Three Ways You Can Improve Your eCommerce Options

Did you know that the eCommerce global market has now surpassed a trillion dollars? In the next several years, growth is expected to continue, as more industries offer internet-friendly purchasing options, and as more consumers use computers, tablets and smartphones to do shopping and purchasing for themselves and their families.

What exactly do consumers want in an eCommerce website? You can think of your website as the equivalent of a brick-and-mortar store. Every store can start out with the same basic square footage, but everything from the the way you orient aisles to the training you give employees can impact how successfully you sell things.

Bad eCommerce websites are like the shoe aisle in a budget store where you can’t walk two steps without tripping on discarded merchandise — good eCommerce websites are like walking through Apple’s minimalist yet highly successful layout. Interested in understanding how to get the right website? Here are three things about eCommerce solutions that you should keep in mind.

1. Your Customers Want Payment Options, So Why Limit Them?

When it comes to looking at what websites do wrong, it often comes down to the adage of “penny wise, pound foolish.” In many cases, they know they’ve chosen a less ideal choice for what their customers are looking for. They just don’t realize how much this could actually be costing them.

Take payment options as an example. Payment options should be an essential part of eCommerce web development — after all, customers can’t pay without them! Yet many will opt for sub-par open cart options, because of the price savings. Did you know that 60% of customers want to see a variety of payment options? If you don’t have their preferred method, they’re not going to go open up a new bank account — they’re going to go with your competitor.

2. Product Selection

Conversely, trying to give your consumers too much choice can hurt you, especially when they’re trying to make a real purchase decision. Studies have shown that offering too many alternatives can give customers “decision paralysis.” eCommerce web design should always take established consumer decision patterns into account.

3. Reiterate with Email

Although email is often dismissed as a somewhat “outdated” method of keeping in touch with customers, it can actually be a much more reliable source of ROI than Facebook pages or Twitter profiles. For example, did you know than an email regarding an item the consumer left in an abandoned cart has a 20% better click-through rate, and a higher conversion rate, compared to other email links? eCommerce web designers can help you set up CMS software that makes email more manageable.

Are you interested in hiring eCommerce web designers? Let us know in the comments.