The e-commerce industry is, on the one hand, enormous potential, and, on the other hand, very strong competition. On the one hand, it’s growing incredibly fast, and on the other, it’s really easy to lose to companies that are doing better. Therefore, if you want to be successful – you have to do absolutely everything you can.
Just look at the statistics – as much as 80% of new e-commerce businesses are not successful. This means that 8 out of 10 new companies are only established to fail relatively quickly. Very often, the blame for failure is blamed on poorly conducted marketing. Certainly, this diagnosis is correct, but we would like to draw attention to another aspect that is sometimes forgotten, i.e. how the website is designed.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that very often the right website design in terms of sales is confused with the website design in terms of a nice look. It is very possible that the website designed in a functional way will not be as creative and beautiful as the one designed for looks – but the former will be much more effective in terms of e-commerce.
What Makes A Good Ecommerce Site
Simple and intuitive navigation
Appropriate design of the website in terms of navigating it is extremely important. Keep in mind that the more difficult it is for a customer to find what they are looking for on our site, the less likely they are to buy something. Usually, online stores consist of hundreds of different types of subpages with specific products. Therefore, proper segregation and order may require more thought.
A good site search engine
This relates directly to the previous point. Being able to find what you are looking for quickly is extremely important for the customer. Again, the more time he has to spend on our website to find something, the less likely he is to buy something. Therefore, we must make it as easy as possible to find the products.
Remember that the greater the offer of your online store, the more important the role of the search engine. Therefore, remember to refine the way your business works as your business grows.
Registration on the website
A user who has registered on your website has shared some information about himself with you. This is a certain profit for you. The question is – why would this customer register?
In most cases, there is no reason for this, except that a large proportion of stores force their customers to do so because they cannot make transactions without registering an account.
However, there are better ways to encourage customers to sign up. Those that will make a good impression on them. A very interesting solution is to offer people who register on your website a 50% discount on the first product purchased.
Of course, in addition to this type of incentive, you should remember that registration should be simple, quick, and intuitive.
The creative side in the event of a 404 error
It is certain that something will not work on your website someday. No matter how well designed and made your website is. It just happens. In this case, the user will be presented with the famous “error 404 page not found”. It has been used in pop culture many times. You can use this and creatively design a page that will be displayed as part of the error message.
Why is it important?
When a user sees that you have foreseen that something bad might have happened, they see you as a well-prepared person and therefore more professional. On the Internet you can find many examples of creatively prepared websites of this type, it is worth taking a closer look at them when designing your own.
Social Media
Providing your users with a space to engage is extremely important. There is a two-pronged approach to this. First, give a comment on the website. Secondly – appropriate social buttons should be implemented, which are linked to such portals as Twitter, Facebook, etc. This is one such procedure that you mustn’t give up.
Suggesting similar products
It is a very frequently used mechanism. This is because it is effective. Normally, when someone wants to buy something, they compare different products to choose the one with the best specification at the best price.
In this case, we have two options.
The first is that – the customer will look for similar products on your website himself, which he will have to spend time on and potentially fail.
The second, on the other hand, is much more beneficial for both us and the client. We suggest similar products to the customer, and thus he sees them immediately when choosing the first product and selects the products he would like to compare in a much more accessible way.
It goes without saying which of these two solutions is preferred by customers.
Simple and wide selection of payments
This is another important point. Not having access to the payment method that the customer would like to choose can lead to the customer changing the decision whether to buy the product or not. Therefore, the more payment options for purchases, the better.
On the other hand – the payment should be quite simple and uncomplicated so that it does not take too long for the customer.
Build trust among customers
It takes a long time to build customer trust, and it is not an easy task. Trust is built in many ways.
It is worth using various security certificates that you can put on your website.
The possibility of paying with proven methods such as Paypal, Visa, etc. works well.
Guarantee the return of the payment in case of inconvenience.
A good method is to let your customers post their feedback on your website. It is a very credible procedure.
