If you are a business owner and you would like to establish a successful online business then you need to think about e-commerce website development. You are definitely going to need an e-commerce website.
While you might take the path of e-commerce platform selection or you might choose to get an independent e-commerce website but you must have an online e-commerce presence.
You must think about building your brand and you must think about different aspects of your e-commerce website.
Things like mobile responsiveness are going to be very important for the website and you must also think about user experience (UX) in design.
You might also need to think about payment gateway integration as well as a proper CMS system for your website. Then there are things like inventory management and so much more.
We can go on and on and it will all seem too confusing for you and that is why this blog is going to focus on everything that you should keep in mind for your e-commerce website development.
So, let us begin this very important blog for everyone who is trying to have the best e-commerce website.
Things To Keep in Mind for Your E-Commerce Website Development
Mobile Adaptation
If you are trying to create an eCommerce website then you might take into consideration website speed and performance as well as other features of the website but there is something even more important.
We are talking about mobile adaptation and optimisation which means creating the website in such a way so that it is compatible with smartphones.
This is important simply because your eCommerce website is probably going to be opened on a smartphone and there is definite data to vouch for it.
If you take a look at this graph by Statista for the first quarter of 2023 then this will give you a definite idea about why having a mobile-optimised website is in necessity for e-commerce.
This data and other data suggest that more than 70% of all traffic on e-commerce websites comes through smartphones.
That is why the best thing to do would be to have a mobile app but if you do not have the budget for it the next best thing would be to make sure that your website is optimised for smartphones.
Simple And Easy to Understand UI
When you want to become a leader of e-commerce in your respective industry you must think about your customers.
When you are creating the user interface (UI) for your website you must not think about the most tech-savvy and the youngest customers.
You must first take into consideration older customers and visitors of the website who are not very well acquainted with websites.
If you manage to create a website for the least tech-savvy person then it will be simple to use for the most tech-savvy person as well and it does not go both ways.
You must make sure that the header is not confusing at all and that it has the buttons to get to the most important sections of the e-commerce website. They can be Orders as well as Accounts and carts.
You should also make sure that customer support and contact options are easily available because if they are hidden under other menus then it can be frustrating for the visitor.
User Feedback Value
If you want to have a successful e-commerce website then a simple thing you can do this to just have a place for user feedback.
User feedback is one of the easiest ways to rectify mistakes and to make sure that you have the most updated opinion about your website.
That is why you can put in review sections and you can even add review dialogue boxes whenever a customer completes an order or even if they cancel an order.
But you must make sure that the feedback dialogue boxes do not become very intrusive because that might be annoying to the visitor.
You can even add reward points for reviews and feedback not just on the products but on the experience because if you incentivise feedback then you will get more feedback.
But you should not just collect feedback but you must also do something about it. There is excellent software out there where you can simply copy and paste the feedback and it will give you workable data.
These softwares will sort out the most common flaws and complaints so you can focus on them right away. One of the cleverest things you can do this to promote the changes.
Customers like honest websites that act on feedback and changes things. If you can show changes then it will work wonders.
That is why you should make use of anything and everything when it comes to feedback and never miss any opportunity for feedback.
Security Of the Website
Security is non-negotiable when it comes to an eCommerce website because people actually spend their money on that website.
If you feel like you cannot handle payment gateways then you should get a third-party payment mode like Razorpay etc to do all that for you.
These vendors already have the security protocols in place to handle transactions and connect with different banking systems and cards.
Keeping that aside, everything about the website should be secure. One of the most important areas of security is the account information of users.
One of the most common things that gets hacked and sold at different dark web marketplaces are user data such as the name and contact number as well as the email IDs of users as well and their payment information.
That is why it is up to you what security protocol you take but you must make sure that the user’s data is secure.
Keeping that aside you must make sure that the website has an SSL certificate. You must also make sure that the website has HTTPS.
This might seem something basic to website developers but it is so important that we decided to include it in the point.
Additionally, you can include things like human checkers but you must make sure that they are not very intrusive and annoying.
You must also make sure that the users with accounts have the option to enable two-factor authentication(2FA). It is one of the simplest ways to make sure users do not get hacked.
Better Filter Options
One of the things that is extremely convenient for the website visitor is the filter section. The filter section is not utilised as often because it is not at the forefront of the user interface.
The filter section is simply there so that people can actually find the products they are looking for instead of looking at something very general.
But the filter section does not get implemented in new eCommerce websites or they are simply tucked away in a corner.
But if the filter section is utilised properly then it has multiple benefits and one of the benefits is meaningful product discovery.
This is because website visitors generally look for something very specific when they are searching for something. Even if they make the choice of going into a category, they are still searching for something very specific.
