With the current situation, more and more people are starting to appreciate the convenience of ordering everything from clothes to groceries online. Did you know that even a 0.5% difference in conversion rate can make a difference of thousands of dollars in yearly revenue. That is why it is of the utmost importance that the user experience in any e-commerce store receives all the attention, as it is directly linked to sales.
In this blog, we set out to explore how customers navigate, find and purchase products, and what factors might affect the buying decision of customers. This checklist covers some specific and actionable tips for your ecommerce store. By executing these ideas, you will see noticeable improvements in your user experience and conversion rates.
Accessibility
Site load time is reasonable
If it is more than 3 seconds, you could lose almost half of your visitors. 2 seconds is the threshold of acceptability for e-commerce sites.
Adequate contrast between text and background
Use black text on solid, high-contrast backgrounds. Content should be easy to read.
Font size / spacing is easy to read
Make the font size at least 12 points. Font sizes should be adequate and white space should be used to separate long areas of text. Make the font style consistent for different types of content on each page. Use readable fonts like Arial, Grande, Sans-Serif, etc. They are considered to be the most readable on the screen.
ALT Tags
Images must have the appropriate ALT tags (Tip: Alt tag can be utilised as a long tail keywords)
Custom not-found / 404 page
Create a custom "page not found" page that redirects site visitors to other pages that may contain the information they are looking for. This page should include -
- Apologies for delivering a bad page
- A search box for your website
- Tell the potential client they're on the right domain
- Navigation options to important site links such as major product categories
- Images convey the intended messages Display images that convey the appropriate messages and appear familiar.
Clickable image label
Make images and associated text closed together so that users can integrate and use them effectively together. In addition, alt text must accompany each clickable image.
Header
The header area of your website is a very useful area. This is a functional space that guides visitors to the sections of your website that they want to go to. This includes the logo, navigation area, search area, currency, cart, global links & more. You need to figure out what the most important elements of your website are and have links to those sections in your header. The header should be simple but very functional.
Logo
The logo should be clearly visible and linked to the home page of the site.
Login / Registration
When a user arrives at the website, clearly indicate where to register or log in, especially when the login is the main call to action.
Add to cart Button/Basket
Customers should be able to spot the shopping cart icon. The norm is to place the cart icon in the upper right corner of an ecommerce site, but avoid placing the cart icon in the dark bars of the top navigation bar. Display the number of items in the cart, even if it is zero. This lets the user know they need to add items to their shopping cart.
Phone number
Having a phone number on your webpage will get more people calling. With e-commerce, people won't necessarily buy online only, but they might also want to call. It must have a specific CTA. Do not use general terms instead have a unique call to action specific to your ecommerce store.
Site search area
Site search is easy to access, at the top of the page, above the navigation bar. Do not combine it with other boxes, buttons, links and label it clearly.
Live Chat Option
In the live chat area, use a picture of a customer service person or a clear icon. It helps people identify where the live chat area is located.
Mini Cart Option
Display a mini-cart area with a button that says "View Cart" to send people to the cart page.
Navigation
Product research is the key to any e-commerce business. After all, if customers can't find a product, they can't buy it. Browsing the website and internal site search can help you troubleshoot product search issues. Once you make it easy for visitors to find the desired products on your eCommerce site, your conversion boost will be legendary.
Home Page
Allows users to access the home page from any other page (Product, category, Cart, Checkout etc.) on the site.
Main navigation
The main navigation is easily identifiable. The best place for the main navigation menus is the top or left panel.
Navigation Labels
Create useful, clear and concise navigation labels. Users need to be able to scan navigation labels and instantly understand what those labels represent in the context of the store.
Link Identification
Make links consistent and easy to identify.
Site Search Option
Display of a possible purchase intention by entering product names or codes. Set the site search width of the text entry field to 27 characters so that users can see the full name of the product they enter. Visitors should go to product pages and instead to category pages. Suggest the search query & also the most relevant products. There should be autocomplete site search that suggests possible terms while entering the first few letters of a keyword, Minimizing the risk of misspellings and therefore inaccurate results.
Breadcrumb navigation
Include a breadcrumb trail starting with a link to the website home page and ending with the current page. It helps visitors understand and navigate your website hierarchy and reduce bounce rate.
Home page
It is possibly the most important page you have. It will showcase your brand and describe the user experience for the rest of your website. This should be one of the main areas of your eCommerce site that you should keep improving.
Clearly direction
Guide visitors with words and visuals on what to do next. Show people exactly where you want them to go to help them access the products they are looking for.
Use Carousel Images
Instead of auto-rotating slides or users clicking the navigation arrow create a carousel tabular style with descriptive and meaningful labels that entice users to click. It increases click-through rates and guides users to what they want.
Segmented categories
Include different product categories on your online store. So they don't have to worry about where to navigate.
Highlight top-selling items
Notify users about top-selling items. It helps users save time, finding products that other people have purchased mostly.