Another good way is to post the companies you work with on your website. In this case, their image and trust in them additionally support our company.
Listing places where your business has been mentioned, i.e. in various blog posts, articles, and the like, is another good method to build trust.
Building engagement in social media and on the website itself will also increase the company’s credibility. A customer who sees that a given company has an efficient community looks at it in a different way.
Last but not least – good, high-quality content is also very important when it comes to building trust among your potential customers. People who see that we know our industry will be much more likely to buy various types of products from us.
Responsive design for mobile
Mobile technologies are popular year by year. It is enough to pay attention to the statistics published by Facebook, which are unambiguous, more people use this website from a tablet or phone than a laptop or PC.
What does this mean in practice?
If you want to reach a wide range of customers in an effective way, you absolutely have to have a well-prepared website in terms of mobile technologies.
Good product photos
A good photo can tilt the scales of customer choice – between whether they will buy a given product or not. It is very important that the photo is just cool, you want to look at it. If a product has a well-made photo, the customer will simply want to buy what looks great. Remember that appearance is one of the most important aspects of selling.
High-quality content
This is extremely important, although a bit underrated until recently. Regularly delivered high-quality content will increase the popularity of your website, customer trust, customer engagement, etc.
It is very important to use high-quality graphics that attract customers visually.
Another aspect that is also very important is good product descriptions. Properly written product descriptions, transparent, authentic, and giving the customer the right scope of information, will have a very good impact on the level of sales.
Ordered categories
Easy, transparent navigation between different categories and subcategories on a website is very important. It is important that it should not be disturbed by any banners about promotions, advertisements, etc. It is very important not to irritate the user while navigating the website.
Location of the CTA button
As is well known, the correct placement of the CTA button is extremely important. That is why the mention of this subject had to be included in this list.
It is worth noting that most people prefer buttons located on the left side than on the right – that’s just the way it is, but you need to adapt to it.
Appropriate blog design
It is worth designing your blog in terms of sales so that you can not only present a given product on it, write its review, and so on, but also allow you to buy a given product right away.
Of course, in addition to this, it is worth combining the blog with social media, in this way we can easily promote the content posted by us on many communication channels. By the way, it is worth noting that a blog is a great tool in terms of SEO
A wide range of products filtering
The good division into categories, combined with appropriate filters will make finding a product really easy. Not every store has this option, but practically in every store such an option would be useful, so if you have a chance to stay ahead of your competitors in this way – you absolutely should do it.
Content Management System
Once you have a website for eCommerce you need a way to manage it. If you hire someone to do every minor update it will eat into your profits very quickly. You need a way to change prices, offer specials, and make minor changes yourself without spending 4 years learning web design skills. That is where you need a Content Management System that is easy to use.
What is a CMS and what are its types.
If you want to manage your website, you don’t need to have advanced programming knowledge or be fluent in HTML. You also don’t need to install specialized software. All you need is a link, log in, and password for the content management system, i.e. the CMS system. Do you want to know what it is all about? We will tell you how CMS works and what its types are.
What is CMS?
The CMS abbreviation which in translation means Content Management System. It is software that can be accessed by any user. It is used to publish content on websites, and modify or organize them.
There are different types of CMS, but the way they work is similar. You should open a dedicated page in the browser, use your own password and login and log in to the administration panel, and then … edit, delete and change the page as you wish.
The CMS administration panel allows you to edit the content. Usually, you should spend some time getting to know how it works, but most of the time its handling is quite intuitive. Usually, on the left side of the screen, there is a control panel, the sections of which correspond to the sections on the website. For example: create an article, categories, media, menus, and modules. Thanks to this, you can add entries to your company’s blog, change the content of product descriptions, update the offer, manage the newsletter, operate the online store, and add photos, tables, or animations.
Two basic types of CMS
All CMS systems can be divided into 2 general categories. These are proprietary systems and Open Source systems:
Original CMS – such software is created by the agency as a unique and original product. The advantage of this type of system is quite a simple operation. Unfortunately, there are definitely more disadvantages to such systems.
