2021 is the best time to enter the eCommerce landscape. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, online shopping has gained a lot of momentum. People enjoy online shopping from the convenience of their homes. This means, you already have a huge potential customer base.
With growing internet access and adoption, the number of digital buyers keeps climbing every year. It is anticipated that in 2021, over 2.14 billion people worldwide are expected to buy goods and services online. In fact, in the year 2020, e-retail sales surpassed USD 4.2 trillion worldwide.
With an increasingly high number of digital buyers waiting to buy your products or services, all you got to do is build a great eCommerce website.
We are going to give you some pro tips that will lay a strong foundation for your eCommerce website development.
Thinking of launching a website for eCommerce development? Consider this first
• Safety and Security Features
eCommerce websites are often an easy target of cybercriminals. You store volumes of critical data of the users that register on your website. Therefore, it is crucial to protect the customer information and take every step to ensure privacy and security. An unsecured eCommerce platform not only puts your business at risk but also negatively impacts your rankings on the search engines.
While you think of eCommerce development, some of the security features to consider are:
1. SSL certificate
It helps to establish a secure connection between a user and the website. A website with HTTPS and a green lock in the address bar is always trusted by the users.
2. Firewall
A firewall acts as a wall or a gateway between two networks. It monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic. It permits only authorized traffic and prevents unauthorized access into or out of a computer network.
3. Two-factor authentication
It adds an extra layer of security to your website by requiring two distinct forms of identification in order to access the portal. A user trying to log in will require a username password and a system-generated code sent via text or email.
• User-friendly Interface
A simple and easy to navigate website never fails to attract users. Studies highlight the fact that 76% users agree that ease of use is the most crucial aspect of a website. In simple words, your website should be able to help users find what they want without wasting their time and involving unnecessary complexity.
As a part of your eCommerce website designing, you must focus on enhancing the user experience by offering filters, shopping categories, comparison capabilities, etc. Your aim should be to offer a great shopping experience to your customers rather than a troublesome one.
• Optimize Website for Performance
It is important to optimize your eCommerce website before and during the development phase in order to drive more traffic, rank higher in search engines and enhance your overall sales. As per a study conducted by Think with Google, if a page takes up to three seconds to load, the probability of your visitor bouncing increases by 90%.
A second’s delay may sound marginal but it can mean a huge loss for your business in terms of sales. For instance, if an eCommerce website is generating a revenue of USD 100,000 per day, a 1 second delay in page load time could mean a potential lost sales of USD 2.5 million every year. Isn’t that huge?
In fact, Google has started flagging websites that have slow loading speed. This makes it important to optimize your website for better performance.
• Multiple Payment Options
In this digital era, consumers demand experiences that are swifter, simpler and seamless. For any eCommerce website to win the battlefield, it is essential to offer a flawless user experience. Therefore, it is critical to analyze every aspect of your customer journey.
Studies have shown that lack of enough payment options could be a major reason for your customers to abandon their shopping carts. The average global shopping cart abandonment rate for eCommerce websites is 72.8%.
Offering multiple payment options help customers from around the globe to shop on your eCommerce website. It is also likely to boost your conversion rates while encouraging customer loyalty. Think the other way round; by offering multiple payment options, you will be positioning yourself as a forward-looking business with your customers’ interests at heart.
• Mobile Compatibility
According to Criteo’s Global Commerce review, mobile shopping accounts for 50% of online transactions. Therefore, it is essential to make your eCommerce web development highly mobile-friendly. Considering a large number of shoppers use mobile devices to make a purchase, it is reasonable to invest in a responsive design that includes mobile-specific features such as hidden menus, adaptable typography and image size, etc.
Moreover, providing a mobile-friendly experience to your customers will further boost sales and revenue numbers.
Wrapping up
There is a lot to consider when you plan for eCommerce website designing. Only a high-performing, convenient, user-friendly and functional website will attract customers. If you need expert assistance for eCommerce web development, you may get in touch with Ikokas.
