Selling online can be an exciting venture and journey. The Internet can open up many new markets for a business and individuals. Online stores can sell worldwide, 24/7 and without the high costs of owning and operating a traditional brick and mortar store.
Nevertheless, there is much to consider when starting an online store. Not all e-commerce websites are the same. Often, designers create online stores and their customers wonder why they do not work well. In other words, why visitors do not shop for products. Simply put, there are many mistakes that online retailers make with e-commerce website design.
Below are the most common e-commerce design mistakes made. Consider these common design mistakes in order to avoid duplicating them.
Most Common E-Commerce Design Mistakes
Lack of focus on products and commerce.
The purpose of an e-commerce website is to sell products. Therefore the focus of the website must be on commerce and the selling products. The design of the website, including the home page and key pages should focus on sales.
Insufficient home page design.
The home page is the most important page of the website. It tends to be the main landing page of most of the traffic. This is the reason why they need to be properly structured to convert visitors into shoppers. Home page design is critical for stores.
Customer service contact information not visible.
Even though it is an online business, consumers want and require to clearly see the customer service information. Furthermore, online consumers do not like to look for it. E-commerce website design must clearly display customer service features.
Single product images on shopping pages.
Consumers do not get to touch and feel the products. It is therefore very important to provide potential customers as much details as possible on the products. This includes multiple photographs of each product, not just a single product image.
Poor quality of product photographs.
Many e-commerce website designs use poor quality product photographs or stock photos. Consumers want to see more than one photo per product. Close-ups and multiple angles of the products should be used for best results.
Long and untrusting checkout process.
One of the most damaging e-commerce design mistakes is the checkout process. They are often too long, confusing, and not properly setup. This causes loss of sales and lower conversion. Short, simple, and easy to use checkouts are better.
Insufficient payment options available.
Consumers want to have options when it comes to payments. E-commerce website designs that do not incorporate sufficient payment options, risk loosing sales and customers. Offering many payment options is just good business online.
Lack of incentives displayed and offered.
Online shoppers want to get deals. Most consumers go online to find a good bargain. Lack of incentives properly displayed via call to actions hurts online sales. E-commerce websites should frequently offer deals, specials, discounts, etc.
