users will need to visit the store frequently to increase their credit account. This creates a lasting commitment.

Rewards on purchases are not enough to increase user commitment. However, they can also be used to compensate for poor shopping experiences. It is not impossible to make mistakes, but it is how businesses handle them that matters. Companies can offer customers credit to express sincerity and apologize, in order to regain their trust and eliminate bad shopping experiences.

Reward Points Magento 2

Transform buyers into loyal customers easily 

#18 Users can quickly place large orders

Online stores view wholesale customers as valuable clients, especially in B2B businesses where digital commercial acts are regularly conducted every day. The execution of an e-commerce order is more difficult than brick-and-mortar shops where wholesalers can choose their items and pick them up in large quantities. Manual searching, selecting and adding bulk purchases to the cart would also be tedious and time-consuming.

Optimizing the mouse clicks required to deal with bulk orders is the most efficient and simple way to do so. The Quick order extension for Magento 2 is a complete solution that allows customers to add products directly to their cart in just 3 clicks. Multiple SKUs and uploading a CSV file can allow you to search for large quantities of products. Product attributes are easily selected on one page, ensuring a great user experience.

Magento 2 Quick Order

#19 Product recommendations for Attach

If users want to find better chances of finding quality products, they can visit the product recommendation section that was recommended by their last browsing. Online product recommendations are in the same place as brick-and-mortar sales assistants to improve customers’ ecommerce experience.

This marketing tool has been used by many stores to increase cross-sell and upsell. Common recommendation extensions like Who also bought, who viewed this also viewed or Automatically related product or frequently bought together are among the best-verified tools that use personalization to match suggested products with users’ preferences. This will encourage users to return to their stores with great pleasure.

#20 Update product availability for users

Customers are often baffled to find long-awaited items out of stock at a time when they are most in demand. This is why it’s so important to let customers know the arrival notice for their favorite items.

Customers can be notified via product alert about any price changes or product validity. This extension allows notification subscriptions to be sent to all types of users, including non-login users. This extension is a great way to stay in touch with customers and impress them by providing excellent customer service.

Customers can also access the Custom Status to see if premieres are available. Stores can now create more friendly stock statements for prerelease products, such as “Coming Soon” and “Available Next Week”, or “Hurry Up!” For products that are soon out of stock, last items!

Comprehensive Sale Boosters Pack Magento 2

Use one package to get helpful functions that will increase your sales.

#21 Create a privacy policy

When asked for information, customers tend to doubt a store’s authenticity and credibility. This is mostly because they fear personal data leaks. They want to be sure that they are dealing with an authentic, market-secure store. To reassure customers, every business should have a privacy policy that has been officially verified.

There are hundreds of extensions that can be used to increase trust among customers and provide security. One of these extensions is the General Data Protection Regulation. This extension’s most notable feature is data protection via trade compliance. Businesses should conduct a thorough info assortment, based on the necessity level, to determine which information they need, and then explain why they should provide their personal data.

Magento 2: No Charge GDPR

Protect your store so it complies with the GDPR 

#22 Create a thank-you page

Even after customers convert, businesses still have a responsibility to the customer journey. Customer care after-sales is an important element of user experience.

Today, many stores have an extra page to inform customers of order success. A thank-you page can be created to make the notice page more attractive and provide more details. This tool allows stores to offer additional features such as cross-selling and self-customization, while customers have detailed order success information, along with automatically generated coupon codes, for their next purchase.

Magento 2 Thank You Page Extension

You can easily beautify and customize your success page .

5 User Experience Practices

These UX tricks have been used by many brands to attract their customers’ attention. Let’s look at the UX-friendly websites of these brands to increase sales.

Amazon

Amazon is without doubt the largest e-commerce website in the world by both number and recognition. Amazon’s position is very convincing, as every feature of the website could be a great example of UX design.

Here are some of the most notable features that this platform offers.

Amazon offers an ultimate search box that allows users to get a drop-down menu of suggestions by simply typing the first letter.

Amazon uses data from browsing history to provide users with more product suggestions.

Amazon’s ability to anticipate users’ needs through clever bundles and product recommendations is best demonstrated by the 1-click checkout button. It is easy to get frustrated with the checkout process. A minimal number of steps will ensure that everyone has the smooth shopping experience they desire.

Apple

Apple’s trademark designs are a hallmark of technological innovation. However, Apple has always impressed its customers with high-quality UX design. This website combines minimalism with sophistication, while offering excellent HD product visuals in many dimensions and forms.

Parallax scrolling can be used on a product page to display dynamic images. Texts are neatly captioned and more visuals are revealed as the user scrolls down.

The 3D animations are clever and show how the product will look from different angles. Apple’s site is much easier than other sites, where users must drag to see the animation fully. With Apple, they simply need to click on the product preview to watch the video. This is a brilliant idea to reduce the amount of technical steps users have to take.

Top Shop

Top Shop is a leading brand in women’s clothes. Top Shop’s success can be partly attributed to the incredible verified shopping experience it provides users. It’s difficult for the brand to design a website with the best UX that doesn’t confuse users when there are so many SKUs.

Top Shop has successfully managed to solve this problem by displaying a category filter dial on its products page. This tool allows users to easily modify the product attributes to suit their preferences. A price slider attachment is also an option to make it easier for users to find items at their desired price point faster.

Users can also move their mouse over the product images to switch to a photo of 36the sample or vice versa. This allows customers to get a better look at the products.

Graze

The positive impression that Graze leaves on visitors is a result of the healthy, environment-friendly vibe and the attractive page designs. The brand has also made clear statements about how it will operate in order to clarify certain points for customers.

(A brief explanation of the system, including prominent images)

Graze is a pioneer in improving user experience by providing product options that are based on stated selling objectives. Customers can try different products simultaneously by choosing from the 3 categorized boxes. The nutrition ratios have been maintained.

Graze’s detailed FAQs are another distinctive feature. Graze not only provides a FAQ section but also answers customer questions. Graze has created a product FAQs page to answer all common queries regarding the health component, which is the main part of its products.

ASOS

ASOS has established itself in the digital fashion market by investing in a well-designed and user-friendly website store. Brief explanation: The store’s main selling points are its eye-catching images and simple, yet visible CTA buttons that categorize men’s and women’s clothing.

The best product page is what makes this site worthwhile. The video demonstration gives users an in-person view of the product, which is one of the site’s distinctive UX features. This increases buyers’ confidence to purchase.

The brand also solved users’ size concerns by improving its size chart and assistant size. The Fit Assistant size provides a standard pop-up size chart for different product categories in various regions. Users can also input their height and weight to get a suggestion of the size. It is now easier than ever to find the long-awaited items you desire.

Conclusion

Today’s e-Commerce market is characterized by customers’ willingness and ability to purchase. Therefore, it is important to design a website that maximizes the user’s shopping experience on every visit. Businesses’ success depends on customers’ buying decisions. Don’t disappoint them by introducing technical issues that could cause them to abandon their shopping journey.

About the author

Kobe Digital is a unified team of performance marketing, design, and video production experts. Our mastery of these disciplines is what makes us effective. Our ability to integrate them seamlessly is what makes us unique.