15 Fundamental Features for a Successful eCommerce Website

Online behemoths like Amazon and eBay are prime examples. According to the Guardian, Amazon made a record $2.5 billion profit in the second quarter of 2018, even when the eCommerce business was not that popular. According to Yahoo Finance, eBay's sales increased 9% yearly to $2.64 billion.

But how do they do it?!

These businesses prioritize user experience (UX/UI), security, and dependable hosting. Their primary goal is to make their websites simple, fast, secure, and appealing to their patrons. It is well known how you create your online shop determines the success and failure of your eCommerce store.

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So what are those features of eCommerce websites that need special attention when creating an eCommerce store? Let's take a look!

Designs

Design is an indispensable feature in website building. One of the most important things customers expect from an eCommerce website is a good user experience. Customers will never hesitate to leave a website if they cannot easily navigate the site and find what they want in a tick.

It thus becomes a mandate to understand what users expect from your website, what problems they are experiencing, and how you can effectively address them. Conduct usability testing and structure your website to get to know your audience. Ultimately, it comes down to a user-friendly, beguiling design to increase engagement and retention.

Search Bars

One of the requisites of an eCommerce website is a quick and effective search bar. Users will return to your site if it has a search bar with intelligent predictive options. Users might get frustrated and leave your website if it does not have a quick search bar. It's because most users lead busy lives and don't have time to spend hours searching for a product.

You should aim for a search bar that provides the most relevant results. E.g., look at Amazon's search bar; it is powerful and instantly displays the best possible searches. Incorporate and constantly improve a search bar that provides the best results to users to work magic on your sales numbers.

Payments

Most eCommerce businesses have a global reach, and considerable transactions happen daily. Having multiple payment options is another milestone in a successful eCommerce website blueprint. It is a crucial step if you want to establish your website as a leading store in the future. Even if you allow users to pay with a credit card or PayPal, you may not be able to convert customers.

One of the reasons for increased cart abandonment is the limited payment options. Many users nowadays prefer to make payments with electronic wallets. Add various payment options to your eCommerce website to keep your customers comfortable and happy.

Some users would want to buy specific products but would not have the money right now. Include a Buy Now, Pay Later option for them, and you bag those sales. Depending on the audience and business need, integrate multiple payment options into your website.

Checkout Buttons

A simple checkout process is an imperative eCommerce website feature that you cannot afford to overlook. Considering how fast people give up on websites and transactions, an online store's checkout process can make or break it.

Many customers will abandon their purchases mid-way if the checkout process is too tedious and complicated. Include clear cart and checkout buttons and an option to checkout without registering on your website to circumvent this obstacle.

Product Catalogs

A rich, self-explanatory product catalog makes it easy for customers to understand what the store offers - including description, price, delivery options, images, and stock left.

An eCommerce site looking for better conversion should make sure to design and display an information-rich product catalog. These catalogs are said to play a crucial role in influencing customer behavior through a visual impact.

Customer Feedback & Ratings

Customers are wary of making purchases on eCommerce websites because of the scary scams they see online. Don't you look at the reviews and ratings of other customers before making a purchase? Most customers do that.

Before placing an order, more than 92% of users check the review. Customers believe other user reviews and regard them as honest opinions. It is well-known that sales improve with positive product ratings and reviews.

Despite receiving both comment categories, you can increase sales by blocking the negative ones. It will also create a positive influence on your SEO Services.

Shopping Carts

Can we imagine an eCommerce site without a well-designed shopping cart? The shopping cart makes the purchase cycle complete. They should be flexible and allow users to change quantities, enter promotional codes, add or remove products from the cart, and select multiple shipping options.

Create a shopping cart with simple visuals that showcase brand colors and checkout buttons. Also, add a functionality where an abandoned cart will send the shopper an automatic email reminding them to complete the purchase process. As a result, you never miss a single shipping order.

You should take help from an agency with solid experience in eCommerce Development Services to create a flawless website integrating all crucial features for business success.

