When it comes to you having an e-commerce website there is more to it than simply designing the site via a tried and tested formula and throwing products on there. Instead, it has been proven time and time again that the design is going to have a direct influence on your potential conversions and surely any business is going to want to be aware of how to increase their sales without doing too much in the process?
The problem is further exacerbated when you realize that the average conversion rate for the majority of e-commerce websites sits at a rather paltry 2% and that shows how many visitors and hits you are going to have to get just to then make any decent sized income. Now, surely when you discover that it is such a small percentage that you will want to do anything you can to improve the chances of those visitors then going through the checking out process?
Well, according to different studies of e-commerce websites there are several things that may improve those chances and they are not even that difficult to implement.
Dealing with the Images.
Wherever possible make sure that you never just use stock images of products as that has a tendency to make your website appear as if it is effectively just a cut and paste job and that is hardly going to be inspiring for them. Instead, try to have different images rather than just the norm although clearly they do have to show off the product in order to make it more attractive.
With the images, you should also make sure that you include various thumbnails that show the products from different angles. This is going to provide the customer with even more information and will make it easier for them to decide if they should go ahead and make that purchase.
Dealing with the Layout.
If we then think about the layout because you cannot just throw stuff onto a web page and hope that it is going to start to work for you. Instead, there are several key areas to focus on that will make life so much easier and hopefully increase the number of people that are going to go ahead and make those purchases.
First, you should always have a strong header on your home page as this is really going to help frame the entire page and make your website look far more professional. It should also be capable of telling people what you are all about and what they can expect if they venture further into your website. At the same time, you should always have things such as contact information and links to social media profiles on the footer part of the website and never leave it blank. Also, you might want to use this space in order to really push on with your call to action as this is your last chance on your home page.
Furthermore, do not be afraid of white space on your pages as that is going to give a better balance rather than just cramming in as much as you can to fill it up. This will only lead to some confusion and people will then be put off your website pretty much from the moment that they land there. In addition, do not have extensive parts of text all together because that is also going to hurt the eyes and people are just not willing to sit there and read it all.
Dealing with the Design.
Finally, we have to think about the design because this is also going to play an important role in increasing your conversion rate. First of all, you need to make sure that it is a responsive design so that it works for anybody that ventures on there no matter the device that they are using. This is huge because mobile and tablet usage is continuing to increase so if you do not provide them with an adequate experience then they are simply going to go elsewhere.
Also, do not include too many potential options on any page at any given time. Make sure that the design has a focus and that the focus is clear and draws people in. This has to also include the menu bar on a page because even though you may have a number of different categories it does not mean that you should go ahead and include too many categories. Keep it neat and you will benefit from it.
Basically, what we are saying here is that if you want to at least try to increase those checking out rates then you need to pay attention to your website and in particular your home page. Avoid putting too much on there and make sure that your design draws in the person rather than spinning them out of control. Remember, you want it to be a pleasant experience for them so make sure that is what you provide to them.
