There are a lot of online shops out there, and online shop web design has never been more important. With an increasing number of shoppers opting to browse and buy online, the digital world has never been more competitive. Creating a successful online shop involves more than just listing products and adding a checkout button, you need to attract, engage and retain customers. Your online shop needs to provide a flawless shopping experience, one that customers want to repeat time and time again.
What Makes a Good Online Shop Web Design?
- Simple, Straightforward Navigation – One of the most important parts of bespoke web design is the navigation. In an online shop, the navigation needs to be simple and easy to use, and visitors should be able to browse categories and find products quickly. This is why it’s a good idea to have a search function with suggestions and filters, as this helps customers to find products quickly.
- High Quality Product Listings – Product pages are the heart of any online shop, and they can be used alongside low cost SEO. Each listing should feature high quality images from multiple angles, allowing customers to zoom in for a closer look. Detailed product descriptions are also important, as they provide customers with everything they need to know about sizes, materials and features. It’s also helpful to include customer reviews and ratings on product pages, as this build trusts.
- Simple Checkout Process – A smooth and quick checkout process is key if you want to reduce cart abandonment. Regardless of the type of online shop that you have, try to minimise the steps required to complete a purchase and offer a guest checkout option for convenience.
- Diverse Payment Options – In order to cater to a wide range of customers, online shops should offer multiple payment methods, such as credit and debit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay. The website needs to use SSL certificates to encrypt transactions and protect customer data, as customers want to shop knowing that their payment information is safe.
- Responsive Web Design – A lot of people access online shops from their mobile devices and tablets, and so a website needs to be fully responsive. This provides the perfect viewing experience across all devices, regardless of screen size. A responsive design adapts to different screen sizes, ensuring that the navigation, images and text are clear and accessible, regardless of where they are being viewed. Users should have the same experience of the website, even if they are using a smartphone.
- Fast Loading Times – With so many online shops to choose from, don’t give customers an excuse to go elsewhere by making them deal with slow loading times. One of the key things a website health check looks at is loading time, and with good reason. Slow loading times can frustrate visitors, leading to higher bounce rates.
There are a lot of ecommerce retailers for customers to choose from but, with a good website, you can avoid giving people a reason to shop elsewhere.