The term ‘e-commerce’ stands for ‘electronic commerce’. Since its introduction it has constantly evolved and is nowadays a must-have for companies trying to stay relevant on the market. B2B as well as B2C products and services are being traded – e-commerce comprises the whole process from the initial information gathering to the sales and digital payment process. A process flow that describes millions of transactions and that has become a billions worth trend. Forecasts reveal: the market volume will grow further – which is why your company should jump on the digital bandwagon before it is too late. But which elements build the essential components of an e-commerce site? Find out more about them and gear up for the digital era – as soon as possible.
E-commerce – the most important components
The optimization of your website content is crucial in order to catapult them to the top of any Google search results page. Yet this measure is only a to-do in a second step. Initially your e-commerce should fulfil its original purpose: it should establish a communication channel between your company and your potential or existing customers, showcase your products and services as well as enable their digital sale.
1. User-friendly website
The usability of your e-commerce is of great importance. The attention span of potential customers is just as short as their patience, especially when it comes to confusing websites or long loading times. A website’s usability therefore describes the quality of the online experience that users perceive whilst using a system. The latter is shaped by psychological factors which determine if a user feels at ease and can smoothly navigate through your website.
Important criteria for online shops that every operator should pay attention to? Beside the content he or she should consider the accessibility, easy navigation and the main factors that lead to abandoned transactions. The latter include a slow loading time and website speed, that turn a ‘quick’ online purchase during the customer’s lunch break into a lengthy process or one accompanied by unexpected, hidden fees. If your e-commerce’ users discover hidden additional costs that have been added to their shopping cart, they will usually experience frustration and abandon the purchasing process.
Ditto for users being asked to register or sign up for an account. Yet we want to remark, that a registration is reasonable and meaningful for certain e-commerce websites – for the customers as well as for the company. In the latter case, customers can enter their data and save time during repeated online purchases. Furthermore, they can keep track of their orders, they can repurchase their favourite products with only a few clicks, or benefit from members only sales. If this is the case, you should consider if your products and services are long- or short-term investments, and therefore one-off or repeat purchases. And last but not least: your e-commerce‘ layout should include information regarding shipping options and timelines. Undefined delivery terms cause about 11 % of all abandoned purchases for online businesses.
The website itself should be clearly structured. Meaning: no crazy colour-mix, yet instead only a few font types and sizes, as well as a few menu items. This strategy not only guarantees an appealing layout, but also shorter loading times.
2. User and customer name
Say my name, say my name – a world-acclaimed song that rests upon a psychological principle. Even psychologists confirm that customers love being addressed by their name. Most customers do not hesitate to share their names. Being addressed with their own name during an online purchase though, ensures a positive interaction and imitates a face-to-face sales conversation with a sales person. Plus: using a customer’s name not only creates a more personal purchasing process, it enables you to personalize the customer’s online dashboard, too. This conveys trustworthiness and affects the user’s well-being in a positive way – two factors that can be conducive to a transaction.
3. Textual content
Furthermore, you should provide your online visitors with aesthetic image and textual content. Especially on the landing page, which represents your online presence’ business card and first introduction. Category and product texts are likewise essential, and should be structured clearly, as well as be created by professionals. Sound textual content addressing your target group in an appropriate way is the foundation of any e-commerce’ success.
4. Image content
The same goes for embedded images: those should only be integrated in a high resolution and thematically illustrate the adjacent topic or text. This extends to all product and service images – these can be integrated on pages other than the corresponding product or service page. For example in a column ‘Our bestselling products’ or ‘Our favourite products’, which can catch a lot of attention and improve the average time spent on your website. Moreover, it directs your customers’ attention to those products and services that indeed got good feedback. This helps your customers save time, as they don’t have to scroll through your whole product range and online shop in order to find the perfect match.
E-commerce website-design – with Dinnova
You want to launch a successful e-commerce platform or optimize your current one? The latter would require a more aesthetic design or a SEO-optimization? Other than the online shop you would like a blog to bring more online traffic to your website and to introduce your products and services? If so, contact our Dinnova team today – as Dinnova is a specialist for technology consulting services and digitalization. Thanks to the latest technology and our instinct for trends, we create and optimize e-commerce pages and websites for corporate customers that convince your customers – and which transform every online interaction into a pleasant experience. Learn more about other components that increase your website’s performance in our next blog – we are looking forward to hearing from you!
