• Back to Articles
• Comments
• Share on Twitter
• Share on LinkedIn
• Email to a friend
• Subscribe to RSS
• July 23, 2010

The importance of a good-looking eCommerce website

eCommerce websites are meant to be an alternative to the physical retail world, yet some online store owners will make their sites more confronting than a pushy salesman. We explore some simple steps you can use to keep users coming back to your store

What makes an eCommerce website look safe?

How to make a 'safe looking' eCommerce website

• Keep things simple – your homepage doesn’t need to be cluttered with unnecessary information and it doesn’t need to be big either. In the case of an eCommerce site, have some simple click-through images of current promotions you have that takes the user to the relevant section of the site, but don’t go overboard. If you have lots of promotions on, think about having a cycle of maybe two or three high quality images from a database of maybe 5-10 that show for each user, then have a “view more promotions” link which goes to a promotions/sales page.

• Simplify navigation – your site structure should be straight-forward and easy to understand. Sort your products into their main categories, and have these as accessible buttons on your site. Within these top levels (whether you choose to have drop downs or not) list the sub-categories to make filtering easier, instead of having everything under the one umbrella. You may choose to have every product within a category display under the top level page, but you should make it easy for the user to sort through these products with a filter – e.g. Sort by Price/Brand or add a keyword search field to search within a section. Keep in mind that a product may be able to sit under one category, but it can also be classed in another – don’t restrict it to just one. Remember that not all users search in the same areas for the same product so, where possible, have your products housed in their relevant categories so they’re easy to find.

Show that it’s safe – when asking around, you will find that the “average” user will look for simple telltale signs that a site is secure. What are these signs? Surprisingly, and sometimes a bit concerning, it’s not looking at the security certificate information on a payment form, or checking for the “S” in the URL’s protocol (https:// as opposed to http://). Rather, it’s usually a few simple images that gives the user the idea that the site or payment form is safe, such as this example. It's a good idea to let the user know that there are 'security checks' in place - this gives the visitor peace-of-mind and lets them know that the site is backed by a reputable Internet Security company. Other things we strongly consider having are your direct Contact Details (including a phone number), Privacy Policy, Returns or Refund Policy and the Terms and Conditions of Website use.

What not to do

If you have an eCommerce site, you will probably have promotions running at almost any given time. These specials need to be conveyed to the users in an attractive way, and this is often done on the homepage of the site. The issue with this is that if you put an advertisement on the front page of your website and it's not done properly, you run the risk of giving a bad impression of the rest of your website. As an end-user of shopping websites, you may often encounter bright flashing animations prompting you to click on one of the slides which is meant to take you to a particular page of specials, but by the time you get move your mouse or even finish reading what the ad says, the slide has already changed and your left waiting for the next tiny window of opportunity to navigate your way to the desired page.

An example of what not to do!

Avoid tacky animations that don't give the user enough time to absorb the information - these look tacky and often have the opposite of the intended effect on the user. The example above shows what NOT to do. It's hard on the eyes, unattractive and doesn't tell the user what they're going to be landing on when they click the ad. If it's a promotion, tell the user what's on sale with something like "30-50% Sale on all items by Brand-X". Fast and repetitive images don't work.

• A user usually wants to spend some time on your site - after all, that is the advantage of shopping online - there are no pushy sales people around. So why barrage the user with "in-your-face" imagery? Make things simple and informative, with smooth or slow transitions that give the visitor time to read what's on the screen, as well as click on the ad or slide such as the example below.
  

Have clearly defined call-to-actions. This way a user will know what to expect once they click on the ad. So make sure the landing page is appropriate - ideally the user shouldn't have to navigate any further once they've clicked the promotion advertisement. For example, if your ad has a slide that's offering a sale on a particular brand, have it link to a listing of all items by that brand that are on sale. If the ad is promoting a sale on a specific model from that brand, link the user to a page just for that item.

• Payment forms are where a user enters their valuable personal details, including the details to their credit card - so make them SAFE! Invest some time in designing your payment forms, and include any "secure" logos where possible. Remember, if the user sees a "dodgy" looking payment form (as safe as it may really be), they are not going to think it's safe enough to put their personal details into. You will of course inevitably have a user that may be too afraid to enter their payment details online, no matter how hard you have tried to assure them it is safe. For these cases, you should include as many payment options as possible - including the ability to take an order number and then call up to give the payment details over the phone.

In conclusion

---

eCommerce websites have come a long way in the last few years, with most people who use the internet on a frequent basis having shopped online at least once before. When this method of shopping first came about, there were a lot of concerns regarding the safety of these websites, and although there are still rare occurrences of sites being breached (mainly due to the owners of these sites not implementing proper measures to ensure they are completely secure), most people now shop with confidence on a daily basis. With this rise in consumer confidence, there is a relative rise in competition and thus there is the need for owners of online stores to make their sites stand out amongst the rest.

Of course keeping pricing competitive will contribute largely to the popularity of your website, and will work with word-of-mouth, but simplicity and the demonstration of safety are two basic measures that will go a long way for attracting new users and retaining them in the future.