12 Must-Have Features for a Successful E-commerce Website
The boom of the E-commerce industry results in the increase in competition for many businesses. In this digital age where a strong online presence is necessary, building a well-designed and high-performing E-commerce website is important.
Trends in E-commerce include adding animation, advanced filtering, and 360-degree product reviews to a retailer’s website. While these elements can help businesses stay competitive to some extent, they don’t guarantee exceptional user experience, increased sales, or higher conversion rates. To attract online visitors and encourage them to shop online, here are 12 must-have features to use on your E-commerce website:
High-Resolution Visual Content
When showing off your products, posting one photo is no longer enough. Your customers want to see them from multiple angles and environments to get a better feel of them. They also demand high quality to zoom in and view your items’ subtle details.
If the photos load too long or don’t at all, you will damage your customer’s experience. This will result in an increase in shopping cart abandonment rates. Prevent this from happening by using multiple photos or videos with high resolution but optimised for fast load speeds.
Mobile-Friendly
The pandemic made a lasting change in the retail industry with its shift into mobile channels. Instead of flocking to brick-and-mortar shops, customers now heavily rely on their mobile devices for shopping. For this reason, investing in a mobile-friendly E-commerce website is crucial.
Creating a mobile-friendly experience provides your visitors with easy access to your content regardless of the device they use to view your website. As a result, this improves your sales and boosts your rankings.
User-Generated Reviews
Customers want to ensure they get the best value for their money, which is why most of them read online reviews before purchasing any product. Since these reviews significantly impact shoppers’ purchasing decisions, make sure visitors can leave testimonials and access them on your E-commerce site. Use the right plugin from popular review platforms, like Facebook or Twitter.
Don’t fret if you receive a few negative reviews now and then. Contrary to popular belief, they aren’t actually sale killers. In fact, some shoppers assume that products with only positive reviews are fake.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Pages
Detailed information about your products is important to connect with your target audience and guide them when making purchasing decisions. To build confidence with buyers and establish your credibility, add a FAQ page to your E-commerce site. Doing this will also help you save time for answering simple questions through your help desk.
Security Features
As technology advances, so do the strategies of cybercriminals. For this reason, you must protect customer information and take necessary actions to ensure their privacy. This is vital not just in cataloguing private client information but also when making online transactions. Besides using a secure E-commerce platform, incorporate these security features into your website:
Firewall: This blocks malicious traffic and only permits authorised traffic by providing a protective barrier between two networks.
Two-Factor Authentication: Once users input their username or password, they will be sent a system-generated code via email or text. This feature adds an extra layer of security and gives peace of mind.
SSL Certificate: The green lock in the address bar shows secure connectivity between users and your E-commerce website. It lets customers see you as a trusted entity that will treat their personal information with the utmost confidentiality. When choosing an SSL certificate vendor, go for one with name recognition.
Wish Lists
Adding a wishlist feature to your E-commerce website effectively drives engagement among customers. It acts as a remarketing campaign that allows your target audience to bookmark products they like and will most likely purchase in the future. Even though your customers don’t have an immediate intent to purchase, this feature is important since this can increase their chances of buying them later on.
A great wishlist is easily shareable, so add share buttons to allow customers to easily send their wishlists to friends and family. Consider also using pop-ups that inform them if the items in their wishlist are on sale or almost out of stock. This will raise urgency on whether a customer will check out their cart or not.
Product Recommendations
Getting related products in front of your customers’ feeds is a powerful tool. It nudges them to browse your website a little longer, causing a serotonin release that makes them excited and curious to check out other product categories. By displaying product recommendations that other people bought or might go well with those they are planning on buying, you offer a more efficient shopping experience. It also boosts sales, page views, and length of time customers stay on your website.
User-Friendly
Your E-commerce website has to deliver a smooth shopping experience to your customers. This means they must not experience any problems that can block their path to purchase. This is why it’s crucial to make your site more user-friendly. To achieve this, improve search functionality, use shopping filters, and create easy visual navigation.
Advanced Payment Options
Another must-have feature for E-commerce websites is advanced online payment options. This promotes hassle-free and efficient shopping since customers with registered accounts can buy with a click of a button.
Since there are many online payment options, choose those commonly used by your target audience. Additionally, explain why your website is limiting payment options to establish transparency and build trust.
Detailed Shipping Information
Many customers abandon their shopping carts after seeing costly and unclear shipping fees. To encourage shoppers to proceed with their purchases, make sure to add detailed shipping information to your website and emphasise it early in the checkout process. Don’t forget to include delivery time and options for your shoppers’ benefit. Consider also offering free shipping and displaying voucher codes for them throughout your site.
Return Policy
Despite the convenience of online shopping, many customers are still apprehensive about making big purchases via E-commerce websites. Thankfully, you can reassure buyers with a detailed return policy. This serves as a seal of trust that lets them know your brand is there for them if they need a different size or are unhappy with their purchase.
Multi-Touchpoint Contact Page
While your business operations take place online, this shouldn’t be a cause for communication concerns. In other words, don’t make it hard for your customers to get in touch with you. Use a well-presented contact page with an online form and include your contact information for different channels. Make yourself accessible to the leading platforms like WhatsApp, social media, and email address to start.
Conclusion
The E-commerce industry is overly competitive, which means you should do what it takes to stay ahead of the competition and provide a remarkable shopping experience. For this reason, consider adding these tried-and-true features to your website.
Additionally, if you’re running a brick-and-mortar shop aside from an online store, it doesn’t have to mean doing double the work. With an effective electronic point-of-sale (EPoS) system, you can easily integrate your sales, stock, and product data.
Whether you need the best EPoS system or E-commerce website services, you can count on Easitill. We provide the systems you need to run your operations and grow your business. Contact us to learn more about our services!
