E-commerce Checklist

A domain name serves as the digital address and brand identity for an e-commerce store. A memorable, clear, and relevant domain name can significantly influence user trust, brand recognition, and search engine rankings.

Key Considerations:

• Relevance: The domain name should closely relate to the store’s brand, products, or value proposition.
• Memorability: Shorter names, or names that evoke strong imagery, are often easier to remember. Avoid using complex spellings or numbers (exceptions include brands that incorporate numbers into their titles, such as forever21.com).
• Simplicity: Avoid hyphens or numbers, which can confuse users or lead to mistyped URLs.
• Domain Extension: While “.com” remains a popular and trusted choice, consider other TLDs (Top-Level Domains) or ccTLDs (country code Top-Level Domains) that may better align with your brand or location, like “.store” or “.de”.
• Keyword Consideration: While not essential, if a domain name naturally includes keywords related to the business, it can be beneficial for SEO.

Wrapping it up

Your domain name isn’t just a URL. It’s the first handshake with your audience, introducing your brand to the online world. Make it count by ensuring it’s relevant, memorable, and reflective of your brand’s essence.

Real-life Examples:

Websites like “Shoes.com” or “GlassesDirect.co.uk” are excellent examples. They offer an immediate understanding of what they sell through their domain names alone. Conversely, inventive names such as “Zappos” may not immediately suggest the product, but their memorable quality, paired with robust branding, has cemented their status as iconic names in the world of e-commerce.

Choosing the right e-commerce platform is foundational to an online store’s success. It affects functionality, user experience, scalability, and even marketing capabilities.

Key Considerations:

• Needs Assessment: Before deciding on a platform, list the specific features and requirements for the business. For instance, a large-scale operation may require advanced inventory management features.
• Scalability: As your business grows, your platform should be able to accommodate increased traffic and sales without performance issues.
• Customization: A platform should allow design and functionality tweaks to align with brand requirements.
• Integration: The chosen platform must be compatible with other tools and software used in the business, such as CRM systems or email marketing tools.
• Security: The platform should be known for robust security measures, mainly if it handles sensitive customer data.
• Budget: While you shouldn’t compromise on essential features, always keep the budget in mind. Some platforms may offer essential features at a more affordable rate.

Wrapping it up

The right e-commerce platform can make or break your online store. It’s the foundation of your business. Therefore, you need to make an informed choice based on your needs.

A website that systematically establishes trust with its audience is more likely to convert visitors into loyal customers. This is achieved through various strategies, such as creating a professional and user-friendly design, providing high-quality content, and using social proof to showcase positive reviews and feedback from satisfied customers. When visitors feel confident that a website is trustworthy, they are more likely to engage with the content, make purchases, and recommend the site to others.

Encouraging customers to sign up for email updates is a crucial aspect of building a long-term relationship

Understanding email sign-ups

Email sign-ups allow businesses to collect users’ email addresses, which can be used for various marketing purposes, including sending regular updates, promotional offers, and personalized recommendations.

The importance of encouraging email sign-ups

Encouraging email sign-ups on your website is a crucial strategy for expanding your customer base and enhancing customer relationships. It lets you maintain regular contact with your users, keep them informed about your offerings, encourage them to return to your website, and drive more sales.

Best practices for encouraging email sign-ups

Encouraging email sign-ups is not about irritating your website visitors but about providing value. Here are some strategies to effectively encourage sign-ups:

Prominent Sign-up Forms: Place your sign-up forms strategically on your website. Common locations include the header, footer, or pop-up. Ensure it’s highly visible yet not disruptive to the user’s browsing experience.

Provide Motivators: Offering motivators such as discounts on the next purchase, free shipping, or exclusive access to sales can significantly increase sign-up rates.

Simplify the Sign-up Process: An easy sign-up process is less likely to deter potential subscribers. Avoid asking for too much information; an email address should suffice for the initial sign-up.

Privacy Assurance: In an era where data privacy is a hot topic, it’s crucial to assure customers that their information will be used responsibly. Make your privacy policy readily available and easy to understand.

A clear and visible CTA on each page is a powerful strategy to direct user behavior and promote conversions.

What is Call-to-Action (CTA)?

A Call-to-Action or CTA is an instruction designed to prompt an immediate response from the user. It is typically presented as a clickable button or link, encouraging users to engage in a specific action such as “Buy Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Learn More.”

The importance of CTAs on each page

Including a CTA on every page ensures that users have a clear path to conversion at any point during their navigation. CTAs guide what steps to take next, thus preventing confusion or indecision and enhancing user engagement.

