eCommerce adoption among both consumers and enterprises has been boosted by the exponential growth in the internet and online infrastructure in India. There’s no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. A forecast report says that eCommerce is set to grow by 50 percent over the next four years – and is projected to reach a whopping 7.4 trillion US dollars by 2025.
On this note, it’s essential to optimize your website which provides your customers with an easy and enjoyable online shopping experience. Your website is the virtual shop of your business and a central position to direct your target audience, so it should be appropriate, on-trend, and up to date with all the latest eCommerce features.
Here are the must-have features of a successful eCommerce website in 2022:
1. Responsive website design:
Customers tend to buy within a few scrolls and clicks from the comfort of their screen, which is why an obvious and fairly important feature is your website’s ability to offer a seamless experience across screens of all sizes especially mobile. Recent research shows that 79% of smartphone users make online purchases with their mobile devices.
2. User-friendly navigation:
“Why can’t I find it – never mind I’ll look for it on another site.” Trying to avoid customer bounces? Ensure a simple customer journey that will allow them to navigate between different product categories and sections of your website and accomplish their desired goals. With a simple menu, a well-designed header, clear and attractive CTA buttons, and a comprehensive footer with the site map, your website won’t lose visitors.
3. Site search:
Search feature enable customers to find the products they are looking for quickly and with ease. Four things to keep in mind while designing a search bar are visibility, standard design, and autocomplete.
4. High-quality photos & videos:
The visual appeal of your website is what catches your users’ attention first. Your website’s quality can greatly influence how customers view your brand based on the photos and videos they see. It is important to have high-quality product images that demonstrate all aspects of the product to help your customer not only make an informed decision but also reduce returns.
Adding video to your product pages can work as a cherry on the cake.
According to Think With Google, over 50% of shoppers said that online video has influenced their decision on which brand or product to purchase.
5. Sort & filter options:
Sort and filter feature is a must to avoid bounce rate, as skipping over the pages and products they don’t need. Make it easy for customers to sort and filter their selections according to their needs so they can spend their time making a purchase decision, not discovering new products. Here are some examples of standard filter options, Sort by price, Sort by color/style, and Sort by category.
6. Reviews & rating display:
In the absence of physical contact with products, customers rely heavily on reviews and ratings from others to validate brands’ information. Review features on B2B eCommerce websites that boost your website’s credibility and demonstrate the quality you have been delivering.
7. Shopping cart and checkout buttons:
eCommerce websites are all about increasing revenue, which can be accomplished by optimizing their shopping cart features. The features that your shopping cart needs to be optimized for customer satisfaction include fast service, seamless checkout, and a way to preview your order before checking out. You can greatly affect your brand’s sales if your customers are faced with difficulties or barriers during their customer journey.
8. Multiple payment options:
With the increasing costs of customer acquisition, losing a sale because a customer forgot a CVV or because the server for one bank was down can be a disaster. Research says, providing multiple popular payment options on your website can help increase sales by as much as 71%. Customers should be given multiple payment options to select based on their preferences.
9. Customer support/chatbots:
Brands can continue building stronger relationships with customers by making themselves available at their fingertips, for all kinds of questions and by assisting the customer with all the information they need. According to a survey of 5,000 consumers, positive sentiment about the use of chatbots nearly doubled between 2020 and 2021, from 31% to 61%.
Conclusion:
In addition to the above list of eCommerce features, you can add your own depending on your business’s budget and scope. Even so, you’ll definitely start building an unforgettable customer experience with these site design features. Rather than trying every new feature your eCommerce platform offers, you should examine those your customers have come to expect from retailers in your industry.