“Functionality is the core of a successful website”. You have probably read this more than once in well prepared case-studies and professional articles reaching over the old 450-500 words limit, with a large list of useful information and tips. For some, this might mean that their website needs to work, and open and load. For others, it’s an entire philosophy fool of “if” and “else”, statistics and analysis. And for some is art and custom care.
UI and UX design, king and queen of e-commerce success
Photo source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/intelfreepress/
User Interface and smooth functionality will get your users around, but only the experience will get them to pay. So, before you get into their pockets, you really need to commit body and soul. Easy to say, but sometimes putting it into practice takes a lot more, because it requires you to basically think like a woman and act like a man: pay great attention to details, keep your users confident and happy, guess their wishes before they even have them, but don’t over complicate the relationship.
In technical language:
- use your intuition and create the smoothest navigational structure, with a clear and multiple-choice filter and sort system. Your search engine is vital.
- put your products in the spotlight and use lots of pictures, videos, reviews, and details. They are the VIP’s, show them to crowd.
- call to action is more important than your logo, so use it actively on every page. There is no excuse for dead ends.
- Don’t force them to register in order to buy, especially if they are on their first date.
One-step check out
If you haven’t tried the new one-step check-out tip, you really need to do it. Fireclick statistics show a 62.30% check out abandonment rate, so one good tip is to focus on your check out and make it work better. For you and for them. Magento, Prestashop, WordPress and a few other e-commerce platforms have now, easy to use and install add-ons that eliminate the clicks and load times between check-out pages by rolling them all into one. One user, one page, same information with no interruptions. Less chances to slip out of the process. As everything else in this field, don’t just install it and wait for a miracle. Use spilt-tests to check if it really works better and how much better.
Paypal Express checkout
„How would you like to pay?” The faster way. Transforming this step in a complicated decision is always a bad idea. There are 106 million active Paypal accounts that only require a user name and a password to make the payment. Paypal Express gets rid of the delicate, personal details step, because it uses information from the Paypal account and also offers the possibility of Recurring Payment if necessary. Forrester Research estimates that by 2016 customers will use non-card payment methods, such as Pay Pal for 23% of their e-commerce transactions. This trend is fueled also by the increase in mobile shopping where Pay Pal is used more compared to desktop. So, don’t wait until you have no choice, embrace the new and win your customers.
Functionality is fundamental and makes the user experience possible, but because we always buy easier what we like and from the stores we love, experience is decisive. Nevertheless, from the big picture that you need to know in detail, monitor and enhance every day, the check-out stage is vital because it makes the difference between a nice online store and a successful one.
