Each and every website out there has its own idiosyncrasies and elements that make it unique. But for an e-commerce site to be a success, it must include certain features, including high-quality images, videos, animation, and 360-degree product previews.
While keeping up with the latest trends is certainly advantageous to the success of your site, this doesn’t guarantee high conversion rates.
To encourage conversions and increase sales, it’s important that your e-commerce site has the following essential features:
About Us Page
Before checking out your products, many users will first check out your About page. This is your chance to introduce your brand, including your goals, values and objectives. What sets your brand apart from the competition? Write about it here. You may also wish to include videos, images, illustrations, and testimonials.
Detailed Product Pages
Ensure your site has individual product pages with in-depth information, including product specifications, shipping charges, and high-quality photography. The more detail you have, the more likely the consumer is to follow through with the purchase.
High-Resolution
Photos & Videos
Forget posting
a single image in the hopes of encouraging a sale. You now need to post images
of a product from various angles, while offering clear zoom-in to provide a
better idea of the product.
What’s more, your images must load quickly, otherwise you run the risk of potential consumers abandoning your website in favour of a competitor’s.
Add to Cart Button
An ‘Add to
Cart’ button is the ultimate call-to-action for your e-commerce site.
Make sure it’s easily visible and located somewhere away from other elements on the page. One study discovered that red buttons work best, since they trigger a sense of urgency in the user.
Guest Checkout
When it comes to online shopping, sometimes users just want to make a quick purchase, without the need to sign in with their account. Looking to boost sales? Allow your customers to purchase products without needing to register for a new account.
Similar Products
Suggestions
Cross-sells and upsells contribute to between 10 and 30% of e-commerce revenues. By suggesting similar or related products, this will increase your chances of generating additional sales. In addition to including links to similar items on your product pages, you could also send an email with similar items once your customers have made a purchase.
Customer Reviews
Reviews are incredibly valuable to consumers, and have the power to sway a potential buyer to go ahead with a purchase. Include this feature on your site to increase brand awareness and augment the chances of closing more sales. You can use plugins from popular review platforms, including Facebook, Yelp and Foursquare.
Social Media Buttons
With billions of people active on social media daily, it would be foolish for your brand not to be featured on at least one social platform. Social media is incredibly powerful, and has the ability to increase brand exposure online. Maintain active social media pages by featuring social media buttons on your website. Ensure they are situated prominently to encourage your users to check your socials out.
Returns Policy
Today’s shoppers want to know that they can make a purchase – with the option to return it if they’re not happy. Include this information clearly on your website to encourage even more sales.
Does your site
have any of these features?
The above
e-commerce website features are vital in enhancing the overall user experience
and encouraging potential customers to follow through with a purchase. While you
don’t need to include every single one of these features, by incorporating a
few of them, you will hopefully experience an increase in sales in just a few
weeks.
To discover
how EWM can help improve your e-commerce website, contact us today.