Effective implementation of CTAs

Here are some key strategies to effectively implement CTAs on each web page:

• Visibility: CTAs should be prominently placed and easy to spot, using contrasting colors or design elements that make them stand out from the surrounding content.
• Clarity: The message in the CTA should be concise and direct, clearly indicating what action the user is expected to take.
• Strategic Placement: Depending on the page’s purpose, the CTA should be placed where it is most likely to attract user attention and encourage action (404 erroor page, blog, news).

Let’s look at a few examples

E-commerce websites like Backcountry and LARQ skillfully use CTAs on every page to guide user actions and facilitate the purchase process.

Visually distinctive clickable elements are crucial in guiding the user’s navigation through the site.

Understanding clickable elements

Clickable elements refer to parts of the website that users can interact with, such as buttons, links, and interactive images. They serve as interactive signals, directing users to different website sections or prompting specific actions.

If clickable elements aren’t easily distinguishable from other website content, it may lead to user clarity or a lack of interaction, hampering the overall user experience.

Implementing distinctive clickable elements

All major players in e-commerce, like Peakdesign, Third Love, Test and Test, are already using these techniques:

Contrasting Colors and Designs: Using colors and designs that contrast the rest of the website can make clickable elements stand out, effectively guiding the user’s attention. (Website: Peakdesign)

Consistent Styling: Applying a consistent style to clickable elements across the website lets users quickly identify them, reducing cognitive load and enhancing the user experience. (Peakdesign)

Descriptive Text: Clickable elements should carry clear, descriptive text indicating their function or the page they will direct users to. (Peakdesign)

Avoiding repetitive data entry is an important aspect of creating a positive user experience on e-commerce websites

What’s repetitive data entry?

Repetitive data entry refers to situations where users must input the same information repeatedly during a single visit or across multiple visits to the website. This could range from personal details and shipping addresses to payment information.

Repetitive data entry can lead to user frustration, creating a negative experience that might discourage users from completing a purchase or returning to the website. In an era where seamless user experiences are the norm, it’s vital for e-commerce platforms to make their data entry processes as efficient and user-friendly as possible.

What can you do about it?

There are several techniques e-commerce sites can use to minimize repetitive data entry:

• Data Persistence: This involves saving users’ previously entered data to be automatically populated when needed, eliminating the need for users to re-enter the same information.
• User Accounts and Profiles: Encouraging users to create an account where their personal information, preferences, and payment details can be saved reduces the need for repetitive data entry in future sessions.
• Guest Checkout Option: This option can be valuable for users who want to make a quick, one-off purchase without creating an account. It should require only the essential information to facilitate the transaction.

In Practice

Big names in e-commerce, like Amazon and BestBuy, are already managing this by using features that remember you and your preferences.

Excessive scrolling can be a major barrier to usability and overall user experience on an e-commerce website.

Defining scrolling efficiency

Scrolling efficiency is a website design approach that reduces the scrolling required to navigate a website or complete a specific task. In e-commerce, efficient scrolling is key to maintaining user engagement and enhancing conversion rates.

Keep in mind, it’s all about making your visitors feel comfortable and in control.

Some nifty tricks to minimize scrolling

• Above the Fold Content: Maximize the impact of the content visible without scrolling by featuring key products, deals, or information prominently.
• Collapsible Menus and Filters: Use these features to manage extensive content or product lists, allowing users to access what they need without endless scrolling.
• Sticky Header: Implement a header that stays visible as the user scrolls, allowing them to navigate to different parts of the site effortlessly.
• Back to Top Button: This feature can be beneficial on long pages, offering a shortcut back to the top of the page.

A Peek into the Real World

Lots of successful e-commerce websites are already winning at this. Take a look at how eBay or ASOS do it.

eBay

ASOS

Minimizing the clicking a user has to do on an e-commerce website is crucial for maintaining user engagement and providing a seamless user experience.

Understanding click efficiency

Click efficiency refers to optimizing a website to minimize the number of user interactions – such as mouse clicks or screen taps – required to achieve a specific objective. In e-commerce, an efficient click pathway can significantly enhance the user experience, improve customer satisfaction, and boost conversion rates.

Strategies for reducing clicks

Improving click efficiency involves several strategies:

• Intuitive Site Navigation: The website should have a clear, easy-to-understand navigation structure that allows users to reach their desired page with the least number of clicks.
• Compelling Search Features: A practical search function can help users quickly find what they’re looking for, reducing the need for excessive navigation.
• Clear and Concise Content: Information on the website should be clear and concise, helping users make quick decisions without needing to click through multiple pages.
• Streamlined Checkout Process: Simplify the checkout process by reducing the steps needed to complete a purchase.
• Breadcrumb Navigation: This feature helps users understand their location within the website’s hierarchy, providing shortcuts to previously visited pages and reducing unnecessary clicking.