Online shopping is mainstream by now – in fact, online trading is expanding and growing rapidly. Especially during the corona pandemic e-commerce sites hit a growth spurt in a metaphorical sense: not only those shops offering fashion and entertainment, but those belonging to the supply infrastructure, too, in order to stock up with drugstore products, medicine and groceries. This strong shifting towards the online market entails a positive long-term growth prognosis concerning a higher demand in e-commerce businesses and their supply. And with it the necessity to stay relevant and competitive: by adapting one’s e-commerce websites to the latest trends or launching an online-shop. Learn more about the absolute must-haves for any successful e-commerce – in our first blog article about this topic we already shared other crucial elements that should not be omitted!
E-commerce: the most important elements and functions
In our first blog article we already shared crucial functions and components of an e-commerce like image and text quality, the embedment of the customer’s name as well as a user-friendly concept for online presences. Learn more about a sensible presentation and arrangement of products, your company’s contact details, customer reviews and the integration of classic elements that should not be missing in any proper online shop: the call-to-action buttons!
E-commerce: product presentation
Online shops are oftentimes regarded as a company’s and its products’ ‘digital home’. Just like a real home the digital counterpart should be designed in an aesthetically pleasing way and show one’s products and services at their best. What definitely needs to be avoided? Wrong or missing product images. If the wrong product description or an insufficient or even incorrect text complements them, in addition to that, your company’s image is going to suffer. Put yourself in your online visitor’s place: which impression does a wrong product image or misspelling in the product’s text or title convey? In consequence of these types of mistakes your product text does not deliver enough information to potential customers to make a purchase decision, nor do they convey competence, trustworthiness or your company’s integrity. Creating the textual content for your e-commerce, you need to consider which information is crucial for a buying decision. It is not uncommon for online customers to abandon their shopping carts if product information is missing. If your website does not provide a chatbot function enabling customers to get in touch with your customers service in order to seek product data and functionalities, your customers will rather refrain from the online purchase.
E-commerce: contact details
Especially for the first contact or in order to promote a long-term customer relationship, your company should provide their contact details. Those should be embedded in your online shop, be easily accessible, comprehensive and correct, of course. The most important contact information is your corporate and e-mail addresses as well as your telephone number. Best case scenario would be an additional online chat, chatbot or a comprehensive Q&A section. In case your website users write you an e-mail or use the chatbot function, you should ensure that their request is being addressed within a day.
E-commerce: customer reviews
Human beings are gregarious, social animals – an insight that is also one of the main reasons why we place so much importance on other people’s opinions. If the whole group approves of something, we tend to assume the same attitude. Especially, if we are under time pressure. The same principle applies to music charts or bestseller lists. As an online retailer you should consider integrating customer reviews and product feedback into your e-commerce shop, so as to gain your customers’ trust and influence their buying decision positively. Abovementioned overviews enable your customers’ faster decision-making, as they do not have to familiarize themselves with every single product or category. Instead, they can choose those items that got the best reviews and feedback – which saves time, money and nerves. Positive customer reviews do not only comprise product information, but serve as a cost-free product advertisement – so why should you refrain from publishing them?
Influencer marketing is based on the same concept, which revolutionized the advertising industry. Stars and celebrities test a new product or service rather than ‘normal’ customers, and share their feedback with fans and followers afterwards. The extent of their fame is definitely conducive to the effectiveness of the social proof principle – yet convincing reviews published by unknown users can be just as compelling. The fact alone that a web shop operator decided to integrate a feedback section shows that they are not afraid of the reviews they might get: this imparts trustworthiness and self-confidence. Even publishing a negative review is an opportunity to react to aforementioned review instead of not commenting on it at all. Not ignoring the problem, solving it or promising a product update in the future will lend credence to your company.
E-commerce: call-to-action
One of the most important performance drivers is the call-to-action button. It is an element that oftentimes decides whether your e-commerce or campaign is going to be successful or not. If the button is perfectly placed and programmed, it can increase your conversion-rate. Its colour should not be any of the non-colours white, grey or black. The call-to-action will attract users’ attention – if designed with colours that stand out against the background. This effect can also be obtained by choosing the perfect format. The golden rule: bigger is not always better! An extra-large button is definitely not subtle – instead, it is rather pushy.
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