7 Deadly Sins When Designing Ecommerce Sites

Setting up an ecommerce website involves more than just providing good products. Initially, you need to choose a reliable ecommerce web hosting provider that will support your website and provide the necessary tools to make it successful. Additionally, the quality of your site and its functionality ultimately dictate the success of your business. Site design, page load time, and accessibility are just a few factors that determine usability. Just don’t forget the 7 deadly sins when designing ecommerce websites.

Poorly designed ecommerce websites can negatively affect performance

The design of your website is a reflection of your business as a whole, and that includes its security. A potential customer may not shop at your store for fear that it is unsafe, unreliable, and unprofessional. Clean web pages, with items neatly presented in organized fashion, is key. Avoid flash animation, dynamic pages, and too many large images. They may be trendy, but too many showy features will slow loading time and make browsing unbearable for valuable customers.

Limiting web browser compatibility limits potential customers

ecommerce sites should be compatible with different browsers because ecommerce customers visit from far and wide. If you are not sure if your site is compatible with various browsers, test it. If your website is simple in design, making it compatible may just require small changes. Another option is to add a disclaimer to your site specifying browser support information.

Untested ecommerce websites separate the novice from the pro

In their zeal to get selling, many webmasters don’t test their ecommerce websites to confirm usability. Testing your site means asking objective people to check links, product descriptions, photos, and shopping cart functionality. Failure to get usability feedback may cost you customers. Developing a usability testing team to evaluate your ecommerce website is a necessary step. It could be as simple as having friends and family members visit your site and give objective feedback on their experiences. You may hate the criticism, but it could save you a ton of sales.

Confusing inventory could cost you customers

Find a product line and stick with it. If a customer comes to your site to find office furniture and you decide to throw in some dining sets and kitchen tables, you will confuse them. Not to mention, you will confuse search engines that are looking for specifics to index your site. You could lose ranking by confusing products. If you want to sell dining furniture, create a new ecommerce site.

Out of date products impact the credibility of your business

If customers continue to click on products and find them discontinued, then they will most likely give up and go elsewhere. Keeping your site current is fundamental to making it successful. Therefore, continue to check products, add more products, and keep your website current. If a customer assumes a website is not regularly maintained, they are less likely to purchase from it.

Badly designed checkout procedures are a deal-breaker

Your site may have been inviting and its products may be enticing, but the customer still has to pay. If the checkout procedure is confusing and exhausting, then you will lose the customer. Don’t assume that a customer is sold by the time they reach checkout. The transaction process is when the customer gets the most finicky. If you cause them to question the purchase even once, you could lose them. Shopping cart and transaction processes should be quick and user friendly. If you choose a reliable ecommerce hosting provider this should not be an issue. Having the best web host is a salient element to achieve the greatest potential of your website.

Bad customer service impacts current and future sales

Don’t assume that hiding behind an online store means you don’t have to deal with customers directly. Customer service is all the more important with ecommerce because customers need to know that they are dealing with more than just a website. Make your contact information readily available, and always face customer concerns upfront. A sale is not a sale until a customer has received the product, is happy with the overall service, and refers you to friends and family.

Avoiding the 7 deadly sins when designing an ecommerce website will save you a lot of time and money. More importantly, it will improve the customer’s overall shopping experience and increase your sales.