Ecommerce is undoubtedly the most competitive internet business model, with around 24 million sites operating globally. By 2040, ecommerce is predicted to account for 95% of all purchases.
Businesses are being driven to discover creative and intelligent ways to stand out in the online sector as competition grows tremendously. A well-thought-out ecommerce UX design provides customers with a smooth and engaging purchasing experience, whereas an ill-thought-out design leads to higher consumer drop-off and cart abandonment rates.
This blog discusses an approach to powerful ecommerce UX design, including an in-depth review of the elements that drive UX design, the importance of design in the consumer shopping flow, and the most effective design approaches that assist ecommerce retailers in selling more.
What exactly is Ecommerce UX Design?
The process of developing a simple and engaging shopping experience for consumers is referred to as ecommerce UX design. A decent design will lead consumers through the online shop and make it easier for them to locate what they are searching for. Users’ buying experiences can be made more fun, quick, and stress-free with effective ecommerce UX design.
Consider the following scenario: you are looking for a suit in a physical store. You require in-person guidance to determine the correct size, material, fitting, and pricing, but there is no customer service representative in sight. You wander around the store seeking help, only to discover that the person is not the right person to help you.
That would be, to say the least, infuriating. You would not purchase a suit from that store, nor would you return to it or suggest it to your friends. The identical problem applies to ecommerce enterprises, except the procedure is online rather than offline.
Users are disappointed if they are unable to locate what they are looking for readily when visiting an ecommerce store. An excellent design would immediately capture the attention of users and smoothly guide them through the purchase experience.
Ecommerce UX design and customer shopping flow
UX design is critical to the success of an ecommerce company since it impacts customers’ purchase or drop decisions. Fast feedback, easy navigation, and interesting product information are all critical design elements in online sales.
Shopping flow is the process that a consumer takes from discovering a product to having their order confirmed on an ecommerce site. Developing an ecommerce UX design with the online shopping flow in mind aids in increasing conversions and decreasing cart abandonment. Let’s take a look at the six phases of a client’s shopping flow.
1. The user comes across a brand-new ecommerce platform.
The first step is to choose an ecommerce platform. Here, design plays an instrumental part in properly situating the platform. Most users form an impression of the platform in milliseconds. The platform must dazzle consumers, transmit information about their goods, and entice them to surf the site in that short time frame. If customers do not get a clear picture during the discovery stage, they will most likely abandon their purchase trip.
2. The user explores the platform.
Users begin exploring after being impressed by a platform during the discovery stage. Purchasers are classified into two types: planned buyers and impulsive buyers.
More than 60% of consumers shop with a plan; they go online knowing exactly what they want. By including effective filter UI design, on-site product search, and sorting, effective ecommerce UX design simplifies their shopping experience. It enables customers to easily locate what they are looking for and continue their buying adventure.
The other type of buyer is one who has no explicit aim to buy but will buy if they come across appealing things. These are key visitors to an ecommerce platform, and an appealing design may boost their conversion rate. A discovery/explore option is critical for enticing these sorts of consumers. This sort of consumer is drawn to the “Most popular” and “What’s new” sections.
3. The user discovers an intriguing product.
When a user finds a product that piques their attention, they go to the next phase. At this point, design should prioritize helping consumers through the purchasing process.
The CTA (call to action) button is crucial in this case. An eye-catching CTA that is clearly visible and clickable increases conversions, but a confusing CTA confuses consumers and leads to cart abandonment.
At this point, it is also critical to present all of the information that consumers may require. Users will be impressed and reinforced in their purchase choice if the product page is well-organized and contains thorough product descriptions, high-quality product photos, and favorable customer reviews. It should be taken care not to overload the user with product information. Instead, consumers should be presented with only the most pertinent information in a clear way.
4. The consumer adds the product to their shopping basket.
The user adds the product to the cart after being satisfied with it. Ecommerce UX design should prioritize transparency at this level. The cart details should be clear and easy to understand. All relevant information, such as pricing, order quantity, discounts, shipping, taxes and delivery charges, should be clearly stated. The design should make it simple and obvious to remove products from the cart, amend the cart, and transfer them to the Wishlist.
5. The user advances to the checkout page.
Checkout, a critical point in an ecommerce transaction, should be built with safety and efficiency in mind. Consider the following while designing a checkout page for the greatest ecommerce customer experience:
- Payment methods: In an ideal world, your site would accept all prevalent payment methods. People have diverse tastes and may favor one way or another. Supporting a wide range of payment methods, such as online payment platforms (such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal), credit/debit cards, direct debit from online banking accounts, or cash on delivery, will boost conversion rates.
- Guest checkout: In order to checkout, customers must first establish an account, which often results in cart abandonment. Allow guests to sign out – offer them the opportunity to register but don’t make it necessary.
- Feedback: Visual feedback throughout the checkout process assists consumers in navigating the checkout process without becoming confused. Progress bars, success notifications, and confirmation popups are some examples of how this might be implemented.
