Among the many website design services we provide at Emphasize is the addition of ecommerce abilities. There are numerous benefits to including ecommerce on your site, the most obvious being that an online store helps you sell your products all day, every day.
Other ways an ecommerce site can help your business include:
- Ecommerce shoppers enjoy the fact they can save time while making purchases
- A good ecommerce site provides plenty of detail about each product so people can know they are making the right choice
- Ecommerce helps with SEO
- Ecommerce sites manage your inventory for you, allowing you to lower your costs
- It’s easy to track what customers are purchasing (and what they are not) with ecommerce
- Customer reviews let them sell your products for you
- By combining your online store with your website, you build brand awareness faster
Design Your Ecommerce Site to Appeal to Specific Types of Shoppers
Neilson Norman Group (NN/g) has been performing usability testing since the ‘90s, and are among the most esteemed website design advisors out there. They have basically cornered the market on website testing, and consistently carry out comprehensive user analysis that is unparalleled in its depth and scope.
I check the NN/g site often to make sure I am on top of the latest in usability discoveries. Designing to ensure customers have a good experience no matter what they are doing on your site for is a major part of what I do. Just recently, I came across an article titled “Designing for 5 Types of E-Commerce Shoppers,” and I thought it was interesting enough to share the key findings.
Not surprisingly, NN/g’s research brought to light the somewhat obvious point that different types of people have different needs and goals when visiting online store and websites. It’s always worth a reminder that even though you think something works well, others may not. NN/g identified five different types of ecommerce shoppers, each with a distinct personality.
- Those who are focused on the product. These people know what they are looking for, and are usually trying to find a replacement for something they already have. They want to get their shopping over fast, so an excellent search feature and/or a well thought-out site hierarchy that makes sense are both very important. Great product images are also imperative.
- Those who are just browsing. These people are perhaps looking for inspiration for their next buy, or are just trying to keep up on trends. They are also bargain-hunting in a way … they may return in a few days to see if anything has gone on sale. Listing popular items is helpful for this group, as is making sure new inventory is easy to find.
- Those who are researching their next buy. These are the folks who are going to several different sites to see who offers what and for how much. If your site presents itself well, you’ll stand out among the rest. Build trust by being transparent and real, and even if your products cost slightly more, it’s more likely customers will come back. Provide clear product descriptions, plenty of additional information, user reviews, and an easy check-out process to keep the experience professional and enjoyable.
- Those looking for sales and bargains. These shoppers may not even know what they are looking for, but if they see a good deal, they’ll jump on it. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a dedicated sale section that is easy to find, and also make sure you list sale prices within product descriptions. A lot of the time people won’t click to find out a price, they will simply move on, so keep the cost at the top of the page and in larger font.
- Those looking for one particular item and who are unlikely to come back. Often these folks have received a coupon or a gift card of some kind, and are not your usual type of buyer. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t provide them with an exemplary experience. They are not likely to be familiar with your site or your products, so they should get a good idea of what your brand is the moment they land. This will help them understand the type of company you are, so they may think of you in the future. Just keep in mind that the major complaint among these types of buyers is having to register as a buyer. We recommend making entering contact information optional, as this is a simple way to show that your customer’s experience is more important than you building up a massive database in your CRM.
Emphasize Design Can Help You Get to Know Your Ecommerce Shoppers
For more tips on how to gain your online customers’ trust, check out our ecommerce do’s and don’ts. The best way to sell your products online is to believe in them, be honest about them, and to never, ever, try to “trick” a customer into doing something you wouldn’t yourself do while making a purchase.
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