Attract. Convert. Win. E-Commerce Web Design

Think a good product or service is all you need to run a successful online store? Think again. E-commerce website owners notoriously make the rookie mistake of thinking online stores sell themselves. But there’s more to e-commerce web design than a list of products and a shopping cart. It doesn’t take a seasoned vet to know e-commerce web design is about one thing: presentation.

Many have tried to sell products and services online – and many have failed. The difference? Looking at e-commerce from the perspective of a web designer. From images and links to navigation and organization, Bowen Media is here to change your perspective on e-commerce web design. Follow these four tips to build a strategic and beautifully designed online store to attract and convert more customers than ever before.

1. Spark the Imagination

One of the best ways to sell a physical product is to get it into the potential customer’s hands. Since you can’t do that over the Internet, the next best thing is to get the customer to imagine it in their hands. High quality images help you capture that all-important imagination.

From aesthetics to user experience, high quality product photos do more than drive sales. Professional images promote social sharing and transform static catalogs into interactive galleries and sliders. Quality images simply add the professional touch to entice new and returning visitors alike.

As an e-commerce website, you’re asking potential customers to trust you with their credit card information. Nothing puts that trust in jeopardy like a poor or unprofessional product image. In the end, slacking on image quality could be the greatest design mistake killing your sales. Be smart about e-commerce web design. Spark the imagination.

2. Nurture the Path

There are many strategies to launching a successful e-commerce website. One of the best and most overlooked is building an internal linking system. An internal linking system benefits both the end-user and the search engines. Done correctly, it can attract more customers than you ever imagined.

The idea is simple: to nurture visitors along the path to purchase. How? With a strategic combination of clickable links – including attractive images, text and buttons. Smart internal linking helps users easily navigate to shopping carts and product pages from every corner of the website.

Advanced techniques like anchor links make the tactic even more effective. The right internal linking system has the power to reduce bounce rates and boost SEO. And since 69% of people base their browsing on internal links, it’s a design strategy no e-commerce website owner can afford to ignore. Always make it easy for consumers to convert.

3. Clear the Confusion

The best navigation menus are not only simple – but also clear and cohesive. Potential customers may want to jump from one section to another – quickly, easily, and without any confusion. That’s why a simple navigation free from clutter is the cornerstone of successful e-commerce web design.

You can simplify a navigation menu by limiting the available options. Stick with six or less navigation options and feature only your most important pages. For an e-commerce website with more than six main pages, use subheads to break up the clutter and confusion.

Remember, no two customer journeys are the same. Each website visitor has their own potential path to purchase. A clear and cohesive navigation serves as a universal guide – to help users reach their destination in the best way possible.

4. Dress to Impress

Your e-commerce website is the digital representation of a retail store. Like a brick and mortar store, your online store requires a clean and organized digital storefront. Like a poorly organized shoe retailer, nothing can deter a potential online customer faster than a chaotic e-commerce web design.

A clean and organized design promotes a positive brand connection. It encourages shoppers to stick around long enough for you to close the deal. Choosing the perfect design for an e-commerce website can be tricky. When in doubt – flat and minimal design styles are both trendy and effective.

Plenty of negative white space does wonders to clean and polish an e-commerce website. Add a distinct storefront grid system to promote a comfortable and engaging visual flow. Space, grids and simple typography all work together to highlight your digital storefront in the best way possible. Make clean and organized design a priority for your e-commerce website.