Important Features of an Ecommerce Website

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1 Important Features of an Ecommerce Website There are some important ecommerce site features you should consider which will ensure you re your ecommerce platform will provide excellent usability and accessibility for customers. These are key for the long term success of your on-line business. We have outlined the main features to consider below. 1. Fast and Accurate Search Feature We all have a busy lifestyle and customers who shop online are no different. Having a clear, functioning search bar on your ecommerce site will help your customers to find exactly what they are looking for. Ensure the search bar is not hidden away, for example, in the website footer but a key design feature for your site. Secondly, your search function must provide accurate results for your customers rather than showing results for everything. The chances of potential customers proceeding to the check-out section of your site will increase significantly if products are accessible and your site is easily navigated.

2 2. Easy Website Navigation Similar to having a fast and accurate search feature, your ecommerce site must also have structured navigation. Clear website navigation allows your target audience to easily find and browse products that they are interested in. Take time on designing your menu and cornerstone categories as this will be the foundation to your website layout. In addition to its benefit for web users, a structured navigation will also help your website perform better on various search engines. Websites with good site navigation are usually found online when consumers search for particular products, using search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. 3. Customer Focused Content It is important that your Ecommerce website provides high quality content for your target audience. Good user experience will encourage customers to spend longer lengths of time on your site and will increase the likelihood of them making a purchase. Content should be structured towards providing essential information that a target market need to know and not what you think they should know such as industry jargon.

3 4. Product Descriptions A mistake that is made in many ecommerce websites is that products for sale merely have code names. Descriptive text should be provided about each product to influence decisions and help customers make an informed choice before proceeding to the check-out section. Having descriptive text created by your team on your ecommerce site will also help you get found on search engines. 5. High Quality Images High quality content is essential for every ecommerce website, however content alone will not help you sell products, without the use of high quality images. Websites with low quality images look cheap and can affect the reputation of your brand. It is good practice to have professional photographs taken of your products before uploading them to your site (Ensure they are optimised for web). Detailed images will also aid the consumer decision making process.

4 6. Clean and Effective Design The design of your website should effectively express and represent your brand. Your website should not be over-complicated with unnecessary features. Successful and effective ecommerce websites such as Amazon are user friendly and customer focused. 7. Why Customers Should Buy From You Online competition is higher than ever before, so it is important to communicate why customers should purchase from you, rather than the many others on the market. This message should be visibly clear throughout the website and backed up with proof if required. Examples of unique selling points include: Free delivery Next day delivery We won t be beaten on price Market leaders Customer support hotline Secure payment

5 8. Customer Support Customers who browse products online and intend to complete a purchase will need peace of mind to ensure that there is help available when required while placing an order. Customer support contact details should be easily found as customers are more likely to purchase when they know that there is customer support on hand. Similarly, delivery information should also be clearly highlighted in text to inform consumers of the length of time it takes for products to be delivered and at what cost to various locations. Likewise especially for on-line clothes stores, product returns policy should also be made available for website visitors to provide them with the peace of mind that refunds can be made if they are not satisfied with their purchases. 9. Simple Checkout Functionality

6 Abandoned carts is a very common problem with ecommerce stores which is why the checkout function on your site should be simple to navigate to ensure that your customers do not get irritated. Customers who experience irritation upon checkout may abandon their current order and/or may not return to your ecommerce website in the future. A guest login function should be available for customers who do not want to sign up to the website, or who want to make a quick purchase. 10. Relationship Building Features It is important to build relationships and to engage with potential and existing customers to build brand loyalty. Ecommerce websites should incorporate an sign up form where users can receive updates on new products and for special offers. Use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect your brand and to provide quick customer service to those who have an enquiry about products or services. Public social media conversations can show others that you provide quality customer service and will help to build trust. Similarly to updates, special offers and updates can be communicated to those who follow your brand on social media. Ecommerce sites should also have a product review section for all products to allow customers to provide feedback on those they have previously purchased. Product reviews can then be used to help build consumer confidence. Comment forms should also be provided on your ecommerce website to get feedback on the experiences from customers who have made a purchase. These responses will help to improve the usability of your website for your target audience.

7 11. Website Security An ecommerce store has to be secure for customers to browse and should protect their privacy when they purchase products using a credit card or an electronic payment method. The website should have appropriate security functions such as https to prevent viruses attacking customer s computers as they browse your website. This will prevent theft of personal details as a result of cyber-attacks on your website. 12. Hosting Choosing a secure and powerful hosting service for your website is an essential feature for a successful ecommerce store. Having a good hosting service can help make your website secure from hackers and viruses, while providing your website with high speed browsing capabilities and bandwidth suitable to your needs. Bandwidth is essentially the amount of traffic space that your website uses. If the amount of bandwidth is too small, your website could crash and in turn frustrate visitors to your site.

8 13. Marketing When you have an ecommerce website built, you must let your customers know about it and get it noticed by new potential customers. Your ecommerce website is a tool to sell your products online, however a budget should be set out for a digital marketing strategy that will drive web traffic to your website, convert them into customers and build brand loyalty for future purchases. For Extra Support If you are looking for information on any of the about features or for general advice on ecommerce, contact our support team on +353 (0) or us direct on [email protected]. Do please mention you read this article so we can point you in the right direction.