In recent years, enabling eCommerce as a website function has become an integral part of any marketing strategy. In 2020 alone, the field saw a 44% expansion in overall sales. This means making sure your site is up to date with the necessary features is important. Between platforms and plugins, there are more features for your eCommerce site than ever before, no matter if you are selling from an extensive catalog or curating an exclusive selection. Here are some of the essential features to consider.
One of the most important features of a great eCommerce site is the checkout experience. If customers can’t make it through the checkout, they won’t complete their purchase. Prioritize a user-friendly interface with smooth functionality that works correctly every time. It should be easy to edit the cart, update shipping preferences, and add coupons or promotions. Don’t forget to extensively test the payment screen; small bugs here will result in lost sales. This is part of making sure that your site is user-friendly as a whole. You want to ensure that your products are easy to find on every page of your site and that it is responsive. If it is too hard for your customers to see what they are looking for, they will likely look elsewhere.
As more people use mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets to do their shopping, it’s important that your site displays properly on these platforms. Having your site fully optimized or a mobile platform can lead to higher conversion rates on transactions. You want a site that displays correctly on screens of various sizes, as well as makes it easy to search for specific items.
When a potential customer looks for a place to shop, how it’s reviewed can be a deciding factor. In fact, 95% of shoppers look at a site’s reviews to determine if they should shop there. Having reviews listed can show what people think of your brand. This can include negative reviews as well, which may seem counterintuitive. However, having a site with only positive reviews may lead shoppers to think some of them are fake. You can also incorporate reviews from a third-party site, such as Yelp or Facebook.
There may be times when a customer has issues with your site or wants to ask questions regarding a specific product. By setting up a live chat function on your site, you are able to set up instant communication with your visitors and assist them no matter what stage of the buying process they are in. Having a chat option helps you provide high levels of customer service, which can also lead to growth for your business.
The best eCommerce sites include all of these features and more. Precision Creative can help you create a feature-rich eCommerce site with a flawless user experience. Contact us to get started.