Here is a shortlist of them:
There is no possibility to use the help of another interactive agency. When deciding on a proprietary CMS system, we are forced to use only the services of the agency that created it.
Often systems have poor protection against hacker attacks. Unfortunately, several dozen of people work on proprietary systems, and this is definitely not enough to sufficiently protect the website against external attacks.
PRICE – somehow, proprietary CMSs are definitely more expensive than, for example, open-source solutions.
Open Source
This category includes CMS systems made available to users free of charge. Their advantage is easy accessibility, as well as the ability to install add-ons (plug-ins that allow access to new functionalities) or use updates. The world’s most popular open-source CMS systems are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. We’ll take a look at these and several other systems below.
Which content management system to choose?
Apart from the aforementioned systems (WordPress, Joomla !, Drupal), such software as Typo3 and Quick.Cms have also gained popularity. Some of them are easy to use even for laymen, others require knowledge and experience. Check out what all platforms have to offer:
WordPress – is the most popular CMS system in the world and in Poland. It works best for creating and managing simple websites and blogs. It is characterized by a very large selection of templates, themes, and plugins. At the same time, the need to install a large number of plugins to expand the website is a downside to WordPress. Another disadvantage of this system is the security features, which do not always fulfill their function (to increase the level of security, again use the appropriate plugs). The biggest disadvantage of WordPress, however, is that it does not allow you to have highly complex websites. Rather, it is suitable for simple projects.
Joomla! – this system is ranked second in popularity rankings. However, it was selected (for the third year in a row) as the best open source CMS, which you can read about here. Joomla! is a much more complex system than WordPress, and the administration panel may seem less intuitive to some people, but do not be discouraged! Why? Because this system gives you access to a large information base, numerous tutorials, and a large community (discussion forums). In addition, there is a large number of functions (which are not present in other systems), as well as 64 language versions (including Polish). Some agencies that design websites in the CMS Joomla! creates dedicated manuals for managing Joomla. We are one of such agencies 🙂 The big advantage of Joomla! is its search engine optimization. Thanks to this, there is a high probability that a website built on Joomla! will be commercially successful, i.e. it will position itself well on google.
Drupal – this system is more advanced than the previous ones, which has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it allows you to introduce interesting functions and gives you a lot of possibilities in modifying and managing content, and it can also be used for complex websites. On the other hand, its use is not as simple as in the case of WordPress or Joomla! – at least basic knowledge of PHP, CSS, or HTML is required.
Quick.Cms – its operation is comparable to the operation of WordPress or Joomla! Systems, and their application – are versatile. It can be used to create blogs, simple pages, or complex websites. The downside of this system is the low availability of plugs compared to other software.
Typo3 – this system allows you to handle various types of websites – from simple business cards to advanced websites. It allows you to use sections such as discussion forums or large photo galleries. Unfortunately, for people who do not have programming knowledge, its use may be too complicated.
Thanks to CMS systems, content management is easy, effective, and accessible to everyone. You can make any updates and improvements on your own and at any time, thanks to which your website may become more popular, and its position, e.g. in Google rankings, will increase.
In addition, you do not need to explore programming knowledge, learn the secrets known only to programming masters and learn HTML. Managing your own website, thanks to the administration panel, becomes much easier. It is also impossible not to mention the easy availability of CMS systems, a large number of templates and plugins, and low (or no) service.
All this makes website administration available to both professionals and people who had nothing to do with programming before.
eCommerce is Evolving
The pandemic has accelerated the shift towards omnichannel selling, to which all trade has been going for a long time. We observe a strong focus on processes and their simplification. Including a strong emphasis on conversion to remove all problematic elements from the process that can lower it and cause customer dissatisfaction.
Research conducted during the pandemic shows that customers are very demanding of online stores, they transfer the requirements of traditional commerce to the online environment. In the store, they can ask about something right away and expect the same quick contact with an advisor on the Internet. The presentation of goods in e-shops is also important – the assortment must be nicely presented, preferably from all sides.
