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Going Beyond Design – Why User Experience Is Important To Your Online Store
A great design can help your website to look polished and professional, drawing in potential customers to what you’re trying to sell. However, design alone isn’t going to get them past the final hurdle and make a purchase. For for your website to be successful, it needs not only to look great but be functional and easy to navigate too. Read more about why user experience is important for your website and how you can create the best website for your online retail business.
Why user experience is important
Think about what happens when you walk into a store. You want to be able to navigate your way around, find the products you want to find and make it to the checkout with no fuss. If you were to face obstacles, like misplaced signage, unclear pricing or were unable to locate the checkout – what would you do? Odds are you would walk out and possibly never shop there again. Just because your store exists online, it doesn’t mean that the user experience isn’t important. With websites, there are many hurdles you might face that could make you lose potential customers along their purchase, and perhaps stop them from coming back.
Creating the right user experience should form an important part of your overall website design, and help you get those customers to the checkout.
Setting a good structure
It’s important that you consider website structure when seeking the services of a professional web designer. A designer will be able to advise you on the visuals for your website and how to make it look attractive, but you will need to provide them with some information about how you’d like the website to flow to make it beneficial to the user. Thinking about the visual hierarchy will help you to set the course for the user experience and help convert potential buyers into customers. Think of how websites like Amazon and eBay are laid out. They feature large buttons for their menus, with a very prominent search bar that encourages users to search for the items they need from the outset. Further down the page, there’ll be suggestions for popular products or special offers, which is a great way to offer buying suggestions to your customers when they are committed to spending time on your website.
Creating the right structure will help your customers to find what they’re looking for, making it easier for you to secure those all-important sales.
Invest in the back-end
When an individual visits a website, they want to enjoy the experience rather than feel frustrated by it. A website that is slow to load, has multiple error messages or isn’t built to be used on different devices, can cause a user to look elsewhere. Website speed is everything for your visitors, and investment in your hosting services is important. Having a website with a great design could open many doors for your business, but only if the other pieces are in place to make it work.
You’ll need to research website hosts carefully and ensure that they can provide you with the updates necessary to keep you up to speed with the competition.
Get creative
There’s no reason why online retailers can’t get creative with their content. Making your website and exciting designation will not only help make their experience more enjoyable but is likely to keep them browsing for longer. Using video and graphics to help customers visualize products and services will enhance their shopping experience and make them more likely to purchase. You can find numerous examples of ecommerce websites that are both attractive and creative, that draw the eye of the customer and makes the overall shopping experience better.
Consider whether or not your website design could incorporate some innovative visuals to set your website apart from your competition.
Test regularly
If you think you’ve nailed the user experience, you should give yourselves a pat on the back. However, it’s easy to get complacent and ignore your website once it’s up and running which could set you back in the long run. Regular testing, particularly A and B testing, can help you regularly review your website to establish what works and what doesn’t and make sure that you stay up to date with your customers’ needs. You might also want to consider doing feedback surveys every once in a while, particularly if you are introducing new features and what to know what your customers think.
A successful website will always strive to improve and can’t sit back and rest when a business thinks it has created the perfect formula.
Ensure your service is up to scratch
The service you offer your customers is important to retain them, and even the best-looking websites can lose customers due to poor service. After navigating your website to make a purchase, it’s important that your customers experience the great service they’ve been promised, which is where effective eFulfillment comes in. When you outsource your shipping and fulfillment processes, you need to make sure that you choose a reputable company that can uphold your store’s reputation. Familiarize yourself with the right eFulfillment definition so that you can select the right company to outsource your operations too. The right eFulfillment service will help you to achieve positive ratings and review from customers that can be a key factor for boosting your store’s reputation and profits.
Improve customer confidence in your business by delivering on your promises. Think about the bigger picture for your online retail business, as what happens after your customers check out can be just as important for their user experience.
Having a website with a striking and impactful design is essential for your business to help make that important first impression. While a designer can produce some amazing work to reflect your brand and objectives, it’s also important that you think about the overall experience to give the customer what they want. If you’re looking to create a new retail website or upgrade an existing one, think about the bigger picture to stand the best chance of success.
