Why Is a High Quality Website So Important to your Ecommerce Business

Ecommerce covers anything concerned with buying, selling or conducting business online and has grown unbelievably in the last decade. We are well into the age of smartphones, where customers search for ease and convenience; mobiles have taken over in those areas from computers, leading to apps and mobile sites taking over the world of electronic commerce. 

Keeping your business up to date with trends is essential when staying relevant to customers and competing in your industry. 

 

Importance of a Website

 

Consumers look for information to guide them to their buying decisions, with around 88% of them researching products online before purchasing, evidencing the popularity of having online shopping as a buying option and the importance of an informative and clear site.  

A poor website is just as good as not having one, if customers can’t navigate the pages or find what they want, they will leave and find a competitor who provides them with an easy experience. Your website is home to all of your businesses…

• Content 
• Communications with customers 
• Sales

 

The look of a shop attracts customers in and gets their attention. Your website landing page is your e-commerce business’ store-front and can make or break your sales. If a customer cannot access the desired information you aren’t going to make sales and you may need the help of an e-commerce website builder. But how can you make your website good enough to secure customers and build loyalty?

 

Mobile Access 

 

The rise of e-commerce has been heavily due to the boom of smartphones. An average of 76% of people own smartphones and 46% of online shoppers are using their phones to search the internet. If your site is not compatible with mobile phones, you are missing out on the biggest market for e-commerce without even knowing. 

 

Transforming your website to become compatible with mobile devices can be simple and if you aren’t sure, testing it is even easier. Google can allow you to test your site and then you can prevent your business from missing out on the craze of smartphones.

 

Helpful Features

 

– Wishlist/Save for Later

Whether customers are spending money in stores or ordering from their sofa at home, they expect a good experience. A save for later button on your website allows customers to keep products to one side while looking at the rest of your site, giving them the option to go back to them if and when they want. This feature is not the same as a basket, it prevents users having to search for items again once they have seen them, while still making other orders, making site experiences quick and easy for customers.

 

Items can be added and removed quickly without affecting the page they are browsing. This feature is not only convenient for customers, but this encourages them to make accounts, allowing your website to track their using habits.

– Quick Checkout

Paying is the least enjoyable aspect when it comes to buying online or buying in general. But the process is made worse when shopping online and you are required to fill in lots of information and your check-out is painfully long-winded.

Quick check-out is there to simplify paying, making it faster and simpler for customers, helping to make their experience positive right until the end. 

 

– Returns  

Many businesses would see returns as a negative thing and would make the process difficult to avoid it.

However, it was found that 70% of online retailers frequent customers had returned items in the past and still remained loyal. Customers return items for many reasons but the most common of them include…

• Ordering the wrong size
• No longer have use for the product 
• Not as anticipated 

 

These reasons do not necessarily reflect poorly on your business and so it is unlikely that returning an item will lead to the loss of a loyal user. By making your businesses return process as stress-free as possible, will leave your customers satisfied and encourage continued use of your website. 

Your site can offer…

• Online receipts in case customers misplace theirs
• Estimated money back time period

 

– Online Live Chat

This feature is fuelled by the aim to make website actions as quickly as possible, alleviating the need for customers to wait for email responses or stay on hold until they reach a customer service employee.

Live chat is the most convenient form of help businesses can provide to users and can be beneficial to you too by identifying common queries from customers. This service builds trust by evidencing your businesses dedication to its users and the responsiveness improves customer experiences.