6. A confirmation message is sent to the user.
The last user activity on an ecommerce store is checkout, however it is not the conclusion of the shopping journey. To complete the flow, users should receive confirmation of the products they purchased. Following checkout, clients will receive a confirmation notification providing order details, delivery method, delivery date, and tracking information.
It is ideal to provide confirmation via websites/apps, email, or text messaging. It’s also a smart idea to keep users updated on the status of their orders’ shipping. Most ecommerce platforms now employ push notifications to provide clients with real-time information.
Three factors that impact ecommerce UX design
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When creating an ecommerce platform, three key factors must be considered: user experience, business needs, and user interface.
User experience
The user experience (UX) of ecommerce platforms focuses on strategies to promote user attractiveness, engagement, and retention in order to boost sales and corporate profitability. UX is critical to pleasing customers and improving their purchasing experience. The following are critical UX considerations for ecommerce design:
- Usability : Usability is an instrumental component of UX design since it clarifies the consumer journey. Transparent menus, useful feedback, and fast loading pages are some features that improve a design’s usability.
- Accessibility : A successful ecommerce store caters to all types of users. Designing for accessibility necessitates considering various end users, such as those with impaired eyesight, diverse degrees of tech knowledge, or color blindness. This is done by creating a design that is accessible to everybody and helps them achieve their goals.
- Layout : The presentation of an item on an ecommerce platform is a critical aspect of driving successful purchases. The most relevant information must be presented in locations where users will first notice it. High priority topics should be highlighted in the layout to have the greatest impression.
- Navigation : The foundation of a successful user experience is navigation. Clear and simple navigation improves the productivity of ecommerce systems by allowing users to navigate organically towards their objective and perform actions swiftly.
- Desirability : It focuses on developing an emotional connection with people in order to entice them to buy from an ecommerce site. The idea is to make users feel like they belong and to encourage them to be affiliated with a platform.
Business needs
Every ecommerce enterprise has a business strategy that includes certain commercial objectives. Business goals form well before the design process begins and can aid in the creation of an acceptable basis for the design. Effective design must collaborate with the business elements and support several approaches to achieving goals through a well-defined UX strategy. Business considerations that impact design include:
- Brand personality : The brand personality establishes the identity you wish to give your ecommerce platform. A brand’s personality determines its style, voice, tone, and attitude. Design has a big impact on how this brand personality comes to life. A luxury brand, for example, will have an attractive, formal appearance and will appeal to a niche audience rather than the general public.
- Product USP : The USP, or unique selling point, is the feature that distinguishes your product from the competition. It is the distinguishing characteristic of an ecommerce platform, and the design must center around it.
- Target audience: When a design is personalized for a certain audience, it is most effective. Knowing your target consumers’ wants and pain areas can assist you in creating a design that instantly connects.
- Marketing : Marketing should be considered from the beginning of product development. A marketing plan that is developed early on helps guarantee that the product provides a consistent image to consumers at all times and across all platforms.
- Type of business: Depending on the end-users and sellers, a business might be classified as B2B, B2C, C2C, or B2G, to mention a few. End customers in each category vary and have distinct expectations of suppliers. To get predictable outcomes, the UX design of an ecommerce platform should comprehend the unique end-user and respond to their demands.
User interface
The UI part is concerned with the aesthetic appeal of ecommerce systems, and it brings the UX and commercial aspects to life. It is an imperative consideration since the proper mix of UI and UX design is what produces an appealing and successful ecommerce platform. Consider the following UI elements:
- Visual hierarchy : The platform’s visual hierarchy directs the customer’s eyes through it and decides how users will browse it. It describes how information is organized in a design. Color contrast, varied text sizes, photos, and other components are utilized to build a visual hierarchy on a website.
- Color: Color should represent your business type and brand image. Color should be used consistently across all touchpoints, from logos to web sites, product designs, and marketing campaigns, and should express your message without the need for words.
- Style : The interface design of an ecommerce platform is determined by its nature. Different styles should be used to express the individuality of the company. The style should be consistent across all features and screens across the platform.
- Typography : Font, like color, is another key aspect of brand image. The fonts communicate the platform’s personality, interaction tone, and communication style. An ecommerce business offering fashion or beauty items, for example, would utilize calligraphy fonts, whereas an electronic store might use more official typefaces.
The following are eight best practices for Ecommerce UX design.
Navigation, checkout, and product pages must be precisely developed and implemented to provide an optimum user experience. We’ve compiled a list of the eight top design practices for ecommerce UX design to assist you build a platform that people will enjoy.
Make the checkout process as simple as possible
Creating a quick and easy checkout process is an evergreen tip for improving the ecommerce customer experience and lowering cart abandonment. According to research, customers cancel a purchase for a variety of reasons, including the ecommerce platform not supporting their chosen payment method, requiring an obligatory sign up, not seeming “secure” and “reassuring,” or requiring them to fill out a lengthy form. While they may appear to be minor details, they generate significant annoyance for individuals who are nearing the end of the purchasing process.
The heart is won by simple navigation
Nothing beats well-designed navigation when it comes to online shopping. Clearly structured categories, tabs, and menus make it easier for consumers to navigate an ecommerce platform. Effective use of microcopy improves the user journey even more. Design navigation for your target audience – get to know the users, their habits, and how they interact in real-world circumstances to have a solid picture of what they expect from the site. When you employ this fundamental knowledge to develop navigation, you are designing for long-term user happiness.
