The Global pandemic has completely transformed the way people shop. The lurkers have now joined the early adopters in pushing the trend of online shopping ahead. Making a good first impression online is more important now than ever! To reach your target audience, your site needs instant appeal. It’s amazing how many sites out there are still cluttered with jarring images, excessive text in non-uniform fonts and obnoxious, intrusive ads for other sites. But it is not enough to avoid a spot on someone’s ‘worst eCommerce sites’ list. Here are four factors your eCommerce site needs to succeed.
When people look at your homepage, it should have one focal point such as a featured product. Other relevant information should be simply presented and easy to read. Don’t overwhelm visitors by trying to cram as many product images and calls to action as possible onto the homepage. Instead, use a strong, compelling image and a simple explanation of it.
Use your brand’s logo as it normally appears, but pick an easy-to-read font for the rest of your text. Incorrect or non-uniform fonts undermine your brand’s professionalism. Avoid excess underlining, bold and exclamation points. That makes people feel like they are being shouted out. Stick with your brand’s usual colour scheme to build brand recognition.
When you drive from one county to another, you see a sign welcoming you. It lets you know where you are. People want the same from your website. Actually, they want more. Don’t just tell them your brand’s name. Spell out what you do and/ or sell. You can be abstract and creative, but you should tell them what your product is as soon as they land on your page.
Whether you have a complex eCommerce site with thousands of products or a simple brochure site to encourage people to visit your single bricks and mortar premises, they should be able to find their way around your site easily. Give them clearly labelled navigation such as “our story”, “get in touch” or “wool jumpers”. Saying “products” or “shop here” isn’t enough unless it is completely obvious you only sell one thing. Even then, “shop our vases” is more compelling than simply “shop”. Avoid hamburger icons. Put clearly labelled links in obvious places.
Remember, people are viewing your website on laptops, tablets and smartphones. To really engage them, it needs to look good and navigate easily on all types of devices. If your site is fully responsive, then it instantly adjusts to whatever device your visitor is using, meaning it makes a great first impression on every visitor.
A website is your digital portfolio and it is important to convey the goals and mission of your business clearly through your eCommerce. Keeping the other points in mind will not only enable the business owners in driving more people to the website but will also provide opportunities for the visitors to convert into buyers.
By Jeff Sheridan
By Conor McCaffrey