5 Best Ways to Improve Your Ecommerce UX
People are becoming more used to online and mobile shopping. As a result, ecommerce customers today are pickier and more discerning than ever. The user experience (UX) matters — according to statistics, 38% of online shoppers will leave a website if they find the design to be unattractive.
Ecommerce creates an even playing field, providing smaller brands with an excellent opportunity for establishing their positions and attracting a loyal clientele. For the purpose, however, companies will have to invest in a stellar user experience.
Are you wondering what it would take to shape up the perfect ecommerce UX for your website’s visitors? Iflexion’s ecommerce developers share a few of the most effective and affordable approaches to consider right now.
Choose Options That Function Well, Forget about Nice Appearances
Over the years, multiple ecommerce design trends have come to prominence only to be forgotten shortly after.
Parallax scrolling, video backgrounds, hidden navigation buttons, autoplay, and image carousels have all dominated the world of ecommerce for a certain time because they look fancy. Unfortunately, fancy design isn’t something that shoppers are looking for, which is why people tend to end up annoyed with such features.
The ecommerce UX isn’t about aesthetics, it’s about functionality. An automatic image slider is very distracting and the same applies to autoplay videos (the horror when an option to turn the video off is nowhere in sight!).
When shopping, people don’t look at how pretty the walls of the boutique are. They are impressed by the quality of the products, the way in which these are displayed and how they can be tested out. Although ecommerce experience differs from that of brick-and-mortar shopping, the same principles apply.
People want easy access to products, detailed information, easy selection and a quick checkout process. Obviously, a beautiful design is very important when it comes to first impressions. However, if this beautiful design is standing in the way of functionality, it should be scrapped.
Focus on Personalization
Personalization in the ecommerce realm has become more critical than ever helping brands establish more meaningful relationships with their customers. Since customers today have an infinite number of options to choose among, such personalization will become a key to their loyalty.
Good ecommerce UX is based on personalized suggestions based on past behavior.
Product recommendations that have resulted from prior purchases increase the relevance of the shopping experience and enable clients to find new products that they will potentially like. As a result, the conversion rate will go up.
Something as simple as a section “customers who bought this product also viewed” is an excellent example of easy UX personalization. If you’ve ever done a bit of Amazon shopping, you know exactly what this feature is because you have probably reviewed some of the recommendations.
Trending sections and even personalized email newsletters can help you accomplish the same goal without the need for a massive investment in redesigning your online store.
Simplify the Checkout Process
Checkout processes that feature fewer steps tend to benefit from a lower shopping cart abandonment rate. Fewer steps, however, doesn’t mean cramming everything in the same screen.
Instead, you may want to try one of the following approaches to simplify the checkout:
- Make sure that your online shop stores information of customers who logged in (keeping in mind GDPR, however!). People hate being asked the same mundane questions time and again.
- Remove distractions from the checkout page and feature solely the functionality required to complete the process.
- If possible, let customers log in with an existing account (Facebook integration is one example) instead of asking them to create a new profile for your website.
- Make guest checkout an option because there’s a growing number of people who are reluctant to share their personal information with third parties.
- Make it easy for people to switch between the cart and the shopping experience. If they have to go back and forth every single time, chances are that the shopping cart will be abandoned sooner or later.
- Simplify the data validation process.
Let Potential Buyers Sort through Products and Create Lists
Very often, people will not be 100% confident about a purchase right from the start. Giving such potential buyers a chance to save an item in a list and review it later on will increase the chance of an eventual conversion.
Macy’s, Amazon and Kohl’s user experiences all enable such list creation.
Buyers can create their own labels and sort products in multiple ways, depending on their preferences or how certain they are about completing the purchase. Such lists narrow down the items that buyers will have to look at when they’re finally ready to purchase.
Without this option, a person who isn’t confident right now but who decides to buy in the future will have to go through the process from the very beginning. It’s possible that they will be unable to find the same product later. It’s possible for them to be bothered by having to browse through the website for 20 minutes. Wish list implementation is a simple solution and if you already have it on your website, make sure that it is displayed clearly and can be prioritized.
Enable a Shopping Experience through Multiple Channels
Does your brand have an ecommerce app already? If the answer is negative, you’re missing on a massive opportunity to capture a new group of potential customers.
Mobile shopping is on the rise. In 2018, smartphones will be used for over a third of ecommerce purchases in the US, representing a volume of over one trillion dollars.
A Google study reveals that 46% of people prefer to use their smartphone for the entire purchasing process. While website and app-based mobile shopping are currently similarly popular, dedicated apps that are simpler to use will gain more traction in the years to come.
Customers want convenience and to offer such, it’s crucial to work on a multi-channel ecommerce presence. Social commerce is another trend to look out for. More and more people are exploring direct social media purchases. The Facebook product lists, for example, are reminiscent of a standard ecommerce website. They look familiar and they make potential buyers feel comfortable. If they decide to purchase, there’s a “shop now” button that will refer the person directly to an ecommerce website.
Keep Tabs on Trends
As you can see, good ecommerce UX transcends the boundaries of your website. You need to have a comprehensive, strategic approach towards making the life of your customers easier. While you will have to keep a watchful eye for new trends and opportunities, most of these will be effortless to implement. The key to effective enhancement is knowing what your users are looking for and what current challenges have to be eliminated.
