A good eCommerce website is one that a customer finds easy to use and sellers find easy to manage. It is amazing how often even the "big" online retailers get this simple concept so very wrong.
So what do we mean by easy?
| For a Customer |
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| For a Seller |
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It is important to consider each of these areas separately to ensure a good understanding of what is required.
For a Customer
Navigation
A potential customers increased reliance on search engines means that they rarely now “browse” a website – if they can’t find what they are looking for quickly and easily – they are off back to Google or similar.
Ensure your navigation is clear, concise and wherever possible use images to portray categories. The eye relates to pictures a lot quicker than words.
Product Details & Pricing
Once a customer is viewing one of your items, give them what they want - namely information. If you know it, show them the dimensions, colours available, weight, fabrics, usage, compatibility but most importantly, the price inclusive & exclusive of VAT! Wherever possible, use multiple images showing the product from different angles.
Build up a database full of as much data as possible. It takes time but will be well worth it in the long run.
Spend the time to give them as much information as you possibly can to help them make a decision there and then as to whether the item is exactly what they want. A good well laid out product page should also reduce the number of enquiries you get on the telephone which could reduce your customer support costs and increase your sales conversions.
One Page Checkout
Market research firm MarketingSherpa believes that 59.8% of online shoppers abandon their shopping cart instead of completing their purchase. The main reason quoted was a complicated checkout process.
A simple one-page checkout feature (as opposed to one that requires multiple pages of information to be filled in) dramatically increases the number of customers who complete their purchase online.
Secure Payment System
Customers who want to purchase goods online must feel they are doing so in a safe and secure manner. Using secure payment pages is a great way to portray you as a reputable and reliable business and make it much more likely they will return to use your site again.
Consumers want flexibility in their choice of payment method, whether credit, debit or charge card, as well as a guarantee that their personal details will be protected from the hands of hackers and fraudsters. By using technology which enables customers to pay by several card types or integrated solutions, you are offering customers the options they want and increasing the possibility of gaining both a sale and new custom.
The ability to process customer payments safely and securely is a major advantage businesses cannot be without when trading online.
The main areas a seller should look for when easily managing their eCommerce website are:
For a Seller
Changing Products and Content
One of the most common complains we hear from sellers is that they cannot update their own website! Good web development should always include a Content Management System (CMS) to enable the seller to update web pages, promotions, blogs, products and the like as and when they want without having to depend upon a third party.
Data Capture & Marketing Tools
A website is a great way to collect pre-qualified information from not only customers who have bought but also from prospective buyers. By using forms, sign-ups, newsletters, offers, etc a seller can automatically add interested website users to a database for future marketing campaigns.
If this data is then used in conjunction with an automated email marketing platform, potential customers can be marketed to without any need for a seller’s intervention. Of course the same information held in the database can also be used in direct mail campaigns or similar.
Reporting & Analytics
A seller must be able to make informed decisions about the performance of their website business in areas such as sales, stock, search engine exposure or whatever else is needed. A good eCommerce website development will allow a seller to run the necessary reports to do so at the touch of a button.
In summary a good e-commerce website should have all the information a potential customer will need, readily available and easily updateable by the company without the need to use third parties. If your website doesn’t, we would be delighted to help you overcome these obstacles.
