According to a report from Optinmonster, around 88% of online shoppers are likely not to come back to your eCommerce website due to poor user experience (eCommerce UX). This explains why eCommerce user experience matters because it can retain or repel site visitors. Good user experience (UX) should consist of all the features that enhance user satisfaction. Also, a good user experience needs to provide ease of use, efficient interactions with an eCommerce website, and accessibility to your online business.
Website design, faster load time, functionality, and general feel are key factors that promote a good user experience in all online stores such as Amazon, eBay, and Walmart among others. Specifically, a good UX design is all about being accessible, intuitive, transparent, and focused on both end-users needs and online shopping in general. Here are tips on how to improve user experience on eCommerce websites.
1. Apply eCommerce UX Best Practices
Optimization of your eCommerce web page is a complex process, especially if you are looking to achieve a great user experience. This process requires several steps such as:
- Simplifying the checkout process to reduce the online shopping cart abandonment rates
- Optimizing products pages using high-quality product images, communicating product details clearly (product descriptions), and upselling or recommending other products
- Using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of your online store
- Simplifying product search filters by streamlining your filters, and disabling automatic web page reload
- Offering the “Save-to-Wishlist” option to eCommerce shoppers
- Creating a multi-channel online shopping experience for potential customers and target audience on mobile devices, app stores, and social media platforms
- Optimizing your eCommerce business website for mobile devices by:
- Improving the website load speed
- Enhancing your font’s readability
- Adapting the size of all clickable elements to the mobile devices
2.Identify eCommerce UX Trends
The evolution of digital marketing and online shopping has contributed to new requirements and trends for creating a good UX. Some of these trends include:
- Social eCommerce
- Personalized digital UX designs and customer experiences
- Business-to-Business (B2B) mobile or portable device purchases
- Voice input to optimize your eCommerce website for changing user behavior and search engines
- User experience as a new business mindset
3. Use Simple but Straightforward Graphics
Avoid complicated graphics if you want to improve the user experience on your eCommerce website. Instead, make your web page simple, transparent, and straightforward visually for ease of use by your target audience. In other words, your UX design should be simple to enhance its usability.
Make sure your graphic elements are not complicated to help your potential customers navigate through the web pages with minimal effort. An overly aggressive web design is likely to upset site visitors and even force them to log out without adding any product to the shopping cart.
4. Take Advantage of Chatbots to Improve Customer Services
You can use a chatbot or live chat feature to reduce your site’s bounce rate and increase your conversion rate. The chatbot will guide visitors (just like digital signage), answer their questions, or help them navigate your eCommerce website at any given time, especially when using a checkout page.
Bear in mind that online retail has about a 34% acceptance rate for live chat features by customers, according to 99firms.com. This online retail acceptance rate is likely to rise with time as more people shift to chatbots for help just in case of an emergency. So, a brief pop-up message from your landing page, product page, or home page can go a long way to improving the user experience on your eCommerce business site by offering customer support in real-time.
5. Use a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
Aside from positive customer reviews and customer satisfaction, you can improve your eCommerce site using a clear call-to-action. Your purchase CTA is generally a Buy now or an Add to shopping cart button. This feature plays a significant role in converting traffic to the site into sales.
Your CTA must stand out from other features on your web page if you add bold lettering and color contrast that bring out key features. Plus, use wording that is short, precise, and clear, not to mention adding phrases such as Check out, Buy now or Add to cart to compel your site visitors into taking action.
Still, on the CTA, you can make your eCommerce site create a powerful sense of urgency. For instance, you may add a notice to remind your site visitors that only two items are left in order to push them to buy promptly. Amazon is good at creating a persuasive sense of urgency to increase its sales.
Takeaways on How to Improve User Experience on an eCommerce Website
There are numerous ways to improve UX on your eCommerce website. The tips above will help provide your site visitors with a top-class customer experience by streamlining their navigation, simplifying the checkout process, and embracing social media shopping. In return, your eCommerce business will enhance its brand reputation, improve customer loyalty, boost conversions, increase revenues and return on investment (ROI), and make you edgy among the growing number of online competitors.