Having an ecommerce website is crucial for running an online business, and Shopify makes it easy and effective.
And while Shopify handles usability pretty well, there are still quite a few important user experience features to keep in mind.
Your Shopify site must make a buying journey smooth and stress-free.
Here are the most important design features for your Shopify website that can make your site much more successful.
Key Usability Features of an Ecommerce Website
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Website Speed
Speed is the most important factor of any site but for an ecommerce site it is simply crucial. Numerous studies exist to prove why load time is such an important factor in any business success.
One fourth of web users claim they will abandon a page that takes more than 4 seconds to load. Imagine having to pay for ads, Google shopping and SEO to lose a quarter of that traffic. A meer one second delay reduces customer satisfaction by 16%
Frustrating your site users means making them eager to leave instead of willing to buy from you!
You can optimize the speed of your Shopify store pretty easily if you find the right technology partner.
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A Fast and Clutter-Free Shopping Cart
One of the most essential elements of an ecommerce website is its shopping cart. It is a place where your customer stores their items for checking out. In addition to the information display, your shopping cart represents your company’s brand which makes it as important as the rest of your site.
Your shopping cart must be simple, yet effective. It should include all the components that a customer may require including the ability to change a quantity, add a shipping address, choose payment options, and pick an upsell. A shopping cart must be flexible i.e., it should allow both the registered and guest users to checkout. A guest user shouldn’t be required to sign up on the site, as this is an unnecessary distraction that can scare potential customers away.
Payment options are also critical for any shopping cart. Don’t ever limit the customers to one or two payment gateways. Include as many options as feasible; more payment methods imply higher ROI.
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Ease of Navigation
Ease of navigation is important to any site, but it’s key for an ecommerce site. Product discoverability is crucial to your Shopify site success, and navigation is one of the best ways to make discoverability possible .
Creating an easy, yet detailed navigation is not an easy task and most of the ecommerce platforms tend to lose their customers because they failed to complete that task. You need to put a target customer first. What might make sense to the designer may not do justice to the shopper’s choice!
When it comes to larger Shopify sites, designers have to be extra careful: with a large number of products, navigation becomes strenuous. Plan your navigation carefully to surface your most important categories and products, and make sure that the items are properly segregated and named.
Also, ensure that each page provides a way to the home page in addition to the contact us page for a better user experience. User experience is what retains a user and makes them come back.
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Simple, Yet Unique Design
The first impression does become last, in certain cases and, an ecommerce site is no different.
Your site is your brand’s representation, and it needs to be unique. Minimalistic designs are rated as more visually appealing than the ones that are full of bells and buttons.
For instance, consider Google. The site has nothing but a plain search bar with a lot of white space. This simplicity not only makes Google a trustworthy platform, but it also makes it unique.
Give your site a touch of your brand with a classy, yet simplistic design. Remove all the unnecessary information, distracting links, videos or images and give it a professional look and feel.
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Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile devices are so much part of our usual lives that having a mobile-friendly site is no longer an option but a vitality.
In 2022, 6.6 billion (this makes 91.00% of people in the world) own a mobile device.
Replatforming your sites for mobile devices will fetch you more traffic which in return can lead up to higher revenue. Also, mobile compatibility is an official ranking signal for Google, so it can also impact your organic positions.
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Platform Security
One of the most important features of an ecommerce site is its data security. It is vital to ensure that critical data such as card information and address is appropriately saved. The passwords for such data are hashed and not saved in a readable manner. Also, all the pages of a website should be secured with the help of an SSL certificate.
This certificate infuses confidence in your customers and gives them the confirmation of data security. Customer satisfaction and trust are of the utmost importance, so let them know you are taking their privacy and security seriously.
Conclusion
Your Shopify site site usability can make and break your online business. Make sure your website is a digital representation of your brand and it provides a smooth user experience allowing customers to find what they came for and complete their purchases quickly and smoothly.
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