Designing a User-Friendly E-Commerce Website

Is your e-commerce website easy to use? Can visitors find what they’re looking for and check out quickly? Or do navigation problems or slow site speed halt their efforts? With six out of 10 shoppers leaving a website due to poor digital experiences, it’s vital to make user experience (UX) your number one priority.

Use these tips to design a user-friendly e-commerce website that decreases your bounce rate while increasing conversions.

1. Follow Standard Website Formats

Although websites vary by style and function, consumers tend to look for the same elements regardless of brands. Common e-commerce site features include:

• Search bar near the top of your site or by the header or logo
• Main menu with sub-menus as needed near the top of the website
• Cart icon that’s visible on every web page
• Footer with your return policy, privacy, delivery, and business information
• Underlined or bolded text links

2. Make it Easy for Users to Search

A searchable website is crucial for e-commerce conversions. Moreover, people using the search function tend to convert at higher rates. Your search function should be fast and user-friendly, allowing shoppers to locate what they need right away.

For best results, ensure your search bar:

• Is easy to find and use on desktop and mobile devices
• Uses auto-complete to speed up the process and suggest relevant items
• Allows users to filter the results

3. Simplify Navigation

Site navigation affects how shoppers use your website. For instance, many people want to click on your logo to return to the home page. Most expect navigation helpers, like breadcrumbs, which allow users to quickly move from a product page back to items by category.

Consider how people move through your website from the beginning to the end of their journey. A typical path may be:

• Search on the home page
• Discover products on the category page
• Review items on a product page
• Look at products in the shopping cart
• Complete the check-out process
• See a confirmation message after checking out

4. Create Scannable Pages

People rarely read every word on a web page. Instead, they scan a site to find what they need. A simple visual hierarchy can make your website easier to use. Web designers consider several factors when creating scannable pages, such as text size, color, and repetition. Create a user-friendly e-commerce site by using:

• Headers with relevant data directly below it
• Numbers to showcase prominent information, such as statistics or promotions
• Short paragraphs with plenty of white space
• Numbered or bulleted lists
• Underlined or clearly marked clickable links
• Banners, illustrations, and images to break up the text
• Bold or highlighted text to draw attention to a word or phrase

5. Use Pop-Ups Selectively

Pop-ups can be annoying, but they’re a proven e-commerce website marketing tactic. However, if a mobile user can’t click away from your pop-up or figure out how to exit the screen, your user experience tanks.

Sumo’s study of 1,754,957,675 pop-ups finds that top-performing pop-ups include key elements, such as:

• Clear headlines with text that adds context
• Pop-up timing based on user testing and Google Analytics
• A strong call-to-action and a valuable offer

6. Motivate Users With Color

Website colors play a large role in branding and design. Your colors should match your brand. However, website designers understand the psychology behind color usage. For instance, a red button can boost your conversion rate compared to using a blue or green one. In three studies, red call-to-action buttons outperformed buttons of other colors:

• DMIX saw a 34% increase in conversions
• Hubspot realized a 21% improvement in conversions
• VWO boosted conversions by 5%

7. Streamline Check Out

Baymard Institute reveals that the “average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate” is 69.8%. Although you can’t solve all of your shoppers’ woes, you can make the process easy and fast.

A user-friendly e-commerce shopping cart helps buyers by:

• Providing mobile-friendly and responsive design
• Offering live-chat to answer questions
• Using a table-based layout
• Reducing required fields as much as possible
• Giving a social media or guest log-in option

Designing a User-Friendly E-Commerce Website: Next Steps

When building your website, you’ll find many plug-ins for search bars and shopping carts. However, some can drastically slow down your website or cause compatibility issues. Fortunately, a web designer can develop a high-converting e-commerce website that makes it easy for shoppers to browse and buy your products. Get help planning your site with a free graphic and web design quote.