Websites are the new storefronts.
Good ecommerce design can be the difference between a customer walking in and walking out. It’s not just about aesthetics, but also usability and accessibility. Your site needs to be easy to navigate for your customers so they don’t get frustrated or leave without buying anything.
If you want more sales, make sure to design your website with conversion in mind from start to finish – including images, copywriting, layout, navigation, and checkout process. You need a professional e-commerce designer who understands how people shop online today.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about website design for your e-commerce store.
6 Ways Ecommerce Design Impacts Your Store
A website can make or break your business.
It’s the face of your company and the first interaction customers have with your brand. If they don’t like what they see, they won’t stick around for long.
1. It Builds Trust With Customers
Your site needs to be professional and trustworthy if you want more sales.
If it looks like an amateur created it, people will think the same about your products or services – even if they’re top-notch. Your e-commerce site needs to be designed professionally.
People buy from brands they like and trust, not ones that look cheap or uninviting. If your site is poorly designed, it shows you don’t take the time to present yourself as a professional brand – and people will be hesitant to purchase products from you because of this.
2. It Helps People Make a Decision
Getting customers to purchase on your site is no easy task. You need to make it as easy as possible for them to do what you want them to do – buy!
People are busy, and even if they’re interested in your products or services it doesn’t mean they have the time or patience to navigate a site with poor design.
You need to give your customers a very clear path from when they visit your site to when they purchase one of your products. Don’t expect them to search around the site for what you want them to find – make it easy for them by designing an intuitive, simple interface. You can learn more about web design consulting here, to get started.
3. It Helps You Stand Out From the Competition
If you want more sales, your site needs to be better than your competitors’. You need to offer a unique selling proposition that makes you stand out from the crowd – both on-site and off.
If your website looks cheap or has poorly written copy, customers are likely to go with one of your competitors who has a better-looking website or more professional content.
For example, if you owned an upscale clothing boutique in California and your website looked like you made it in the 90s, people would be more likely to go with one of your competitors who put more effort into their site design.
4. It Makes Shopping Easier
The easier it is to shop on your site, the higher your conversion rate will be.
People don’t have a lot of time and want to get in and out of a site quickly so they can continue with their busy lives. If you want them to give you their money, make it as easy as possible for them to find what they’re looking for.
That means using an intuitive layout that doesn’t confuse customers or leave them with dead-ends when they click on the wrong item.
5. It Helps Differentiate Your Business
There are websites out there that look like clones of each other – for example, a lot of beauty supply stores have the same layout and color scheme. Your site should look unique from your competitors’ sites or you won’t stand out.
Customers want to see that you’re different from everyone else, so put yourself above the competition by making your site customized and memorable. For example, you could use big, bright photos of your products to draw people in or incorporate an entirely new design that no one’s ever seen before.
6. It Helps You Rank Higher
If search engine bots can’t crawl your site, you won’t get the rankings you want for important keywords! Every page of your site should be crawlable so it can appear in web searches.
Without a search-friendly website, most of your customers will never know your business exists and you’ll lose out on a lot of potential sales. This is important because the majority of customers search for local businesses on their smartphones.
If your site is difficult to crawl, you’ll also lose out on opportunities to get referrals from customers who find your website but can’t click through to certain pages.
Why Do I Need to Hire a Professional?
If you want to experience success in e-commerce it’s crucial that you hire a professional designer who knows how to design an e-commerce site that attracts customers and helps them make a decision.
In the post-Amazon era, online shoppers have more options than ever before – from brick-and-mortar retailers who offer a full shopping experience to stores you can visit without putting on pants. The only way to get ahead of the competition is by making sure your site looks like an easy sell.
Why Don’t I Get My E-Commerce Design Done In-House?
It might be tempting to get your website designed internally instead of hiring someone, but it’s not always the best option.
Unless you have a dedicated web design team, they won’t know your business as well as a professional and it will show on the final site. Don’t hire someone just because you think they might be cheap – there is definitely such thing as “you get what you pay for,” whether it’s website design or anything else.
Boost Sales With a Website Designer Today
Now you know several different ways that e-commerce design can help boost sales for your store. If you want to succeed online, make sure your site is up to snuff, and then get out there and start selling.
It’s not an easy process but when you see your profits slowly start to rise, the rewards will be worth it. Good luck with your e-commerce website!
And when you’re ready to hire a professional, contact us for a free consultation today.