Setting up your own online business is the dream: doing something you love, being your own boss, and reaching a global audience. But internet sales often come down to one thing: your website. Consumers don’t have the patience for an unprofessional user experience, so put your energy toward prioritizing these top characteristics of a successful e-commerce site.
Speedy Loading Time
Click on any website. One second goes by… Two… “Nope, the site must be down, I’ll try another store.” And just like that, you’ve learned the hard way that customers expect their immediate gratification immediately. All your site’s bells and whistles won’t mean anything if customers don’t stick around to shop. Explore a combination of solutions that will add up to that all-important site speed.
Mobile Optimization
Remember when we mentioned consumers’ impatience? Sometimes they can’t even be bothered to get on their laptops to shop. They often compare products and pricing on the go, even while they’re in your competitors’ brick-and-mortar stores. That’s why your site’s mobile responsiveness has to be just as efficient and enjoyable as its desktop counterpart. Above all, your mobile commerce—or m-commerce—has to make it irresistibly easy for someone to push a button and finalize a transaction.
Simple Navigation
Don’t get fancy before you’ve mastered the basics. One of the top characteristics of a successful e-commerce site is straightforward ease of use. Your layout should be clean. Your menu categories should be obvious. Your search bar should bring up results before the customer has even completed their thought. And if the product descriptions and reviews aren’t clear and readable, shoppers might think you’re hiding something.
Accessible Shopping Cart
E-shopping carts still perform as valuable a function as their real-life counterparts. They’re tools for your customers to reach that ultimate purchase, and they have to be flexible. Your website’s visitors want to be able to access the e-cart without inputting all their information first. They want to freely add and delete items, compare price totals, save some products for later, and find where to put discount codes without trying. If your customers have to scroll to locate the checkout button, it might be game over for the sale. That can lead to an abandoned cart, which means abandonment issues for your entire business.
