What to consider when starting an eCommerce website project – the 4 best tips for eCommerce website development
Launching an eCommerce website is a must for leading market companies. Statistics show that more and more customers purchase online every year. The whole company’s success depends on website development.
In this article, we will suggest the top tips for developing a custom eCommerce website from scratch to boost your profitability.
Select the right development team and platform for an eCommerce website
The very first thing to keep in mind before starting your custom website is choosing reputable and experienced developers. There are two options available for eCommerce website development –creating a website within an existing platform’s opportunities or making an online store from scratch. Both of these solutions have their advantages and disadvantages.
The first project variant doesn’t require spending much money or time. It involves limited opportunities when it comes to customizing, optimizing, and enhancing functionality.
If you turn to the second option, you need to look for a development team ready to create an online store for you. If you choose this variant for development, you can create a more unique and personalized eCommerce website design and features. The custom eCommerce website cost can be higher, but you get more benefits.
Don’t forget about creating an app for an eCommerce store that would be mobile and tablet-friendly. Reach the most potential customers by being available on any device.
Include the must-have features
We suggest a list of features to add to your website to boost your online business. They are:
- Chatbots. They provide 24/7 support for your customers and develop closer communication.
- Payments. Involve as many payment options as possible (Credit card, PayPal, etc.).
- Reviews. Involve this detail to ensure your trustworthiness. Let potential users see opinions from real people.
- Easy navigation and user-friendly menus.
- Search function with advanced filtering.
- Offline store finder (if necessary).
- Wishlists and loyalty programs.
Be attentive and don’t overdo it. Just pick the necessary ones according to your needs and watch your business-level grow. And then, you move on to the critical step – designing your website.
When it comes to designing an eCommerce website
We will emphasize this step more because building a custom eCommerce website that will be successful is impossible without the appropriate design. Colors, fonts, background – all should encourage your customers to purchase the products or services offered by you.
The more attention you pay to it, the better image your brand will have in target customers’ eyes. Here are the points you have to consider when you develop an eCommerce application or website.
Less is more. Keep your design simple and clear. All the elements need to be focused on the sale. Make sure the user is not distracted from closing a deal.
Brand image. Your brand identity is the key to a successful eCommerce business. It helps establish a firm connection with the target audience and drives sales. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you start an eCommerce website: “What makes my company different from competitors?” and “How can I describe my brand in a few words?”
Think and act like your audience. Put yourself in the shoes of your website visitor. Would you buy anything on such a website? Is the navigation easy enough? What is the best way to organize and present things? Define what your customer requires and correspond your website to those needs.
Take advantage of the colors. Picking your favorite color is not enough. You need to understand how color influences user psychology. For instance, red makes the users feel excited and passionate, which results in a conversion boost. Realize that colors are one of the most potent instruments you can utilize.
Develop an easy checkout process. If this process causes inconveniences, you lose lots of customers. You need to make the purchasing procedure as straightforward, clear, and fast as possible. Provide your customers with an opportunity to register or check out as a guest.
Use only high-quality images. It may seem obvious, but if you want somebody to purchase your products, present them in the best light. Professional photos make the potential customers confident they are buying something worth their money. Include plenty of high-quality images, and you will see your conversions grow.
Less text. Don’t waste your time on writing detailed product descriptions – it’s not worth it. Research shows that users pay attention to only 20 percent of the text on the website page or app. Our advice is to involve only crucial details.
Attract your potential customers
To gain success, you need to understand the importance of marketing your website. There are some widely used options for eCommerce website advertising.
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Email marketing
Each has its pros and cons, but we recommend combining a few of them to reach the most target audience. Don’t skip this step because no matter how good your eCommerce website is, it’s no use if nobody knows about it.
Wrapping up
Online shopping is an extremely competitive and rapidly developing sphere. We hope this article helps you make a custom eCommerce website that will bring your company a huge success. We wish you good luck with your website development.
Images by Mohamed Hassan from PxHere