That is why the filter section will make discovery much easier and that discovery is going to be genuine which is going to increase the sales of the website.
Good Product Listing
If you are seriously looking for sales then you should make sure the product listing is as perfect as it can be.
The product listing should focus on the image primarily but it should also have a clear section for the product details.
While it is alright to write a paragraph for a product description but visitors usually prefer bullet points when it comes to product specifications.
It is also a very good idea to have the same structure for product descriptions throughout the website so that the users can get accustomed to the structure and know how to look at the product properly.
If you want to improve the product listing a bit more then you can even add other important sections and something revolutionary would be to have links to videos of product unboxings.
You can simply link videos of any YouTuber and while they get the views, the visitor gets to know the product even better thereby increasing chances for sales.
Payment Flexibility and Freedom
Customers like freedom and there are many ways to make them feel respected and value their choices and one of the simplest ways to do it is with payment options.
If we are talking about E-Commerce then those days are gone when websites only accepted VISA and MasterCard credit cards because if you do that now you will lose most of your customers.
This is because most of the eCommerce is focused on small ticket products that do not need credit cards and they can just be done with regular debit cards.
On top of that if you talk about India then there is this beautiful thing called UPI which makes it possible to purchase something without OTP verification.
Along with that, multiple payment wallet options are also quite popular such as Paytm as well as Amazon Pay Later and many more.
That is why eCommerce companies should implement support for all the payment options they know. This would mean even having EMI options and they should also have options for cash on delivery (COD).
In fact, if you are setting up your new eCommerce website then you should definitely have the option for cash on delivery (COD).
This is because cash on delivery is a very simple way to make sure customers develop their trust in the new e-commerce website.
Customer Support
Customer support is a necessity because without proper customer support everything else that you do to your eCommerce website can fall down like a pack of cards.
The reason why we are saying this is because eCommerce is all about reputation. If you have a responsive customer support structure then even with a bad user experience and an outdated website, you can have a very good reputation.
It is all about serving the customer and being there for the customer if they face even the smallest problems.
eCommerce websites can learn from a giant like Amazon. Amazon has a simple customer service philosophy and system where the customer simply needs to mention their problem and the customer executive is going to call them.
eCommerce websites should understand this simple model of customer support if they want to make it big in the market.
Things like refunds can cause the most misunderstandings and grievances for the customer which is why they should make sure that everything is taken care of even if it means sometimes losing profits.
eCommerce people should also understand the simple formula that the customer is right even if they are wrong. It is worth more to hold on to a customer than proving they are wrong for a small purchase.
Wishlists and Carts
One of the biggest missed opportunities when it comes to eCommerce companies is that they forget to utilise wishlists properly.
Wishlists and any kind of lists are very important because they will help the visitor save something so that they can purchase it later if they want to.
This is not enough because websites should also send out reminders to the visitors if the price of the items in the wishlist has been reduced or if they are on a deal.
Accordingly, Carts are even more important because if the user adds something to the Cart it means they are at least 90% sure they will buy it unless they use the Carts as the Wishlist.
That is why if they are utilised properly and if proper reminders can be sent out to the users, then it will increase revenues that might have been lost before Wishlist utilisation.
In order to do this E-Commerce websites must create campaigns to educate customers about things like Carts and Wishlists.
The websites should be able to showcase why Carts are important and they might even give out some kind of rewards in the form of points to users that use Wishlists.
If these lists can be utilised properly then they have the potential to transform the experience of the customer.
Clear Product Categories
If you want to improve your e-commerce situation then all you need to do it’s to think about the visitors on the website.
The more actions you take towards the benefit of the visitors the better you are going to see your E-Commerce growth.
One of the simplest ways to do this is to simply have clear product categories. This means if you operate a clothing eCommerce store then you need to have clear categories for men, women and children.
You can then have subcategories for plus-sized people as well but even if you have the basic categories then it is going to be enough.
Similarly, if you have a tech eCommerce website and you want to sell phones then you need to have different categories based on prices as well as brands.
We are not talking about filters because filters should have every possible classification but this is different because we are talking about the categories that you see under products.
The more detailed you go with the categories the better you have chances of leading your visitors to the product.
Product Suggestions
While this is something advanced and big giants like Amazon spend millions of dollars on creating algorithms for it, it can still be done by you. We are talking about product suggestions.
Product suggestions are all about understanding the visitor and creating a preference profile for them and recommending products to them according to their profile.
This might need AI as well and you might need to create your own algorithm because no eCommerce giant is going to give you that but there are definite benefits for it.
Let’s say for example a website visitor is looking for glass bottles of a certain shape on your eCommerce website. Perhaps they find a product that is similar as it is a glass bottle but with a different shape.
