Online shopping is more popular than ever before, particularly after the COVID-19 crisis with more and more people choosing to stay safe and shop online rather than risk infection by hitting the stores. It’s a great time to start your own eCommerce website, and getting started is easier than ever with several platforms and resources to choose from. However, eCommerce is also extremely competitive, and your website’s usability will play a part in determining just how well your business does. Here are some key factors to consider when it comes to eCommerce website usability.
Mobile-Friendliness
At theecommguys.com, the experts will tell you that the number one factor for eCommerce usability is mobile-friendliness. If your website is not responsive, no matter how nice the design is, it’s not going to get very far. This is because an increasing number of people are now using mobile devices rather than laptops and PCs for shopping online, and they expect the experience to be seamless. Shopping online can be highly frustrating when the website isn’t designed to be mobile-friendly, so make sure that your site looks and performs great no matter what device it is being viewed on.
Site Security
Another key factor to consider when setting up or upgrading your eCommerce store is the site security. Shoppers want to feel safe when they are entering their payment details to make a purchase from your site, and lacking in security could put them off from making the purchase and you could lose your customers to a competitor who takes security more seriously. At the very least, your website should be protected with an SSL certificate, which offers a layer of protection by encrypting any information entered into the site, including customer payment and contact details.
Navigation
How customers find what they need when shopping at your eCommerce site is absolutely essential to the user experience. Nobody wants to go shopping online only to find that they are spending hours looking for what they need or cannot find a category that they know exists. Make sure that your site has an easy to use navigation system that allows customers to quickly and easily find what they are looking for. A search bar for products should be added as a matter of priority, and make sure that all products are listed in clear, relevant categories that are easy to find.
Personalisation
Finally, one thing that you can do to make your eCommerce site even more user-friendly is add personalisation. Allowing your shoppers to create user accounts and log into the site to purchase means that it is easier for you to track their activity, and use the data that you collect to personalise their experience. For example, Amazon does this well by offering suggested products based on items that the user has bought recently or products that are similar to items that they have been looking at.
While there’s never been a better time to get started with eCommerce, it’s important to understand just how crucial a user-friendly experience is to help you stand out from the competition.
