Design And Development Essentials To Drive Conversions

Are you looking to build a new eCommerce website or redesign your current one? Maybe you're taking your brick-and-mortar store online and don't know the first thing about eCommerce design and development. Good news − you're in the right place!

In this blog, we're sharing some tips to help you enhance your eCommerce store and provide a positive user experience for all of your visitors regardless of the page they're on.

Design and Development: How To Enhance Your Website

Optimizing your eCommerce store with your audience in mind is key to creating an exciting online shopping experience and decreasing bounce rate. Here are some tips to help prepare you for the design and development of your eCommerce website:

1. Optimize all web pages
2. Determine functionality needed to run successfully
3. Invest in the right eCommerce platform

Optimize All Web Pages

Optimizing the design and development of your eCommerce store is key for creating a positive user experience. I, for one, am quick to exit a website if it's difficult to navigate or requires pinch and zoom on mobile. And let's be real, your audience will bounce without hesitation if your site is difficult to browse. Create a website that converts by optimizing all pages throughout your site.

Home Page

A website's home page is easily one of the most important pages for any eCommerce business. Home pages are likely to have the highest traffic yet lowest conversions, which is expected. Encourage conversion and help guide users through the website experience by using a unique value proposition (UVP) and placing this and other valuable information above the fold. Offer site search so people can easily find what they're looking for, and use unique calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide visitors to the pages you want them to see.

Landing Pages

Running a specific campaign? Want to generate more leads? How about increase form submissions or content downloads? Landing pages are your answer.

eCommerce landing pages are a great way to increase consumer trust, average session duration and conversions. Be sure to use clear headlines, include your company's logo above the fold and utilize visuals such as images, infographics and videos when creating landing pages.

Don't forget to use a clear CTA that motivates visitors to take the next step. High-converting landing pages use unique CTAs that encourage conversion and avoid confusion. Plus, CTAs help brands make a positive first impression on new visitors.

Product Pages

The design and development of eCommerce product pages must be optimized to create a seamless browsing and checkout experience. Don't know where to start? First, use high-quality product photography. If your business needs help shooting these photos, we recommend hiring a professional. It'll be worth it when you see how the photos transform your product pages and enhance the user experience.

Next, be sure to show product availability. If an item is out of stock or there are only a few left, display that information on the product page. This will improve visitors' online shopping experiences and avoid disappointing them at checkout.

Another great best practice is to showcase reviews and testimonials on product pages. People like to know their peers' thoughts and feelings before investing in a product themselves − and we can't blame them! Consider including previous customers' ratings out of 5 stars, displaying their testimonial or showing photos of their experience with your product. Though your company may not love each and every review, the honest testimonials help to increase trust among both first time buyers and repeat purchasers.

Determine The Functionality Needed To Run Successfully

Before designing and developing your new website, outline the most important elements. This shouldn't be a wish list of preferred functionality; rather, this list should consist of the functionality of utmost importance that, if not implemented, your website would fail or cause a detrimental effect to the user experience.

You're probably wondering, why do I need to outline all of this? Well, this list will help you determine the best platform for your business when it's time to evaluate all options. Let's say that a merchant is set on using BigCommerce. They may need the platform's standard features such as shipping rules, payment gateways and the set up of an SSL certificate just to function efficiently. Plus, understanding your business's top priorities when it comes to website features and functionality will help you during the design and development stages.

Invest In The Right eCommerce Platform

Whether you're moving your brick-and-mortar store to eCommerce for the first time or you're looking to migrate eCommerce platforms, it's critical that you select the platform that best fits your business's needs. Rather than choosing a platform on a whim, do some research into the various platforms available. For instance, understand the difference between Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms and on-premise solutions.

SaaS eCommerce platforms, like BigCommerce or Shopify, essentially host content on behalf of a company. In fact, we typically recommend these two platforms to our clients. SaaS is often the optimal route because websites on these platforms can be developed, designed and launched muck quicker. Plus, they integrate with external CRM or ERP systems.

On the other hand, on-premise solutions, like Magento, require a server and charge merchants separately for features like hosting, security, database space and more. They even come with recurring, long-term fees, such as software patches, upgrades and development expenses.

If you're torn between a SaaS platform and an on-premise solution, check out this BigCommerce vs. Magento Guide to evaluate the features, pros and cons of each platform.

Conclusion

With 13+ years of eCommerce agency experience, Groove Commerce is here to help you utilize BigCommerce, Shopify or Magento to build an intuitive shopping experience for your customers. Want to learn more? Browse our eCommerce design and development services.

Get in touch with us by filling out the form below with any questions or concerns, and a member of our team will get back to you soon. We're happy to learn more about your business's unique needs and eCommerce goals!