Key Principles for Improving Usability of Ecommerce site

When it comes to your eCommerce website, usability is everything. You want anyone who comes across your homepage – whether he or she is a returning customer or this is the first time they’re seeing your brand and products – to spend an ample amount of time getting to your brand by looking through the page and products. The point of your website is to not only appeal to those users who land there, but to keep them scrolling, reading and, ultimately, buying.

However, you aren’t going to reach many users if you have a jumbled mess of a page. If a user can’t easily determine who your company is and what you do, they will be less likely to make purchases. So, in order to appeal to and keep those customers coming back, every aspect of your website has a function, and, when you use it to the best of your ability, you will enhance a user’s experience. Often they don’t know you beforehand, so think of your homepage as the best first impression of your company that you’re going to give new clients.

Don’t let that first impression leave a bad taste in a potential customer’s mouth. In the world of eCommerce, you know that successful sales can make or break your business. Since you probably don’t have a storefront or physical location, you need to have a seamless website that replaces the personal connection a physical address and sales associates make. Below, we bring you eight key principles of usability.

Clarity 

Upon landing on your homepage, a user should be able to determine who your company is and what they do. If it is not immediately clear, a potential customer will have to spend a longer time figuring it out and/or leave the page, neither of which being good for your business. For example, if you sell cosmetics and beauty products, images of runners on your homepage would probably confuse the customer. Are you a selling makeup or running gear? Clarity lies at the core of good usability.

Aim for a design that is simple, clear, and familiar. Even if you want to stand out against your competitors, you want to stick to what customers know. If other cosmetic companies use images of women’s faces with simple backgrounds and natural light, do the same.

Functional Navigation 

While you may want to use fancy technology or crazy effects, that is counterproductive. A website with usability enables virtually anyone to easily access their site. Navigation should be clear. Guide visitors through your site by providing suggestions, like “Up Next” buttons and urging them to check out after adding an item to the shopping cart. Don’t waste their time and don’t assume they will know where to go. You want to provide a clear guide as to what to do next/where to go.

Credibility 

No customer wants to make a purchase from a company that doesn’t seem credible. This is crucial for any website, but especially for eCommerce businesses. If a customer knows you are a credible, trustworthy business, this will set you apart from another company that may offer cheaper products.  If your website isn’t trustworthy, the content, products, and services are useless.

Always include an “About Us” page. Other good ideas are including mission statements, photos of the team, pictures of events/community service or volunteer activities, and links to social media. All of these things show first-time visitors that you are a real company backed by real people.

Also, if you are (or aim to be) an expert in your industry, tell your visitors! Include real testimonies, references, or anything else that will help shine light on your leadership and knowledge in the field. Lastly, be sure that all content is accurate, and free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.

Relevancy 

While your eCommerce site needs exceptional content, clarity, and easy navigation, if the content is not relevant to your users, those will only take you so far. In order to better provide for your customers, you need to know who they are, what they like, and what they want to get out of visiting your site.

If you haven’t already, take the time to define who your users are. Conduct research to understand what their main goal is when they visit your site. Are they there to make a specific purchase? Do they want to read content? Do they enjoy interacting with others on the site? Take your finding, and create your website design and layout accordingly.

Responsiveness

Do you have a responsive web design? If you are unsure what exactly “responsive web design” means, it simply refers to a site that is easily viewed on all devices. The fact is, today’s shoppers often browse and make purchases on their smartphones and tablets. If your site is only accessible on a laptop, you are missing out on major sales opportunities.

If you already have a responsive design, bravo! Just be sure to regularly check how your site looks on every device you can. If not, don’t worry! With the help of web designers and developers, you can easily create a beautiful, mobile-friendly site without starting completely over.

Speed 

Today’s customer doesn’t want to wait. You will lose a potential sale in—literally—three seconds if your site or landing pages don’t load. In an era of virtual no load time, you do not want to keep your customers waiting. To avoid this, be sure to regularly check your site and make sure that everything is downloading in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t forget to check out all possible phones and tablets a customer might use, to ensure that your site is functioning at top speeds across all platforms. It won’t matter if you have an incredibly fast web page on a desktop if your site doesn’t load when viewed on a mobile device.