Are you creating e-commerce sites designed and built to sell? It’s a question worth asking. Today, more and more businesses are relying on online shoppers and customers to channel profits, depending heavily on the Web’s unique benefits as a marketing tool and selling base. Thus, the designer can create financially stable sites that will increase business and convert a quick click into a sale.
In this post, we’ll take a look at e-commerce design and ask the question, what makes an e-commerce site financially successful? The goal is to present our readers with solid information on basic conversion techniques that can launch e-commerce design to another level.
Scannable Feature Lists
Giving the customer what he or she wants, has to be at the top of the list of things to be done when designing for e-commerce. This means knowing a thing or two about how visitors behave. Firstly, they’re impatient and they must be motivated to stick around on your site, or they’ll leave immediately. Boredom and distaste are recipes for disaster in web design. Something on your page must grab their attention and hang on to it – with just one glance.
Rapidweaver
What design features, with just a quick visual scan, will hold a visitor’s attention and not let go? Here’s a simple solution: break down your marketing pitch into easy-to-read, attractive phrases. Spruce them up with images, such as icons, and highlight the text to make it stand out. This is what creates scannable features. Visitors are then able to pick and choose attention-getters on your site and pursue each further – without wasting valuable time.
MyFonts
Testimonials
Also great to consider, the testimonials and case studies in your design. These are excellent tools for engaging and connecting with the audience on a personal level. They let visitors know that others have tried and liked the product, making the purchase a little less risky. Including testimonials also inspires more people to recommend a product, giving your site an interactive flair often so lacking in e-commerce design.
Case studies are also excellent tools. They inform customers about the best process or scenario for product use. Again, use of the case study makes the customer feel more secure and reassured that, even without trying it first; their purchase is a smart one. A customer invited with believable design, is more likely to complete a sale, so make sure you add a source or even a picture to improve the credibility of both testimonials and case studies.
Business Catalyst
No Clutter
While you may have the opportunity to bombard the customer with visually stunning images and beautiful typography, don’t do it. A cluttered page with little or no white space is a sure-fire way to get customers to walk. Why? Visitors can be easily confused or frustrated with too many colors, huge text and pictures in every nook and cranny. Confused and frustrated customers are much less likely to see a sale all the way through to completion.
Good.is
Allow customers the space they need to focus on separate areas of the page. Leaving white space between content lets your design breathe and de-clutters the site. For tips on the use of white space, and good design tips in general, check out some of the previous posts.