If you manage to have the proper algorithm in place then the algorithm is going to suggest them different glass bottle shapes below the product they are seeing.
This is amazing in itself simply because this will work wonders in order to lead visitors to products. It is also very good for competition and it will lead to more product discovery.
But the way in which you need to give proper product suggestions is totally dependent on you.
While we are not saying that this is a necessity but if you can manage to implement this in your e-commerce website then you are definitely going to see a rise in sales.
Blogs About the Brand
When we talk about improving the situation of your e-commerce website, you cannot ignore blogs this is because you also need your website to be popular among new visitors.
In order to get new visitors, you need SEO and if you want to do that then you need relevant blogs that talk about your brand and the different products in it.
The way to do it is to simply have blogs about the brand and have relevant keywords in the blogs as well.
You can also do guest posting where you write blogs on different blogging websites to promote your e-commerce website.
The key here is to just create enough noise so that your brand gets noticed more. You can improve the situation of the blogs by writing about important topics that people generally talk about.
Let’s say for example that your e-commerce website sells toys, that is why you need to make sure to write blogs on everything related to toys.
If you are selling a new kind of toy then you need to write blogs on it and have links to buy that product.
You are not only promoting your website but you are also doing the marketing of your products with the help of these blogs. Blogs will lead more people to your website.
Appearance Of the Website
When we talk about the appearance of the website, there are a lot of things you must keep in mind and we are going to go through them one by one.
Logos and Symbols
If you want to make it easier for users to understand things on your website and even if you want the website to look simple and minimalistic then try avoiding text.
Instead use symbols that are commonly known by everyone such as the Cart symbol as well as the Account symbol and other symbols that are usually associated with eCommerce websites.
Colour Palette
You must have a uniform colour scheme throughout the website which means you must have a theme colour which is also the colour of your brand.
In order to understand this, you can look at any successful eCommerce giant and you will find out they will utilise a simple colour theme.
That theme can comprise multiple contrasting colours such as blue and yellow or black and white etc. Contrasting colours are used so that they can highlight all the other colours.
Stay Away from Popups
If you want to annoy you are visitors then all you need to do is to keep pop-ups throughout the website but if you want them to have a good experience then you should totally avoid pop-ups.
This is because popups might be good for marketing and might showcase products but they are very annoying.
The problem with popups is that they try to grab the attention of the visitor even when the visitor does not want to give their attention. This can distract the visitor from looking at the products they are actually going to buy.
Quick Viewing A Product
When we talk about quick viewing it is a simple but very powerful tool in order to help the visitor understand the product.
When we visit an e-commerce website and search for something we get a lot of results in the form of tiles, there is a little description beside that tile but that is everything.
That is why this description needs to be exact and should specify what the product is.
For example, if you want to buy an iPhone then this little description should be something like “iPhone 14 midnight black 128 GB”.
In this example, there is everything that the viewer needs to notice in order to understand the product. No promotional talk and no marketing language.
Say Viewing Product Reviews
You should never compromise on user reviews because if you do that then you are compromising on trust and when you do that you cannot expect to grow as an eCommerce business.
That is why you must make sure that the reviews are honest and that the reviews are easy to view so that the customer can view them as quickly as possible.
Additionally, there should be sections for questions which the seller can answer. And the reviews should also have a comment section where other buyers can interact.
Deals And Offers
If you want your e-commerce website to be popular then you should have regular deals and there are several kinds of deals you can try out.
You can try out limited-time deals and even more limited-time deals and you can name them lightning deals or flash etc.
You can also try coupon systems that customers get if they purchase something or you can even have little games for them to try out their luck. You must make sure they do not occupy the majority of the website real estate.
However, when you are working with deals you must not artificially inflate demand or reduce it. This is when e-commerce websites artificially increase demand and show less stock to sell more products in a limited timeframe.
Customers do not appreciate companies that lie to them and this is one of the ways in which a website can get a bad reputation.
This is because if you do not stay honest and use these tactics then the website can even become a topic for a “Scam Exposed YouTube video” and your website sales can crash.
Proper CMS System
When you are creating your e-commerce website you must make sure it has a content management system or CMS system.
This is because it will help you manage all the content of your website in a very simple and targeted way.
If you operate an e-commerce website then this is something of a necessity because your website needs to have new content and replace old content on a daily basis.
That is why you need to spend extra money on that CMS integration so that you can do the editing of content and add and remove content on your own.
There are other options but they are not as effective as a proper CMS system. The CMS system is also very helpful for customer grievances as well in the form of addressing tickets.
Branding And Website Theme
If you are creating your e-commerce website then one of the most important things you must keep in mind is uniformity.
Uniformity should be there between your logo and your colour palette which we have already discussed and it should also be uniform with your branding.
