Running an ecommerce website seems easier than managing a brick and mortar one. But it is easier said than done. To do it well, and successfully, you need to create, and update your website, keeping in mind your customers.

How does a customer feel when they first visit your website? Do they go ‘wow’? Or, does it make no impact? How many products do you showcase? Which shopping cart software do you use? Numerous questions need to be answered.

Before you determine what to do and what not to do, you need to understand the customers’ perspective. And to do it, you need to review every aspect of your ecommerce website and the experience it offers.

Let’s inspect each element of your ecommerce website to make it a success.

First impression

How do you like walking into a spotless, spacious and snazzy store? And how do you like walking into a dirty, smelly, and messy one? Make sure the store’s appearance creates the ‘wow’ factor in the customers’ minds.

For an ecommerce website, design is paramount. If customers don’t like it on their first visit, they won’t bother to return. And maybe even buy from you. Set aside ample funds and appoint a good designer to come up with a great website.

Keep in mind, every element matters. Make sure the website has good content, great pictures and other necessary details in place. And don’t fail to get external feedback for the website from companies that specialize in this field, such as Usertesting.

Speed of service

If the shop assistants lack the enthusiasm to do their job, or the aisles lack organization, customers may not feel happy about the store. Similarly, when the website is too slow to load or too complex to navigate, the customers won’t feel happy. Big brands like eBay know it very well and for that reason, it always focuses on speedy delivery of its products.

You cannot expect the customers to hang around forever. If your website doesn’t load within a few seconds, they will simply go to another. Again, if they cannot find something they are looking for because of navigation complexities, they will abandon it too.

Invest in tools and techniques that reduce page loading times. Make sure the navigation is expedient and intuitive. And if your business caters to mobile users too, page loading needs to be even faster and navigation needs to be far easier.

Ease of choice

Combing the store aisles to find exactly what you are looking for can be frustrating. The same problem bothers customers when they are bombarded with numerous options in your ecommerce website.

True, Amazon can handle a humongous inventory. But most startups cannot. Think how hard it will be to manage it, track and fulfill orders, and keep things running smoothly. Instead, focus on a niche, and include a finer selection of products in your inventory.

Offer product selection by category and brand to make things simpler for customers. Also, offer a search box and narrow down selections with the help of distinct parameters. This will make sure your customers find what they look for without a hitch.

Product particulars

Focus on the limitation of an ecommerce website. Here, the customer cannot see, touch or feel the real product. It is, therefore, essential that you include as many relevant details about the product as possible. CableProtector has done the same. It has included bigger and clear pictures of products to make it easier for people to make an informed buying decision.

For a designer furniture store, it is necessary to offer information about dimensions, materials, structural details, features, colors, and so on of the products. Apart from that, add a little description about the designer and the lineup.

Also, make sure you add at least a few good quality images of the product taken from different angles. If possible, create a video for each product in your inventory. Don’t fail to deliver as much details as possible about the products on the site.

Shopping experience

Does your shopping cart attract or repel customers? It is important to get appropriate software to handle the shopping experience. Otherwise, even the best site design or the finest selection of products won’t lead to any sales.  Amazon uses the best and the most sophicated software out there and probably, this is what makes it the most desirable ecommerce brand out there.

You need to focus on a few things to make the experience a nice one. Make sure it is easy to add, alter or remove items from the shopping cart. Calculating shipping costs maybe a nightmare. Offer an easy to use widget or app, or do it on a flat rate.

Use software such as Shopify. It accepts numerous payment gateways, so you don’t lose a customer only because they don’t have a PayPal account. Also, refrain from asking them to create an account before the purchase. It appears to be just another hurdle.

After sales service

As soon as the order placement process is over, make sure you send over an email receipt immediately. Put in as much about your business, including link backs and social media handles, along with the order details in it.

Once the order is shipped, you need to send another email as well. After the transaction is complete, make sure you send an email to find out the customers’ experience. Make sure it is a personalized email, and not something automated.

Don’t forget to keep track of your customers. If they don’t make another purchase within a specific period, email them to know the reason for this. And also, offer a discount on the second purchase to make it work.

It is easier to build a successful ecommerce site with attention to the right details.