Essensial features of an E-commerce website

(Discoverydesign, 2023)

 What are some essential features in an e-commerce website? 

1. Responsive website design. - 

In this day and age, consumers are using their mobile phones more and more to shop and interact with brands online. In just a few scrolls and clicks, consumers can purchase products right from the comfort of their screen – which is why it’s super important to ensure your website is mobile friendly and responsive for all devices. Recent reports show that 79% of smartphone users purchased products online with their mobile devices within the last six months, and due to the global pandemic, many B2B brands have adopted mobile websites – with 80% of B2B buyers are now using a mobile device to make purchases. The development of custom-branded apps has also increased in recent years, which has paved the way for optimizing the online customer journey.

(Medium,2022)

2. User-friendly navigation - 

Upon visiting a new website, most visitors go straight for the website navigation. According to the 2021 Digital Experience Benchmark Report, the average time on a page across all industries is just 54 seconds. After that, the attention span declines.

To help your visitors get where they need to go easily and efficiently—may it be purchasing, looking for additional information, or even getting in touch with customer service—it’s important to make your navigation as user-friendly as possible.

(Discoverydesign, 2023)

3. Multiple security features - 

As technology continues to develop, the risk of hacking and security breaches rise. That’s why another must-have for your eCommerce website is security features. One of the best methods to secure data and information online is to use VPN (a virtual private network). This is usually your website’s first line of defense against malicious malware and other cyberattacks, many times, without you even knowing. With your consumer’s data and profits at high risk, businesses are encouraged to use a professional type of VPN service from GoodAccess. This is especially useful when you have medium to large teams from different parts of the world accessing your precious data.

(itprotoday,2016)

4. Shopping cart and checkout buttons - 

An eCommerce website’s primary goal is to gain revenue, and an optimized shopping cart feature will only help you maximize this. When it comes to optimizing your shopping cart, customers expect features such as fast service, seamless checkout, trustworthy payment options, and even the option to preview their orders before completing a purchase. So, consider using a headless eCommerce platform solution as it will allow you to customize your site’s checkout the way you want and make it simple for your customers.

(Adobe,2023)

5. Offering multiple payment options - 

Your eCommerce website should also be flexible in terms of payment options and methods. While you should know what specific payment method your target audience prefers, having other options available can enhance the customer experience. 

(Payments Cards & Mobile,2015)

6. Detailed shipping and return information - 

The global pandemic caused a drastic shift in how shipping and supply chains operate globally, and as a result, consumer behavior also changed. To cope, it’s important that brands manage customers’ expectations. 

(ShipBob,2019)

7. High quality photos and videos - 

The visual aspects of your website are the first thing to catch your users’ eyes. So, the quality of photos and videos on your website can greatly influence a customer’s first impression of your brand, with 93% of online buyers agreeing that visual appearance is a key deciding factor in a purchasing decision. 

(Wikemedia,No date)

8. Contact page and multiple contact options - 

So once you’ve convinced a customer to buy your products and trust your brand, what happens next? This is where it’s important to build a relationship with your customers. In addition to finding their email address and adding them to your mailing list, it doesn’t hurt that you have an on-site option where your customers can reach you should they have questions, clarifications, concerns or feedback. This could be in the form of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), a contact form, or a live chat. Hubspot’s contact page caters to a variety of different contact methods. 

9. Create an omnichannel platform - 

Now that you have an optimized eCommerce website, it’s important to increase your reach by creating an omnichannel platform. An omnichannel platform will help you connect with your customers and provide a seamless customer experience without users having to log in to various social media channels and other platforms. 

(Getvoip, No Date)

10. Good customer service - 

eCommerce companies need to deliver good customer service. Many initiatives can accomplish this goal, but a CRM is an essential feature for any successful eCommerce website. A CRM platform centralizes communications from multiple channels, providing tools to understand your customer’s behavior.

(Envato, 2023.)

References: 

(Envato. 2023.  10 Must-Haves of an eCommerce Website in 2022. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.envato.com/blog/ecommerce-website-features/. [Accessed 17 January 2023].)

Callarman, S. (2019) Return labels guide: Making return labels for ecommerce, ShipBob. Available at: https://www.shipbob.com/blog/return-labels/ (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

File:Product photography.Jpg (no date) Wikimedia.org. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Product_Photography.jpg (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

Martin, J. (2016) Security features to look for in new laptops, ITPro Today: IT News, How-Tos, Trends, Case Studies, Career Tips, More. Available at: https://www.itprotoday.com/business-resources/security-features-look-new-laptops (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

Rolfe, A. (2015) Multiple payment options critical to merchants, Payments Cards & Mobile. Available at: https://www.paymentscardsandmobile.com/multiple-payment-options-critical-merchants/ (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

Stewart, A. (2022) Good qualities of a well-designed E-commerce website, Discovery Design. Available at: https://discoverydesign.co.uk/blog/post/good-qualities-of-a-well-designed-e-commerce-website/ (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

Stone, K. (no date) Omnichannel contact center: Everything you need to know, Getvoip.com. Available at: https://getvoip.com/blog/omnichannel-contact-center/ (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

V (2022) How to build responsive web pages using tailwind CSS, Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@V12v0/how-to-build-responsive-web-pages-using-tailwind-css-b21d6ce67c93 (Accessed: January 28, 2023).

VIEW CART Web Button (e-shopping order online now add to basket) (no date) Adobe Stock. Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/images/view-cart-web-button-e-shopping-order-online-now-add-to-basket/30305788 (Accessed: January 28, 2023).