Hello!
As an eCommerce business, your website is much like a physical store. Its appearance needs to entice customers just like a good shop window, then its layout should be logical to help them find their way around.
Your website content needs to be helpful, much like in-store customer service staff, while the checkout process ought to be smooth to avoid building frustration.
It’s logical, then, that web design has the power to make or break your e-commerce business. That’s especially true in today’s tough online landscape, where you’re competing for the attention of almost 60 million users in the UK alone.
Below, read five reasons why good web design is crucial for a successful e-commerce business, along with actionable tips to help improve yours.
First Impressions
As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. If a user lands on your site and is greeted by poor visuals or confusing functionality, they won’t hesitate to click away.
In fact, studies have shown it takes people 50 milliseconds to judge a website’s visual appeal. However people are finding your site, and high bounce rates suggest that they’re not satisfied with the results.
If that’s the case, keep things clear and simple and take steer from how your best competitors are doing things.
Brand Image
Web design is also critical for how people perceive your brand. Aesthetic elements such as layout, typography, color scheme, and imagery all contribute to the feelings and connotations you create. How does that translate to your proposition and audience?
Whatever the answer, consistency is key across all platforms – but especially your website where you have the most control, so keep a close eye on the finer details. Just make sure you don’t strive for beauty at the cost of usability.
User Experience
Web design is just as much about functionality as it is about aesthetics. In essence, that means making it easy for customers to get from A to B and perform the actions they want to with minimal friction. Factors such as navigation, calls-to-action, responsiveness, and loading times all play a part in convincing customers to part with their cash.
Whether you’re building from scratch or re-platforming, user experience isn’t a consideration you should take lightly. Working with external web design experts can provide an objective view if you’re struggling to see the wood for the trees.
Mobile Users
While desktop order values can be higher, smartphones accounted for 72% of retail site visits in the UK in the second quarter of this year. These numbers make it crucial to have a mobile-friendly e-commerce website in 2022 and beyond.
Responsive web design doesn’t just mean accommodating one desktop and one mobile screen size either. Truly responsive web design looks and works great across all device models and sizes, ensuring you don’t isolate anyone.
Conversions
Crucially, your web design shouldn’t be a set-and-forget task that’s kept internal. It’s important to test your design on different people, from friends to existing customers and strangers, to see how they respond.
Their suggestions could help boost your conversion rates, so testing is just as much in your interest as it is in the customers.
Even small changes like headline text and button color can make a big difference.
Is poor web design holding your e-commerce business back? Address the topics above to build trust and ultimately benefit your bottom line.
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