Starting an online shop has become a good business idea these days and is very popular among people who have a product or products to sell and want to work from home. Since you do not have a physical store, it can be easier to run and offers more flexibility along with cost savings and a larger reach into different areas. However, with online shopping currently booming, there are lots of customer expectations that you will need to meet when it comes to how your online shop is designed and performs. Here are some of the main web design elements to keep in mind when it comes to offering the best customer experience.
Security
First and foremost, you will need to make sure that your site is secure before it goes live, and people can shop on it. Online shopping will often involve entering sensitive financial information online so it is no surprise that many people might be reluctant to do this if they are not sure that the site is going to protect their information. The easiest and simplest way to make sure that your site is secure is to get an SSL certificate.
Navigation
Designing the navigation system of an online store can be a trickier aspect, so you may want to search for the services of a web designer to help you come up with an effective menu and search function that enables your customers to easily find what they need. When shopping online, customers don’t want to be spending a huge amount of time looking for the item they want to purchase, and if they are struggling to find it then this might harm your sales. You might want to work with a professional web design agency who knows all the best practices for designing eCommerce navigation.
Load Speed
There are lots of different elements that might affect the amount of time your website takes to load. However, the faster the better, as when shopping online, customers do not want to wait more than just a couple of seconds to get onto the website and find what they need. And, with online shopping so big right now, it probably won’t be difficult for them to find a competitor to shop with instead. So, regularly check your site loading speed and make necessary changes such as compressing images to speed it up.
Easy Checkout
Another design flaw that might put your customers off going through with a purchase and buying from your site is issues with the checkout process. Ideally, you should make sure that the checkout process is as hassle-free, quick and easy as possible. Customers who have to go through several forms just to make their purchase are more likely to abandon their cart compared to those who can easily check out as a guest and return to make an account later if they like, for example.
If you want to start an online shop, then it’s important to consider the various ways that the design and functionality of the website will impact the customer experience and satisfaction levels.