Five Steps To Make Online Shoppers Click ‘Buy Now’

Ecommerce websites present challenges for web designers which other websites don’t.Sites which are created to market products should not only drive traffic but turn clicks into sales. There are five steps which ecommerce website designers need to take to make visitors press the ‘buy now’ button.

Telling customers where they are

It’s not easy to get lost when shopping in shopping malls or supermarkets as there are signs which help customers find the necessary goods.Ecommerce websites are supposed to make shopping easier so effective navigation is crucial. Websites designed to sell need to be clearly structured and have clickable links redirecting to the required category. If a website has a complicated structure, customers should know where they are. It can be achieved through section titles, navigation menus, headlines and breadcrumbs.

Narrowing the search

Assisting customers in finding the necessary products is another task of ecommerce website designers. When browsing for goods in shopping malls, customers turn to shop assistants who can provide information on goods and help them make the right choice. When there are dozens of products in sub-categories, it might be tough to search for products so search engines are a must for ecommerce websites. Apart from that, products should be supplied with detailed descriptions, multi-angle pictures and accurate prices.

Emphasising the products, not the design

Ecommerce websites are designed to market products and services so it’s important not to overdo with visuals and sound effects.Websites featuring complex design may take longer to load which makes purchase hungry customers switch to competitors’ websites. Professional ecommerce website designers know that flash, images and sound effects are good in small doses when it comes to ecommerce websites because they might distract potential customers from products.

Keeping the checkout process easy

It’s a common thing that there are online shoppers who drop out just before they click ‘pay now’. There are various reasons why they do so but mainly it’s due to hidden charges, impossibility to purchase without registration, unclear delivery terms, unsecure payment procedures and the long checkout process. Letting the cat out of the bag at the last minute is not a good solution for ecommerce website owners; all the necessary information should be provided before shoppers reach the checkout stage. When paying by credit cards, customers want to be sure that credit card transactions are secure. To sum up, ecommerce website designers need to make the checkout process as easy and transparent as possible.

Making the website easy to manage

In any shop a range of products is updated on a constant basis so ecommerce websites should be easy to manage. Well-designed ecommerce websites are both simple to buy from for customers and easy to manage for administration.Websites which feature up-to-date information about products in stock and accurate prices may help reduce customer dropout rates and turn more clicks into sales. As Jakob Nielsen, the author of Designing Web Usability, said ‘give users a good experience and they’re apt to turn into frequent and loyal customers’. Taking these five steps, dedicated ecommerce website designers may create efficient ecommerce websites and improve conversion rates.