What is the best eCommerce
Industries that did well before the pandemic did well in it. This is, for example, fashion, beauty, or electronics. The food industry has grown significantly. A new category of broadly understood e-services has emerged, i.e. e-education and e-health. When we had difficulties using something in the normal course, there was the possibility of additional education, courses, and conferences on the Internet. During the lockdown, the home and garden category also increased significantly.
Beauty and cosmetics, digital content, fashion and accessories, and education are the shopping categories in which we see the greatest potential for growth in the coming years.
Ecommerce got a boom with the advent of COVID. Although it is unlikely to be as dynamic as in 2021, all indications are that it will continue to be double-digit. We do not see e-commerce transactions slowing down significantly. E-commerce will continue to grow as part of the entire business of companies worldwide. After lockdown, everyone can see that e-commerce is a necessary element of maintaining and growing a business. The value and number of transactions will continue to grow.
We see the introduction of new tools, e.g. payment tools. Over the last two years, the interest of e-consumers and e-shops in installment and deferred payments has been growing. This segment will grow because it allows for slightly larger purchases, as well as spreading payments over time. Automation and the use of artificial intelligence mechanisms to support both payment and sales processes will come into play more and more often.
Web Design for eCommerce
Are you taking your first steps in e-business?
The Internet offers a lot of opportunities, as an entrepreneur, it is worth using them! Regardless of whether you sell goods or services, your competition is probably already online. It’s time for you to work with Glenn Website Design. We provide you with the best-built eCommerce website and all the support you need to go along with it.
We will introduce you to the world of e-commerce.
We will fill the gap of missing competencies.
Do you have an e-business and want to earn more?
Consultations
They allow us to better understand what you need and at what stage of your e-business development you are. If necessary, tell us briefly about your competition, and we will make sure to get to know them better. The market in which you operate is researched in more detail to help you better achieve your goals.
- You will learn how to successfully start your first e-business
- We will help you verify your current ideas.
- You will find answers to your questions.
- You will analyze your actions so far.
Strategy and business goals
Apparently, when it is good, half of the success is already behind you. To create it for you, we will need to find out what you want to achieve, when you would like to do it, and what your business goals are.
Based on your goals, we will create an action plan for you.
- We will create a sales strategy.
- We will develop a marketing activity plan.
Selection of the platform and its implementation
Where and how you sell your goods and services is important. We will help you choose and then we will build for you a platform, website, or landing page that your customers will love.
- We will design the architecture of your e-business.
- We will integrate your platform with external systems.
Development support and sales increase
When everything is ready, the platform and the website are working fine, it’s time to start selling. We can start working together – your knowledge and our skills will be a great duo.
- We will take care of marketing activities.
- We will take care of increasing sales.
- We will build after-sale value for your customers.
- We will improve what you are already working on.
We specialize in:
Introducing business to the web
We help step by step to implement customers and their projects in the world of e-commerce.
Development of sales platforms
We optimize and develop the places where your customers go. Thanks to this, your business grows faster.
Brand building strategy
The strategy we create are maps that give a broader perspective on the business of the network.
Positioning for e-commerce
Your customers should know that your business exists online. We know how to do it.
Internet Analytics
We collect and analyze data about your e-business from the web. All this so that you know more.
Performance Marketing
We know what to do and how to act to get valuable traffic to your website.
Today it is not enough to be online only, you have to have a plan, act effectively and plan your expenses carefully. Together with you, we will create a team to support your e-business.
We will reduce the costs of running an e-business.
- Together with you, we will develop values for your clients.
- We will introduce new sales channels.
- We will increase the efficiency of your business.
We provide modern e-business training
We will teach you how to run a successful online business. We will show you how to monitor competition and how to plan your activities, taking care of your customers at the same time.
- You will learn about the tools of modern e-commerce.
- You will discover new sales channels.
- You will learn what to do to operate more effectively.