The COVID-19 epidemic has had a profound impact on the lives of millions around the world. People are increasingly turning to their smartphones, tablets, and computers for their shopping needs, as in-person shopping is becoming less common. Adobe reports that ecommerce sales will grow by 33% YoY as we enter the 2020 holiday season.

This holiday season, 42% of all shopping will be done via smartphones by consumers. The pandemic has prompted a surge in online shopping. This has made it imperative to provide a user-friendly UX on ecommerce websites. This post will discuss five tips for ecommerce UX design that are directly related to COVID-19. These tips can have huge benefits for your ecommerce company.

5 ecommerce UX design tips

These are five simple ways to improve UX for your ecommerce website:

1.  Display key information and up-to-date updates clearly on your site
2.  Highlight shipping and return policies
3.  Show similar products
4.  Write strong product descriptions
5.  Make your website accessible to a large audience

1. Display important information and up-to-date updates clearly on your website

When people start shopping online, the company’s website is often the first place they go. It is more important than ever to make sure they can quickly find the information they need on your website, especially considering COVID-19. This means that important information should be clearly and prominently displayed on ecommerce websites. This could include:

• Hours of operation

• Contact information (ideally, with multiple ways that users can reach you)

• Your company takes safety and health precautions

• Are any other important announcements

It’s important to emphasize clarity with this in mind. Do not simply dump all this information at the top of your site or use intrusive pop-ups. Focus instead on proper website hierarchy and ensure that the most important details are easily accessible.

It’s a great time to assess your site’s navigation. Does it feel intuitive? Is there anything that could be improved to simplify the process of searching for products or other information?

A tip for It is crucial that your ecommerce website’s search functionality is easily found and used.

Users will often start by entering what they are looking for in the search bar. Then, they’ll move on to other areas of the site. This will make ecommerce easy for users.

2. Highlight shipping and return policies

As we approach the holiday season, it is important to communicate your shipping and return policies to customers. This information can be highlighted by showing the most current estimated shipping costs and deadlines directly on the product page. This is better than having it in separate areas of the site. Amazon’s display of the “delivery date”, on product pages, and during checkout, is one way to keep users informed about the current shipping times.

Instead of stating that an item will arrive within “2-4 business days”, they show the exact date it is expected to arrive at the customer’s door.

Users are left with a lot to guess about when they see a window of a business day. To determine when their order will be delivered, users will need to make assumptions about processing times as well as account for weekends or holidays. 

Customers may feel disappointed if these lines blur. Instead, make sure to be as transparent and clear as possible. Give the information the customer cares about. When can they expect their order?

3. Show similar products

It’s a great way to increase sales and help users identify products they may need. If a user purchases a laptop, showing them a section with related products that includes spare batteries, cases, and headsets can make it seem like you care about their needs and are willing to assist in meeting them. These related products can help users at multiple points in the shopping process.

You can add them to the product pages, your cart, or during checkout.

4. Answer questions and create strong product descriptions

Online shopping can cause users to feel less confident and make them feel less secure. It’s important to anticipate any questions and give peace of mind whenever possible. You can help your customers feel confident about making informed purchases online, even though they are unable to touch, see, or ask questions about the product. You should now invest in high-quality product photography and consider adding informational videos or augmented reality features to your product descriptions.

You might consider creating a “frequently asked questions” section if you notice that customers are asking similar questions. This will allow future users to quickly find the answers they need without having to contact you.

5. Your site should be accessible to a broad audience

The COVID-19 law has had an impact on everyone. This may lead to a different audience flocking to your site. Now is the best time to make sure your ecommerce site conforms to accessibility standards. A simple accessibility check can make a big difference.

• Are there enough contrasts between the text and background? Is the text easy to read?

• Are audio and video files that contain information accessible via audio or video using transcriptions or captions.

• Do form fields use proper labels?

• Is it possible for users to quickly correct errors during checkout?

To start evaluating your ecommerce website, take a look at our accessibility checklist.

Bonus: Here are some quick tips to improve your ecommerce website’s UX design.

These are some bonus tips that will improve the UX of your ecommerce website.

• To allow users to quickly find what they are looking for, ensure that filter and sort options work well.

• Keep track of users’ carts in between sessions to make sure they can pick up from where they left off.

• Do not force them to sign up to checkout. Instead, give them options to sign up, log into their social media accounts, or check out as a guest.

• Trust is built by ensuring that your website does not only contain trustworthy information but also a secure environment. Looks Secure, but also is. Are you unsure where your site is? Check out our Free security checker tool To find out immediately.
  

It all comes down to providing an excellent user experience. That’s what UX is all about. When optimizing your website, make sure to give as much information as possible to your users and focus on making your user’s experience positive, safe, and smooth.

Kobe Digital can help improve your ecommerce UX design!

COVID-19 has changed the way people shop and how they buy products. It is essential to provide a great user experience in ecommerce. This will help customers navigate the buying process and keep you competitive.

Kobe Digital provides ecommerce marketing services in Miami that help businesses establish and maintain an online presence. These include ecommerce SEO and eCommerce PPC. ecommerce website design and development and UX design. Get in touch with us today for more information about adapting your business to changing retail environments.