Call-to-action (CTA)

A clever and riveting call-to-action (CTA) is required for the best eCommerce website design. Your eCommerce website needs a catchy CTA (call to action) if it wants to generate more business.

Visitors have learned about your products from your website's catalog, online searches, videos, photos, and blogs. They will now look for a way to take action on what they learned.

Make the CTA as clear and simple as possible so your visitors feel at ease doing their job. Using attractive fonts and colors helps.

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Security

When visiting an eCommerce website and making a purchase, one of the first things that comes to a buyer's mind is security. Users share their sensitive personal and financial information on the website.

Multi-level security is required to protect user data from fraud, leaks, theft, or phishing attacks. For those who are unfamiliar, multi-level security allows you to sort objects and users based on a hierarchical security level system and a non-hierarchical security group system.

You can improve your website's security by installing an SSL certificate. It is imperative to safeguard sensitive user information if you want them to repeat orders. Browsers display a non-secure message on non-secure websites, so most customers would not even click an insecure link.

Navigation

The importance of navigation in eCommerce website design cannot be overstated. The purpose of navigation options is to provide easy access to various sections of your website. They should be simple, self-explanatory, to the point, and in proper positions.

Visitors are more likely to visit eCommerce websites designed for comfortable navigation. Users will be unable to find the products they are looking for if your website lacks proper navigation.

In addition to primary navigation, your site should include breadcrumb navigation. It is a small text path with the symbol (>) that indicates where users are on the website. It also tells Google that your site is well-structured.

Blogs

All eCommerce business profits are directly proportional to the success of their marketing strategies, web presence, revenue, and overall victory. An essential feature is having an excellent blog on your eCommerce website. Updating knowledgeable blogs on topics related to your business would keep your website ranking better.

An FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions) attached to your blog is another must-have feature. You will not only provide your customers with up-to-date information, but you will also push them to buy your products.

Engaging Sliders

Sliders are the simplest way to display new arrivals, best-selling products, and even discounted items and to direct customers' attention to specific products.

An exciting slider that supports video embedding, smooth transitions, and design diversity can deliver engaging experiences across the website; hence having it will make your website even more appealing.

Online Chats

Online chat is one of the most popular eCommerce features merchants incorporate into eCommerce platforms. This eCommerce website feature shows current and potential customers that you value their time. For example: earlier, customers who needed support had to send emails and wait for hours or days for a response. Online or live chats save customers time waiting on hold or for an email response.

As a business owner, you will save time by deploying a chat or chatbot option. With its assistance, you can manage more than one customer at a time, making your business work more efficiently. Such software even offers instant message responses already saved in your knowledge database.

Pop-up Module

Pop-ups provide users with information on new discounts, notify them of upcoming sales, and collect emails. It thus becomes relevant to include a pop-up module that allows you to easily create and edit pop-ups that can be displayed on specific pages or throughout the website.

It's a simple feature, but it should be on your eCommerce website's feature list!

360 Product Viewer

The most recent and advanced feature introduced to the eCommerce market is the 360 product viewer. It allows customers to view your products from any angle in incredible detail, providing them with an unforgettable virtual experience in terms of quality and design.

Modern eCommerce sites that wish to improve the customer experience generally incorporate this feature.

Featured Products

Featured products are all-important for any website. They are typically categorized by features such as "best value," "on sale," and "trending products," to name a few.

Featuring products on the homepage of your eCommerce website will immediately draw your customers' attention to those specific products, as most of your customers will almost always visit the homepage before taking any additional steps.

Putting them on the homepage will make them more likable to your customers and increase your featured products' sales.

Conclusion

The list of top eCommerce design features you can incorporate is never-ending. You can add or remove features based on the project scope and budget. By combining these design elements, you will create an unforgettable customer experience.

Every website's goal is to convert casual visitors into repeat customers. Check to see if your website can do the same. Hire an expert website design firm when you're ready to launch your store. A website development company with extensive experience can provide you with the best solution that meets your business demands.