Offer Box Section
Make Offer Boxes like free shipping, discounted price, sale, savings, etc including product images and short descriptions. Product image and title must link to the respective product page.
Educational Information
Write how-to articles, create videos, demos, and links to FAQs. This will help inform visitors about your products.
Pop-ups for Exit
Use eye-catchy pop-ups to help keep people on the site.
Category Page
One of the main templates for an eCommerce website. People arriving in these sections will want to click or scroll. If they can't find what they're looking for, they'll leave the page
Clear headline
Clear title that tells people what section of the site they've landed in.
Faceted search and navigation
Incorporate search and navigation technology into facets in the left column to filter the elements. When people visit your product category pages, they may want to filter through different inventories to find the right product for them.
Reset Filters
Allows users to reset all filters to restore a page to the original content.
Quick Check out
Quick navigation button which allows them to check out much faster.
Clear price
Display prices clearly.
Display retail and sale prices
Display the original sale price and have it crossed out with the online sale price next to it. People don't consciously want to pay premium prices for items. This psychologically helps influence purchases.
Product Sorting
Allow visitors to sort products by name, price, reviews, etc.
Products compare
Allow visitors to compare products as selected
Infinite Scrolling
It controls the bounce rate and improves the time spent by the user on a page. If your site has Pagination, replace it with infinite scrolling.
Product detail page
Not only is this page important for conversions, it's also great for search engine rankings. You can optimize product pages to improve conversion rates. There are many things you should keep in mind in the product detail page like product image, name, order quantity, delete product, select delivery option, vat and taxes, promotional code & many other things you should look for.
Product title
Display a clear product name as the title. The product title can be placed directly above the image or at the top- right of the image.
Full product description
A detailed product description gives users a clear idea of the product and helps in purchasing decisions. The description optimized with keywords also helps improve search engine rankings.
Product specification, reviews & pricing
Provide product features and specifications in detail. Adding reviews about product, delivery or overall shopping experience will help increase credibility & conversion. Pricing of the product should be stated clearly. Display retail and sale pricing wherever necessary (Point explained above).
Live chat (or a prominent contact number)
Customers may have questions about a product or some other part of the purchase process, so offering live chat or a prominent contact number can be an effective way of saving a few sales. Adding the product phone number near the “Add to Cart” button is also a great way to make purchases.
Stock status
Tell visitors the product is in stock. If it’s a limited product of which you don’t have a lot of inventory, tell them that there are only a few items left. If they’re really interested, they will likely buy that product because it has limited inventory.
Order quantity
Users should be able to update or change quantity.
Social proof
Users like to buy things that other people have bought. Display the number of users who purchased this item. It shows the demand for the product and builds the confidence of new customers.
Related items
Showing related items on the product page increases engagement and lowers bounce rate. For example, "Customers like you have also purchased these items."
Ability to enlarge images/Zoom in
Make it easier for visitors to learn what a product looks like. It’s essential to let customers see products in detail, so let them zoom in to specific areas.
Multiple images/Product Videos
Users like to see products from a range of angles. Having product videos is a great way to give your customers more details about the items you’re selling.
“Add to Cart” button
Make it a nice and clear “Add to Cart” button that stands out from the other elements on the page.
Offer “Add to Cart” confirmation
When the user clicks the “add to cart” button, display a message that confirms the item has been added to the shopping cart. Reinsure users and influence them to continue shopping or begin the checkout process.
Wishlist
It allows shoppers to favorite items for future purchases and gives the retailer the opportunity to learn more about the customer, and perhaps with a well-targeted remarketing and email campaign.
Social sharing buttons
Let buyers promote your product for you. They may not buy it, but if it shows up on social media, your products will reach a wider audience. Make it easy for users with the share buttons.
Color options
Display the available color options of the products and, if possible, show pictures of their appearance.
Size options & guide
Display the available size options for your products. Providing a full size guide and information can help minimize return rates.
Delivery & Return policy
The ability to have items delivered within a certain time frame and at a cost that users deem reasonable is a big part of buyers' buying decisions. Also mention clear terms about how long they have to return your products, how a customer can return a product and details of the refund policy.
Recently viewed products
When browsing sites with large product mixes, this can be helpful.
Highlight special offers
If you’re offering a discount on orders, shout about it. It’s a sales driver.
Recommended products
While customers are thinking of buying one product, there may be complementary items they are also likely to want. Offering relevant recommendations on product pages can increase average order values.
Trust Badges
Include trust badges of your credibility and ensure visitors that they can shop with confidence. For example, money-back guarantee, warranty options, details of how long you’ve been in business, the benefits of purchasing from your store.
Final Thoughts:
The success of e-commerce websites lies in improving user experience, simplicity and customer confidence. This will not only translate potential clicks into final transaction payment, but also a strong influence from the customer to revisit your website again in the future. With our proven expertise, we know which combination of usability factors to test to improve CRO. We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to get you the best possible results.
