Why are the Features of an E-Commerce Website Important?
Suppose you run an e-commerce store that sells tiles. You must know that you are not the only one selling that particular product or service. Then how do you attract customers to your store rather than to your competitors? It isn’t that complex. All your site needs are these nine important features of an e-commerce website.
It can be true that you have the most trending and timeless floor and wall tiles for people to craft their home interiors. But if you miss out on some important features of an e-commerce website, people might not even consider your brand for a purchase, which will be a lost opportunity!
So, read this article to gain insights into some of the best features of an e-commerce website that your online store must include.
9 Key Features of an E-Commerce Website for Your Online Store
If you are running an e-commerce online store, here are the features that you must mandatorily integrate into it:
1. Optimized for SERP
2. Multiple Device Compatibility
3. Simple Website Design
4. Quick Search Box
5. Easy-to-Use Shopping Cart
6. Fast Track Checkout
7. Flexible Payment Methods
8. Helpful FAQs
9. Reliable Customer Support
Let’s look at each of them in detail.
1. Optimized for SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
You cannot deny the fact that SEO is the key to giving your e-commerce business online exposure. Therefore, when you create an e-commerce store, make sure to enhance the technical SEO aspects on priority. It will help you achieve a better ranking over the SERPs, eventually driving more traffic and sales.
For example, if you have a tile e-commerce store with excellent search engine optimization, potential customers looking for floor or wall tiles will find your brand at the top of the search engine results. Once they are on your site, your product and quality will entice them to buy.
2. Multiple Device Compatibility
Mobile-friendliness is the next important thing you must consider for your e-commerce website design. As you know, many online shoppers are now switching to small-screen devices to access e-commerce stores and buy the essentials.
Therefore, it is important to optimize your online store for seamless mobile access. Get a design that automatically adapts to the screen resolution the user chooses, be it a laptop, desktop, or mobile phone.
3. Simple Website Design
Taking the example of tile e-commerce again, let’s say you list hundreds of floor or wall tile options in your store. However, your customers need just a few of those designs for their home interior decor. So, it is your responsibility to create a simple site with easy navigation so potential customers can quickly find exactly what they want.
For that, you must instruct the professionals offering you tile e-commerce solutions to keep the site navigation organized. For instance, you can list tile categories and subcategories so customers can easily find their preferred tiles. Implementing this feature can be a big contributor to your brand’s success.
4. Quick Search Box
In the modern world, online shoppers are quite impatient and have shorter attention spans. Therefore, they want to find their required products in seconds; if not, they will wander off to other online stores with better service.
So, you can add a simple but quick search box to avoid losing potential sales. It must help customers look for specific products/services that they are aware of, and it should show the results quickly, as speed is a major factor here. Furthermore, remember to make the search box visible and accessible on every website page, excluding checkout.
5. Easy-to-Use Shopping Cart
You cannot build a successful online shop without a shopping cart. However, it doesn’t have to be a standard cart like every other e-commerce store offers. With the assistance of experts, you can add unique cart features such as direct checkout, select/deselect products, promo code boxes, etc. It should be easy to both add and check out items from the cart.
One good example is the “Save for Later” feature that few e-commerce sites have on their shopping cart. It lets users save their favorite designs for a later purchase.
6. Fast Track Checkout
The next thing you must ensure is that the checkout page linked to the cart is simple. It shouldn’t be lengthy, as customers find it frustrating to enter unwanted information in multiple fields.
Businesses can implement this by implementing one-click checkout options, guest checkout functionalities, and securely storing customer details for faster future transactions. Using these options, customers won’t have to re-enter their information or can checkout without registering with the website. This feature saves customers time, reduces cart abandonment rates, and increases overall sales.
7. Flexible Payment Methods
Offering flexible payment methods means letting customers choose their preferred way of completing transactions. For instance, customers can utilize credit/debit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, and installment plans as per their preferences. It helps e-commerce sites to cater to diverse customer preferences, enhancing overall shopping convenience.
While applying this feature, business owners need to ensure transaction security and reliability. Additionally, offering discounts or loyalty points for using certain payment methods can incentivize customers to choose preferred options.
8. Helpful FAQs
A detailed FAQ section can be a helpful resource for customers looking for answers to common queries and issues. Customers can use FAQs to resolve shipping, returns, product specifications, and other queries. It enhances user experience, contributing to higher customer satisfaction.
Therefore, websites must create a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions using data from customer inquiries, company policies, and business processes.
9. Reliable Customer Support
Apart from answering the customer’s basic questions in the FAQ, providing a reliable customer support system is paramount for any e-commerce site. This way, you can offer immediate assistance to customers seeking help with orders and payment discrepancies or who want to inquire about products and services.
Business owners can apply this by investing in a knowledgeable and responsive support team, integrating live chat functionalities, and ensuring multiple contact channels are available, such as email, phone, and social media.
Final Thoughts
These are the nine most crucial features of an e-commerce website you can consider integrating into your online store. By doing so, you can compete better with the industry’s top competitors. You must also hire the best e-commerce website development experts to get a highly functional online store that delivers a wonderful experience to site visitors.
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