There is a lot to be said for convenience and simplicity. These are just two factors that heavily impact the consumer experience, which in turn affects your conversion rates. Learn more about these 5 common mistakes or “sins” of website design. A recent article published through Practical Ecommerce explores 5 items that as a business owner, you should be aware of:
1. Poor Mobile Accessibility
Forrester Research predicts that sales through this medium will reach $25 billion in 2013. Retailers must be prepared for it.
2. Complicated Checkout Experience
The checkout process should be secure, simple, and fast.
3. Low Quality Images
Visitors want to zoom in as close as they can and they want ample product information; details, dimensions, and more.
4. Difficult Site Navigation
A retail site should present product information in a way that helps visitors make an informed buying decision. Choose a design that is both attractive and simple.
5. Small Font Size
A major demographic in online shoppers include less computer savvy users, who might benefit from larger, legible fonts. Don’t eliminate these shoppers through smaller text.
It’s always helpful to have a concise checklist to refer to when making sure everything is on track. Although there are 5 items mentioned, each falls under either the category of convenience or simplicity. As long as these 2 characteristics are honored, it’s hard to go wrong. However, remaining current is also critical. Recall that just a short time ago, retail sites weren’t required to be accessed easily on a phone. But in 2013, mobile visitors expect the merchant to be ready for them. The checkout experience is also directly related to simplicity. This is the reason that Amazon’s one click checkout has been so successful. Miva Merchant has a newly released one-page checkout for our customers, as well. With One-Page Checkout, you can optimize your checkout flow and get your customers throught the checkout process quicker. We have taken all the work out of process; it’s effortless. The consumer experience is an especially critical factor in international Ecommerce, as delivering the full landed costs including duty/tax calculation prior to checkout is also expected. As far as images go, the more zoom and product detail you can provide to consumers the better chance you have in creating a successful conversion. Site navigation must be user friendly. Lastly, trends in color, font, and layout change all the time. It’s necessary to keep up with each of these traits through investing in UI/UX design which was a hot topic at MivaCon 2013!
To learn more about the topic of 5 Sins of Site Design please refer to Practical Ecommerce’s Website.
Sarah Lee is a Marketing Associate for Bongo International. Follow Bongo International on Facebook and Twitter, too!
Bongo International is the fastest growing international e-commerce solution designed to help US-based merchants expand their business to the global market. Their modular approach enables them to create a custom international solution for each US retailer.They screen all international shoppers to prevent fraudulent orders, resulting in an impressive 0.0% fraud rate throughout company history.
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