The Ingredients to Making a Successful Ecommerce Website

When it comes to online marketing, it’s difficult enough to drive traffic to your site and keep them engaged, how much more to persuade them to buy from you? However, the Internet is a robust goldmine of revenue and to not even attempt to take advantage of this internet shopping boom is a financial mortal sin.

To develop an eCommerce website that would bring in sales is not that easy and even web developers with years of experience building non-eCommerce sites would frequently need to hire eCommerce development in order to get things started for them. While the methods in creating eCommerce websites vary, there are necessary ingredients in order for you to build a successful eCommerce website and reap the financial benefits of a strong online presence.

Create an Impression of Credibility and Authority in Your Niche

Unlike traditional shopping, your online customers won’t have the benefit of actually seeing and inspecting your product or services. This virtual environment can actually work to your disadvantage because not physically seeing the merchandise before purchase can create doubt among shoppers.

That being said, when you develop an eCommerce website, your first order of business is to create a design strategy that will build your credibility and authority in your niche. Without trust, there is no sale. Craft your online store in such a way that highlights your strengths and positions you as the best in your industry.

Prioritize Ease of Use without Compromising Style

Unlike your other web properties such as your corporate site or your business blog wherein you can exercise creativity, when it comes to building e-stores, ease of use definitely precedes visual appeal. Navigational tools should be properly located in the site. A navigation list should be displayed on a sidebar or on top of the page coupled with the use of breadcrumbs. Clearly designated buttons should be visible. There should be a search bar that can be easily seen. Plus, an accessible “contact us” at the bottom of the page.

Of course, this does not mean that your site cannot be visually appealing, especially if your success depends on catching your customers’ attention through powerful imageries as in the case of fashion brands. What we’re saying is that you can’t be too fancy and artistic that it compromises the functionality and substance of your site.

Spend A Great Deal of Time and Resources on Your Product Pages

A great meal does not end with an appetizer. Following the same line of reasoning, when you develop an eCommerce website, it’s not enough to have a great homepage. As your hook to draw customers in, it is just right that you carefully craft your homepage, but don’t forget your product pages. These pages are the ones that will “seal the deal” and close the sale.

Pepper your product pages with great photos that show your products in different angles. Provide as many information as you can to help your customers deciding. Informative, interactive and experiential – these are the three elements that your product pages should possess.

Choose an Ecommerce Platform that Suits Your Business

We have given three tips on how you can make a successful eCommerce site, but one question still remains: What is the best eCommerce application platform? Some developers would push for their favorite platforms, but the best answer to this question is it depends on the nature of your business and the size of your operations. Choosing an eCommerce application platform will vary depending on what you are selling, how many products you are selling, your reach and how broad your market is and a number of other factors. If you’re new to this, it is best that you hire an eCommerce development company to help you figure things out so as not to waste your time and investment.