You must always keep in mind what kind of business you are doing because let’s say for example if you are selling protein shakes, the entire website should be gym and fitness-oriented.
If the eCommerce website is about baby products, then the website should be kids friendly and it should feel that the website is about kids’ products.
If you decide to go with the gym and fitness theme because it looks cool and apply it to a baby products e-commerce website then it will mislead the visitors and it will harm your sales.
That is why you must always keep the theme in mind depending on the brand. But if you operate a website that sells everything then you must keep in mind something even more important.
You must make sure that the theme of that eCommerce website is not very specific which means you should use light colours and not lean towards anything very specific.
Never Forget Call To Action (CTA)
Never forget to place your call to action (CTA) buttons in the right place simply because only CTA will help you with sales eventually.
That is why you should be bold when it is necessary and you should be timid when it is necessary.
You need to put the Buy Now where it is needed but you should also make sure that the call to action (CTA) actually leads to that action and does not mislead visitors.
Call to action (CTA) buttons should be utilised whenever it is necessary and you should not put them unnecessarily.
You should also understand the priority level of different call-to-action (CTA) buttons because not all call-to-action (CTA) buttons are similar.
For example, if the customer is going to buy something then the most important call-to-action buttons for the address and the payment gateways should be the top priority in the checkout window.
These are just a handful of the things you must keep in mind if you want to have a successful e-commerce business as well as an effective e-commerce website.
Among all these points, you must keep a few points at the top of your priority list and one of them is definitely mobile optimisation. You cannot forget mobile optimisation in today’s day and age.
And the second thing is a simple website with a clear payment gateway and checkout system. If you keep these things in mind then you are going to have a very successful eCommerce website.
But if you feel like all these points at too complicated for you to remember, because they actually are, then we are here to help you.
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We have created multiple E-Commerce websites and we would love to get your brand started and reach the best form of success online. We will help you with all the points mentioned above and much more.
Additionally, we do nearly every kind of website design and development and along with that we also provide additional services like app development, SEO as well as digital marketing.
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We are the one-stop solution for all your IT needs and we welcome you to visit our website and check out everything we have to offer.
Common E-Commerce FAQs
What to consider when designing an eCommerce website?
When you are designing an e-commerce website you must keep a lot of things in mind and one of the most important things is security because you are dealing with money.
The next thing you must keep in mind is user experience (UX) because without user experience the website does not make any sense. If you can then you should invest in an app as well but if you are just starting out in eCommerce then a website is enough.
You must also make sure to utilise things like CTAs because they will help your viewers and eventually convert them into customers.
Additionally, you must make sure that the interface is simple to use and that there are places for customer feedback for you to gather data and improve the website.
You must also make sure that the customer service of the website is good and that the customer response is helpful.
There are a lot of other things you must keep in mind and we would suggest you to read the whole blog to know more.
What top 5 features are a must for any e-commerce site?
The most important feature you must consider is mobile optimisation because your website is probably going to be opened through a smartphone.
You must also make sure that there are excellent security protocols followed for the website because without that your customers will not trust the website.
Additionally, you must make sure that the interface is not annoying which means you should avoid things like pop-ups.
The interface should also be easy to navigate which means the header should contain buttons to go to various areas of the website such as the Account of the user as well as the Orders section and much more.
You cannot do without a CMS system and that is why when it comes to eCommerce websites it is a necessity.
What are the six types of e-commerce used today?
The first type is always going to be the business-to-consumer or B2C which is when you sell the product directly to the customer.
Then we come to the business-to-business or B2B which is when the business sells its products not to the end consumer but to a business. This is a wholesale model.
Then we come to the consumer-to-consumer or the C2C model where the website is just an avenue and users can upload their own products and listings and sell to other users.
Then we come to the consumer-to-administration model or the C2A. This is sometimes also called the consumer-to-government (C2G) model. This model is kind of rare because this is where customers and users can sell the product to governments.
Then we finally come to the business-to-administration(B2A) model where the business has products that only governments can buy. They can be products that are not meant for the average consumer such as defence products as well as defence-related services etc.
What are the features of B2B e-commerce?
If you operate a B2B eCommerce business then there are some important features you should definitely have and one of them is the catalogue system.
Then we come to the feature of reordering as well as quick reordering as well as scheduled reordering systems because businesses need to reorder a lot.
You should have tight security and access control so that only those authorised can access accounts.
You should also make sure there is a section for quotes because businesses do not buy at the same rates as consumers and they negotiate prices.
Then there are things like shared shopping cards which are also important as well as portal customisation.
These are just a few of the many features that are distinct to the B2B eCommerce business model. We would love to help you set up your B2B eCommerce business.