The eCommerce business has an underlying secret everyone knows but seldom works on. 70% of Americans abandon carts while shopping online owing to one reason: bad user experience. Similarly, 88% of eCommerce users do not return to a website because of a bad user experience.
eCommerce development isn’t easy. However, in light of these facts, we are sharing some easily implementable tips and tricks to improve the user experience of your eCommerce online store through digital commerce solutions and boost sales briskly.
Scope of Growth in eCommerce:
Although there are plenty of opportunities, the eCommerce business is highly competitive due to skill scarcity in eCommerce development. Especially in the post-Covid world, online shopping has become more integral to consumers’ day-to-day lives due to eCommerce online stores being more convenient and having competitive prices.
The retail online business is set to grow to USD 8 trillion by 2026 due to the rise in mobile eCommerce solutions. According to our Marketing 360 experts, if your businesses have already ventured into the eCommerce segment with an eCommerce website or an online store, they can boost conversion rates up to 400%-staggering, isn’t it?
Although perceptible growth is unmatched compared to any industry other than eCommerce, it is not apparent. Only those businesses that know how to improve user experiences grow out of the league.
What does user experience in eCommerce mean?
“In 2024, customer centrality will be indisputable for eCommerce businesses. The eCommerce user experience translates the environment of your neighborhood brick-and-mortar store into the digital realm. It is the magic wand that makes or breaks your eCommerce business,” Biren Zaverchand, the CEO of Sigma Solve, explained.
eCommerce user experience defines a customer’s online buying journey. From entering the eCommerce website or a mobile store to checkout and beyond, the user experience should be flawless, interactive, and intuitive. Customers should find navigation responsive, engagement personalized, and the entire buying journey compelling. Retaining customers will be demanding without a mobile-friendly, uncluttered, and simple user experience.
The Significance of eCommerce User Experience:
The user experience has been the mainstay of eCommerce development services as it affects customer satisfaction and ease of online shopping for customers. Suppose customers have to scratch their heads when finding a particular product or gaining detailed information about the product they choose. In that case, they will be discouraged from revisiting the same eCommerce store.
Customers of eCommerce stores are demanding, and their expectations from online stores are increasing daily. On the flip side, businesses quest to build a loyal customer base that repetitively buys products from only their online stores. Given this view, customer experience is the single eCommerce element that can skyrocket ROI.
First Impression:
The look and feel of the eCommerce website and the ease of interacting with it build brand perception. A responsive and user-friendly design attracts more visitors and adds credibility.
Ease of navigation:
It is seen as an easy-to-navigate eCommerce website that goes from one category to another and from one product to another with similar options. A well-defined user map helps complete the buying process.
Mobile-first:
Over 50% of online shopping is done on mobile phones. Therefore, a responsive mobile version of an eCommerce business is critical to attracting customers and increasing conversion rates.
Customer Retention:
Walking through diverse product categories, adequate product details, and ease of payment compels customers to revisit the eCommerce store and repeatedly buy from the same store.
Competitive Edge:
When an eCommerce store has a high customer retention rate and a loyal customer base, revenue and profits surge. It systematically elevates a business above the competition and builds a unique brand.
The Key UX Design Elements for eCommerce:
Implementing an excellent UX design across all digital platforms is tougher than said. It requires a vast knowledge of the eCommerce sector, key design features, color palettes, branding elements, market dynamics, and repetitive testing. Here are the key UX design elements that can make or break your eCommerce website or mobile store.
| Intuitive Navigation | It helps users navigate the online store to find products effortlessly and speed up buying. |
| Search Functionality | Assist users in finding and shortlisting products effectively to add them to a cart quickly. |
| High-Quality Images | 360-degree product representation with complete details is needed to generate a demand for a product. |
| Compelling Descriptions | Exquisite and adequate product details with its ingredients or made to enhance transparency. |
| Clear CTAs | Ensures customers do not fend for what is next. CTA buttons ensure consumer checkout quickly. |
| Streamlined Checkout | Minimum details and checkout steps to ensure customers don’t need feed data more than required. |
| Mobile-Friendly Design | It helps customers find products seamlessly across the platforms, including mobile, for quick decisions. |
| Secure Payment Process | Ensures no data leakage to safeguard customer details to build customer confidence. |
| User Reviews & Ratings | Publishing honest user reviews and ratings help consumers ascertain the quality of the products. |
| Clear Return Policy | A well-defined return and refund policy showcases transparency that adds to brand value. |
Tips and Tricks to Enhance eCommerce User Experience:
Tip 1 ➣ Listen To Your Customers
E-commerce stores must learn about consumer difficulties through surveys, feedback forms, social media, etc. It helps eliminate bottlenecks and refine user experience.
Tip 2 ➣ Make a Mobile Responsive Website
Given the higher conversion rates on mobile, an eCommerce front store should ensure that its website is responsive across digital platforms, especially on mobile phones. Flawless mobile adoption spurs engagement.
Tip 3 ➣ Prevent Broken Links and 404 pages
It is incumbent on the eCommerce store owner to periodically analyze webpage URLs to ensure a frustration-free user experience. Broken links adversely affect the brand value and reputation of the business.
Tip 4 ➣ Decrease the Load Time of Your Website
The website’s load speed significantly encourages customers to visit and edges out the competition. eCommerce websites must reduce loading speed to deliver smooth and swift access to shopping.
Tip 5 ➣ Showcase Organized Product Variations
Presenting products with variations strategically provides consumers with multiple choices to deny buying. The product comparison mechanism ensures customers choose the right product and do not abandon buying it.
Tip 6 ➣ Personalization Is The Key
Leverage AI to get accustomed to consumer behavior and their choices and dislikes to mold content and recommendations in a way that personalizes customer experiences to build emotional bonding between a brand and customers.
Tip 7 ➣ Optimize Product Description
Product details should be impeccable, and all customer questions should be answered. Informative product description is cart compelling. Proper usage guidelines with features and benefits drive purchase decisions.
Tip 8 ➣ Improve Your Website Design
A website design isn’t a 5-year plan. Instead, website design should reflect changes in market dynamics and design trends to get regular updates. Visually attractive and user-friendliness elevate the brand’s perception.
Tip 9 ➣ Show Product Tutorials
Customers who don’t get access to usage and benefits are least likely to buy a product. An eCommerce website needs to provide tutorials on using products and explain risk factors and best practices.
Tip 10 ➣ Provide AI-powered Virtual Assistance
Chatbots and virtual assistants have made life easy for eCommerce store owners and customers. They automatically improve customer satisfaction by instantly responding to customer queries.
Tip 11 ➣ Provide Various Payment Options
Multiple payment options in a secure environment are the second name for the flexibility and convenience customers seek. eCommerce businesses should tie up with multiple payment gateways for frictionless checkouts.
Conclusion:
User-centricity is an uncomfortable business element for eCommerce stores that aims to deliver personalized user experiences and build a loyal customer base. Do you also need better leads, great conversion rates, and strong sales?