How to Design an eCommerce Website that Keeps Customers Engaged?

by | Jan 10, 2022

In order to be successful in eCommerce, you need a website that keeps customers engaged. This is easier said than done. There are many design and development considerations that must be taken into account when building an eCommerce site, which can make it difficult for someone new to the process of designing or developing an eCommerce site. If you’re looking to build your first eCommerce website design, this article will give you some great tips on how to do so.

#1 Keep it simple

Keep it simple, silly!

It is one of the most important principles to remember when designing an eCommerce website platform. The more components you have on a webpage, the less effective it is at closing a transaction. you don’t need any superfluous features on your eCommerce site. They only serve to distract from the main goal. Keep your design clean, uncomplicated, and focused on closing sales.

#2 Make branding a priority

The design of an eCommerce website plays a major role in the success and engagement levels. Branding should be at the forefront of your eCommerce website design. Your brand and logo shouldn’t share space with other elements on an eCommerce site, it should always stand out.

Put some thought into how to display your branding; whether that means a large header image or prominent placement on every page, make sure people will see it immediately when they arrive on the homepage of your eCommerce website design.

Making sure you include high-quality images throughout is also an important part of branding as well as making customers engaged in their shopping experience. Images bring life to any product descriptions so take time creating them for each item listed online.

Not only will this help keep customers interested but search engines love good content which includes pictures and videos – if one of your images goes viral it could boost your eCommerce website design to the top of search results.

Make sure that you include text and captions on every image which also helps boost SEO efforts. This will help with conversion rates as well because customers know, like, and trust you more after they’ve read a few product descriptions or reviews about each item listed online.

Don’t forget, people love shopping online but nothing beats “touching and feeling” so make sure any close-up photos are large enough for customers to zoom in on details if needed! If there is no option for this then consider including links in the description directing users where they can buy similar items when necessary too.

#3 Think like a website visitor

When you are designing your eCommerce website, take a step back and put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. Think like they would be thinking and how they will approach what they see on their screen. This is not as easy as it sounds; we all tend to overlook things that we do every day – this includes websites! What seems obvious to us might seem like rocket science for someone else.

This means that when creating an online shop front, you need to make sure there’s no ambiguity or confusion about where visitors should go next. The page elements such as buttons and links must be labeled clearly enough so visitors can figure out how to proceed with ease (and without frustration). You also want them to know exactly where each feature is and how to use it.

#4 Use color to your advantage

In addition to these, you can use color to your advantage. Make certain areas stand out and draw the eye in a way that immediately catches their attention. If possible, pick colors that go well with each other or create contrast when used side by side. This will help guide customers through specific sections of your website more easily than others.

For instance, if you want to highlight a specific item in your eCommerce website development platform and direct the customer’s attention towards it, use color contrast. Both colors should be bright enough so they can easily stand out from one another when placed next to each other. You also have the option of using shades that are different but not too far apart from each other.

#5 Use high-quality images

One of the most important elements on a webpage is images. However, many people use poor quality and unprofessional photographs that don’t represent their brand properly. High-quality images are crucial for engaging customers as they give more information about company products or services to those who view them.

#6 Make your content scannable

The scannability of your eCommerce website development and design is one factor that can affect how much users read and understand. When you write content, try to break it up into small chunks with headings and subheadings so the reader has a quick reference point if they don’t want to re-read something or follow long pieces of text. This will also make your content easier to digest.

#7 Make it look professional

The eCommerce website development and design is the first thing your potential customers see. If it does not look professional, they will be turned off by your website and you might never get a chance to make sales with them. To avoid this problem, hire an eCommerce designer who can create something that looks great for their business.

#8 Use social proof

One way to boost your website’s credibility is by using social proof. Social proof can take many forms including testimonials, product reviews, or adding an image of happy customers on the homepage with a quote about what they like best about you and/or your products.

#9 Make categories easy to navigate

Designing an eCommerce website requires a lot of thought. You need to consider the layout, colors, and imagery before you actually start development on your store. It is important that customers can easily find what they are looking for when visiting your site. One of the most effective ways to do this is by making use of categories that are easy to navigate.

Keep the category list close to your logo and navigation bar, but not too high up on a page that it gets lost among other content or images. Make sure there is ample spacing between each of your categories so they are easy to distinguish from one another as well as any featured products you have going on right now.

#10 Make checkout a breeze

A great eCommerce website should make it easy for customers to checkout. The best way to do this is by not making them use another form of payment (i.e., PayPal, bank transfer) or having too many steps involved in the process. If possible, try allowing both credit card and debit payments on your site so that you can keep customers on your site.

Customer retention is a key objective for eCommerce website platforms, and if they cannot purchase from you then there’s no point in having them visit you! That being said, allowing multiple payment options will ensure that potential customers can continue with the checkout process painlessly.

#11 Make it responsive

Make your eCommerce website responsive so that it can be viewed on different devices. If you do not make the site mobile-friendly, then bring down its functionality twofold to users who are browsing from their phones or other handheld devices. This should also include designing a separate page for small businesses because this market is growing fast and they have different priorities than the eCommerce giants such as Amazon.

Conclusion

Create a beautiful, engaging website for your eCommerce business. This will not only make it more attractive to customers but also much easier to use. 

Here at Rocket Web Development, we are a design and development firm that works with businesses both locally and nationally. We understand that you have a business to run and that maintaining a website may be a nuisance. 

We concentrate on developing websites that accomplish what they are supposed to do – convert! The bottom line is that your web presence must generate revenue for you, and we are masters at doing just that. Contact us today to learn more about our services.

Doug Holladay