Create Solid eCommerce Website Design

Posted October 26th 2012 Blog - 0 Comments

eCommerce website design requires different steps and processes than other websites. The main reason for this is that eCommerce websites have their own unique function and purpose. They are designed to lead the visitor to make an online purchase. This means that when you are designing and building an eCommerce site, you want to take the proper steps to ensure the best possible chance of a visitor converting to a customer.

Doing that might not be as easy as you think but with the right efforts, it can be done. A web designer needs to consider different online selling principles when they are designing this type of site as opposed to a regular business or personal site.

The basics are usually obvious- the site needs to be attractive, organized and composed of the right colors. But how do you determine whether a design hits these points? And how do you know what is right for the tone of the business that you are designing the site for?

First, let’s look at the basic principles of an eCommerce site:

1. It should give the user a positive experience while shopping online.
2. It should provide accurate, sufficient info on who owns the site and how they can be trusted.
3. It should be easy to use and navigate (or the customer will move on to a more user-friendly website).

Now knowing these things is one thing but how do you apply these principles to your design? One of the biggest challenges for a web designer lies in how to convert the principles of traditional offline shopping into a digital world. How do you create a design that will evoke certain feelings within the potential customer?

You need to appeal to the senses of the consumer but not all of the senses are used when shopping online. For example, in a brick and mortar store, you can see, hold and even smell food or other items you are shopping for. But online, you have to trust the images and representation of them online. You cannot touch and hold the object. You cannot smell that perfume you are thinking of buying. Marketing involves playing on these senses.

When marketing online, you don’t have the same opportunities but there are some other unique ways to showcase the products in an online store. This is where quality eCommerce web design really comes in.

A good eCommerce web design will lead the visitor to the right page or the right path on the site. It should not take more than one or two clicks to get to the product. An eCommerce design is also all about the layout. You want to present products in an attractive way but also in a user-friendly way. People need to be able to find what they are looking for quickly and have sufficient information about that product such as size, price and features. If they cannot get the information they seek quickly, they will click away.

If you are building an eCommerce site for your own company, consider working with a professional experienced in eCommerce sites who can help you understand and implement the principles of selling into your website design.

Do you have any questions about eCommerce design that we can help you with?