Encourage the use of user-generated content (UGC).
To maximize conversions and develop trust, your ecommerce platform must collect user-generated content. Because UGC has a big effect, the platform’s design should expressly support it. According to one study, UGC impacts the purchasing decisions of 84% of millennials. Furthermore, when it comes to purchasing, most purchasers report trusting UGC material above website content. Clearly, if an ecommerce platform does not share UGC, it is missing out on a large number of prospective consumers.
Make detailed product pages
Product pages are crucial in ecommerce because they help customers make an educated purchase decision. A well-designed product information page enhances the likelihood of a purchase.
Before purchasing a product, customers want to know if it meets their needs. The product information page should offer detailed product names, characteristics, pricing, availability, and photographs to assist people decide. Customers love features such as image zoom, user ratings, product videos, and so on when they purchase online.
We built the photographs in a carousel perspective rather than a one-image-at-a-time style in an ecommerce UX design project we performed for a top electrical ecommerce shop in India to enable consumers to get a comprehensive view of the product at one glance. Users’ purchasing selections were greatly simplified by not needing to swipe to see further photographs.
Keep visitors coming back
While attracting new users to your store is crucial, it should not be the sole focus of your ecommerce design. Businesses make most of their money from repeat clients. As a result, finding measures to boost client retention is a critical issue to solve. You may entice your clients to return by providing discounts and special offers, personalized shopping ideas, special rates for current consumers, and complimentary hampers. For maximum user retention, highlight the benefits with appealing designs.
Complete all of the questions
Users that visit an ecommerce site will have several inquiries. Most stores offer consumers shallow and superficial information, which rarely meets their objectives. It is preferable to inform people in a simple manner about what they need to know. Use detailed descriptions, answer queries with videos or photographs, allow visitors to compare goods with other comparable versions, and offer shipping and delivery information. It’s a smart idea to include a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that answers all the asked questions. Users trust the platform and make purchases when all of their worries are addressed.
Utilize search and filtering
Search and filters play a significant part in enhancing the user experience. It makes it simple for consumers to find what they need. A large percentage of online customers visit ecommerce sites with a specific purchase in mind. For easy access to merchandise, they instinctively reach for the search bar. Similarly, filters assist users in refining their search and simplifying their purchase experience. Utilize the most effective filter design principles and search criteria to improve eCommerce UX.
Use visual clues to guide people
Design influences people in many subtle ways. Strategic navigation may be implemented by using visual signals to guide users’ attention to specified locations. To focus users’ attention on call-to-action (CTA) buttons or high priority content, visual signals such as eye directions, arrows or lines, white space, and encapsulation can be employed. It will greatly increase conversion rates.
How to keep up with user expectations
Retail ecommerce sales in the United States alone are estimated to exceed $7.4 trillion by 2025. Trends in the global ecommerce sector reflect a similar dramatic expansion.
Users have a lot of flexibility to pick from when it comes to e-commerce platforms because there are so many options. It only takes a few clicks to find another platform! They are constantly on the hunt for what will best suit them. So it’s not enough to meet their expectations; it’s also critical to deliver above and beyond.
What role may ecommerce UX design play in this?
Provide a multichannel experience
Users can now purchase things from a variety of sources. Websites, smartphone applications, and social media profiles are all alternatives. The top e-commerce platform provides its clients with a multichannel experience.
Offer quick performance
According to statistics, increasing the page load time from 1 second to 2 seconds raises the bounce rate by 31%. You can increase user engagement by ensuring that your website’s page loading time is as short as possible and that it performs at a high level.
Stay updated
Maintaining a distinct perspective, whether in terms of design or offering current product specifics, is critical to retaining customers. Customers are impressed with the dependability of an e-commerce platform that uses the newest design trends and provides up-to-date product information.
Be transparent
When it comes to items, inform them of everything they need to know. Not just about product information, but also about purchasing policies, return policies, and shipping details—don’t leave buyers in the dark about any of them!
Listen to your consumers
Obtaining input from clients should be done on an ongoing basis rather than as a one-time event. Because the right approach to remain ahead of consumer expectations is to understand what they require and then exceed their expectations.
Why should you hire Stimulus as your Ecommerce UX design firm?
To engage users and convert them into revenue-generating customers, ecommerce UX design demands a deliberate strategy. In today’s competitive market, your ecommerce platform requires the touch of specialists to bring it to life. Stimulus has a plethora of expertise providing ecommerce UI/UX design services for several sectors. Our experience spans a wide range of industries, including fashion, groceries, cosmetics, and electronics.
Because of our hands-on expertise in ecommerce UX design, we have real insights into what works and what doesn’t. We understand the finest design techniques for making online shopping simple, as well as many strategies to leverage them for optimal user conversion. Our designs have assisted ecommerce platforms in increasing user engagement and revenue. Contact us and we’ll get back to you to discuss design possibilities for your eCommerce platform.
