Does your shop or business have an e-commerce website? With the novel coronavirus restricting people’s movements and making them extra cautious about shopping, doing business online is more important than ever. People are browsing the web to find household essentials, gifts for friends and family, and indulgences for themselves. To help you out, we have compiled the five essential elements you’ll need to create the perfect e-commerce website:
Words That Work for You
Never underestimate the importance of bringing in a creative soul who’s an expert in writing copy for websites. The words you use have the power to persuade and make people fall in love with your brand and your product. On your website, copy includes the writing on your homepage, product descriptions, calls-to-action, frequently asked questions, and any blog posts you might post. Visiting your website may be the first (or the only) contact people have with your brand. So, it is essential that the language you use reflects your brand image, draws people in, and converts them into paying customers.
Intuitive Navigation
Have you ever been on a website, were ready to buy, but you gave up because you couldn’t find the specific thing you were after? Product segmentation and easy navigation are essential elements of an e-commerce website. If navigation is confusing, people will leave your site and find another. It should be obvious to any visitor how to click their way to different product categories. A prominent, easy-to-use search bar is also crucial to your site’s user experience.
Responsive Design
Responsive design means that your website is clear and easy to read on all devices. You don’t want to be using your mobile phone and struggling to read the copy or having to scroll back and forth across the page with your fingers to try to find what you want. In the USA, 45% of e-commerce purchases are made on mobile devices – that is a huge chunk of business! To ensure you get a slice of the action, make sure you optimize your ecommerce website for all devices.
Illustrative Imagery
Because online shoppers miss out on the experience of touching, feeling, and trying on any purchases, good photos of your products are critical. To prevent them from slowing down your website’s load time, make sure they are the right size and resolution. Try to include different angles and perspectives to show off your product. If you are selling clothes or shoes, think about using models of all shapes, sizes, and cultural backgrounds. Diversity gives potential buyers better insight into what the garment will look like when they get it home.
FAQs and Customer Support
Since your customers won’t have a shop assistant to help them choose the right product, you need to support them to make their decision virtually. Including a Frequently Asked Questions section on your site will reduce direct inquiries dramatically. However, you also need to offer a phone number, email address, and a live chat service if you can. Given the instant availability of everything on the internet, people expect prompt and reliable assistance when they send through a query. To meet this requirement, you need to have a strategy that allows you to provide quick responses to any customer question or request for support.
Taking the time to build a perfect e-commerce website will be worth it when you start to see the sales pouring in. So, now is the ideal time to get started!