6 Ways That eCommerce Businesses Can Create Outstanding User Experience

eCommerce is booming in 2021!! There’s plenty of money to be made and big opportunities for your business to reach new customers online. 

The pandemic has had seismic effects on consumer behaviour. Now more than ever, shoppers are depending upon eCommerce stores to purchase items. 

Source: wordstream.com

The truth is that the User Experience (UX) your customers have while navigating through your online store has never been more important. 

In the current climate, the serious advantage of eCommerce is accessibility, availability and ease of use. User experience and online navigation are what set your eCommerce platform apart from the competition.

A great online experience means more traffic, engagement and sales – plain and simple. 

At First Page, we’re optimisation experts who are dedicated to growing your business. That’s why we’re passionate about creating outstanding eCommerce experiences!

This article covers the best ways that eCommerce businesses can create outstanding user experience online. We share our tips and tricks to boost your business with exceptional UX!

What Is User Experience?

User experience is the way a user or customer feels when engaging with your website – and your business as a whole. Studies show that UX directly affects CTR and conversions… 

  • A massive 88% of users are likely to avoid a website after they’ve had a bad experience.
  • 40% of users abandon websites that have a loading time of more than three seconds.
  • 85% of users feel that a mobile site MUST be just as good, if not better, than a desktop site.

Simply put, UX could make or break your business and seriously affects your reputation online. Let’s look at the ways your eCommerce site can create an outstanding user experience!!

1. Make Navigation Easy for Users

When a visitor lands on your site, they want to navigate through it easily and intuitively. Your job is to facilitate this experience and connect them to your products. 

A mobile user enjoys navigating an online eCommerce store.

Here are some simple but effective ways to ensure a user-friendly journey…

  • Ensure your CTA (Call-to-Action) buttons are bold and instructive. Make a splash using vibrant colours and drive engagement with clear and concise copy. 
  • Your copywriting should be written in a style that’s easy to read. Use language that customers understand and connect with. Keyword research will help. 
  • Make sure your products are divided into clear categories. The use of sidebars and columns helps your customers find what they need quickly and easily.
  • Always include a search bar! Remember that visitors value fast and efficient navigation. The ability to search for a desired product or service will ensure this.

2. Optimise Your Checkout Process

Statistics show that cart abandonment – items selected by customers but not purchased – is as high as 80% across all potential eCommerce sales. The main cause of this problem is poor UX.

Every online store must be seeking to reduce this number and maximise the amount of completed purchases. 
The best way to do this is to thoroughly optimise the checkout process of your eCommerce site.

One approach is to add a one-click checkout button on your product pages. The fact that eCommerce giant Amazon uses this strategy should tell you everything!

3. Fullscreen Welcome Mats To Showcase Products & Offers

Similar to a popup, a welcome mat covers the screen and broadcasts your message across the entire page. This ensures users are aware of your products and offers and demands active engagement. 

Welcome mats have proven to increase conversion rates by a whopping 80%! They’re a seriously effective way to drive positive UX. It really pays to invest time into creating them.

You can even set unique display rules and triggers to these welcome mats. This means they’re targeted to the customers that will be most interested at the right times. With this functionality, you can personalise offers and create higher conversions.

Thoughtful design and clear messaging generate positive user experiences. It’s all about creating an intuitive online journey that connects your customers with exactly what they want!!

4. Home Pages – Clean, Uncluttered & Communicative

The messaging of your home page really matters. Visitors landing on it need to know exactly what your business is all about – so the information presented needs to be uncluttered, clean, and clear. 

After all, your home page is the area of your site that gains the highest traffic and leaves the most significant impression. It can be the start of a lucrative journey – or just another excuse to bounce.

It’s your biggest change to minimise your bounce rate whilst boosting CTR, engagement and sales. 

A minimal and well-designed Home page.
Source: Hongkiat.com

Follow these tips to create the best homepage UX…

  • Make sure the colour scheme stays consistent, attractive and on-brand. 
  • Use a design that’s simple, clean and minimal.
  • Don’t clutter the page with too many images.
  • Key features should stand out – such as highlighting your best-selling products.
  • Make sure the overall impression of your homepage is engaging and actively draws users in.

5. Special Popups Can Boost User Experience

Popups are super important! They can deliver the benefits of your business with a real sense of urgency and importance.  

A website the uses pop ups well.
Source: ABTasty.com

Popups can drive a range of user behaviours. These include Invitations to chat with customer care, amazing discounts or offers, and even free special gifts (often eBooks) that require email details. You can also add special countdown sales and coupon code boxes. These keep users engaged and wanting more. 

Popups are especially important in creating a site that feels less static and more fluid. This flow drives exciting UX and delivers a dynamic journey for your customers. 

6. Optimise Site Speed ASAP

40% of users abandon sites that take more than three seconds to load. This number is even higher for mobile devices.  

Source: pingdom.com

Think with Google is an amazing tool. It will test the speed of your site (among other features) and provides important information. This will help boost your site speed and UX. 

You can discover how long your mobile page speed is in a specific geographical area and what sort of connection ios begin used (4G/5G etc). It will then give your website a rating such as “poor”, or “needs improvement,” and so on.

If you’re unsure how to speed up your website, here are 5 simple steps that will show you exactly how to do so!

Top Take-Away – Smooth User Experience Equals Serious eCommerce Success!

Are you in the eCommerce biz or have recently transitioned to online sales? If so, there’s never been a more essential and exciting time to reshape the user experience of your customers.

Source: kinsta.com

Outstanding UX is key to capturing the attention of your customers. You MUST drive visitors through a dynamic and engaging site, before successfully ensuring they complete their purchase. Smooth and simple service is proven to deliver serious sales gains!

Working with Digital Marketing specialists opens the door to a world of game-changing digital strategies. At First Page, we’re eCommerce experts with a proven ability to launch eCommerce brands to online superstardom! 

From Magento and Google Shopping expertise to world-leading SEO services – we can revitalise your online presence! Why not contact our team today to book a personal consultation