What areas of ecommerce require the most attention?
For your online retail business to be as profitable as possible, it takes more than just offering products that people want to buy. Everything from your site layout and navigation to customer service and point of sale services can be drivers of success when approached from the right angle. It’s important to look at a few key elements of ecommerce software, including the customer experience, products, payment options and mobile point of sale.
Customer experience
When people visit an online store, they want an easy, straightforward experience that helps them find what they’re looking for and reach the point of sale easily. An infographic from ecomextension pointed out that fast site load times and ease of navigation were two of the most important factors to focus on. If a page does not load fast enough, shoppers may be frustrated and click away before they even place an item in their virtual shopping cart. Other features retailers should pay attention to included language options, mobile optimization and store locators.
Products
The purpose of an ecommerce site is to sell products or services, so it’s important that these are given the most attention when enhancing the user experience. Customers want access to thorough product information, photos of the items and pricing. Since many consumers research customer reviews, including these can give better insight into goods, allowing shoppers to make more informed decisions. A 2013 UPS survey found that 80 percent of online shoppers look for businesses that offer a variety of brands and products, so it may be useful to have a section on a product page that suggests complementary items.
Payment options
Consumers have many ways to pay for online purchases, so retailers that can accept a variety of payment types, from credit and debit cards to digital wallets and digital currency, may stand a better chance at converting a site visitor into a sale. The UPS report indicated that 71 percent of consumers valued having a selection of payment options. This sentiment bled over into shipping as well – 73 percent look for ecommerce businesses that offer a variety of shipping options, such as overnight, two-day, standard and green shipping.
Mobile optimization
With more people than ever using smartphones and tablets, it’s growing more important for online retailers to cater to mobile users. Websites that don’t display properly or are hard to navigate on a mobile device will deter shoppers from browsing products. As 61 and 55 percent of consumers find the ability to purchase from tablets and smartphones, respectively, ensuring an online store is optimized for mobile browsing can help drive up sales.
