Key Elements to Consider While Building an E-commerce Platform

E-commerce is booming with every passing day and offers businesses unique ways to communicate with their target market all across the world by integrating AI features. Having a user-friendly E-commerce site is no longer an option for most businesses; it is a need for any business looking to grow, stay competitive, expand globally, and uncover new prospects these days. 

Global retail e-commerce revenues reached $4.9 trillion in 2021. With an increase of 50% in the next four years, the value is expected to reach around $7.4 trillion. It is because these platforms enable businesses in any industry to launch an online retail store and expand the products and services to a global clientele. Starting your own E-commerce platform gives you complete control over the user experience, from branding to shipping and customer care.

In this blog, we will discuss the importance of developing an E-commerce website and the main aspects to consider when doing so.

1. Select the Right Technology

The advantages that companies want from their online shopping services determine what platform they would use. For small businesses, an open-source system is sufficient. It is because the licensing is affordable and the setup requires minimal effort. 

Larger enterprises need more intricate E-commerce website functionality and architectures, as well as more adaptable platforms with endless customization options. Nowadays, there are numerous E-commerce platforms accessible, allowing any company to pick one that meets its requirements. WooCommerce, Shopify, and Wix E-commerce platforms are ideal for SMEs, however, large organizations may require a platform with more strong functions and capacities.

Consider a company that sells thousands of items, provides shipping and accepts a variety of payment methods. In this case, an E-commerce website has the ability to establish product pages, set up multiple product pages and add payment methods, etc. 

Some of the prominent E-commerce market players include Oracle, Magento, IBM WebSphere, etc. Despite the fact that these solutions are quite expensive, large organizations can recoup their investment because these E-commerce platforms bring value to the business by easily enabling high-volume procedures.

2. Project appealing Website Design

Businesses must attract and catch the attention of clients if they are to stand out among similarly themed online retailers. As a result, businesses frequently employ website builder software to make an interactive and responsive design with a great look and feel, good usability, and excellent visuals.

The following are some factors to consider while developing an E-commerce website:

1. Place your best-selling products on the homepage to save your consumers time and satisfy their needs.
2. Use category filters to make decision-making easier and buyer’s product suggestions based to boost sales.
3. Provide detailed shipping information for good service to the clients.
4. To build trust include contact information as well as a feedback option.
5. Include a wishlist tool as well as the possibility for product reviews and ratings to assist customers in making better judgments.
6. Use high-quality product photographs 
7. Make sure there is adequate white space on the page for a more appealing appearance.

3. Integrate CMS with the Online Store

A content management system allows you to store and administer all of your textual and graphic content, as well as marketing documents, in one location (CMS). You can make revisions or add new material after it has been published, and the website will immediately update to keep up with the changes.

A CMS will also assist your personnel in quickly resolving client tickets. Magento is an example of a ready-made solution. Because the alternative is open-source, and simple to add to your website code.

4. Ensure Compliance & Cybersecurity

Payment security is extremely critical due to the significant challenges generated by cybercrime and the expanding customer payment data on the web. As a result, E-commerce companies must prioritize the availability of secure payments by implementing end-to-end encryption, authorization requests, etc to keep payment-related customer data safe.

Cybercriminals often exploit personal user information in addition to payment-related data. SSL certificates encrypt confidential data, making it impossible for intruders to access and use it maliciously. 

5. Optimize Website Navigation & Search Options

If visitors can’t readily find what they’re looking for on your E-commerce platform, they’re unlikely to stay for long, much alone place an order hence a user-friendly design is essential to make buyer navigation easier. This means that instead of clicking aimlessly and failing to find what they’re looking for, consumers should naturally know where to find a website section.

When developing navigation options, ensure that the website’s architecture is understandable. Product categories should be organized effectively into relevant groups. Users can also search and filter products based on style, size, price, manufacturer, and other pertinent criteria.

Another critical component is a robust search feature, especially for an E-commerce website with a large number of products. The inclusion of ‘related searches’ and autocomplete capabilities would greatly improve navigation!

6. Write Detailed & Informative Product Descriptions

It is critical to provide prospective consumers with all of the information they require by providing your online store with detailed, comprehensive product descriptions that will serve as salespeople. 

Because your customers can’t touch or view their things from every angle, you must provide them with all of the information they need to visualize your product in their minds like adding the color, weight, size, etc of the product. 

The following aspects should be included in the product description:

• Product and feature overviews.
• High-quality graphics 
• Specifics about the manufacturer and the manufacturing method
• Shipping details
• Product warranty/guarantee information
• Discounts and prices
• The product’s availability
• Customer feedback

7. Provide Easy access to Customer Support & Contact Information

According to the Payments Methods Report, millennials enjoy customization, such as personalized recommendations from a support representative. While online firms attempt to make this feasible, customer service representatives can assist clients with the order, payment, and return concerns, among other things. Integrating AI-powered chatbots, clickable phone numbers, or email addresses on your website will allow you to answer client inquiries swiftly and consistently.

Make your physical address and contact information available on the website to improve your reliability. Consider including a Whatsapp or Messenger chat option for the younger population, that prefers to communicate online.

8. Keep Checkout Process Simple

Ensure that your clients do not abandon their carts owing to an overly complicated checkout process. As a result, your online business should make it easy to add items to the cart and speed up the checkout process. Create simple-to-fill-out forms with an auto-save function so that clients can make quick purchases. The buyers can also be allowed to checkout as a guest if they want to make an anonymous transaction. 

Other changes that can be added to the checkout process include:

• A striking checkout button
• Various payment options
• Cart contents can be easily edited.
• No unexpected or hidden fees at the checkout.
• Rapid loading time
• Coupon buttons and promo codes
• Simple and uncomplicated shopping cart design
• Support department availability by phone

9. Implement Right SEO Tactics

In terms of bad reputations, Google’s latest user advantage is the ability to report websites that take too long to load. According to a Think with Google study, consumers are 90% more likely to abandon a page that takes up to five seconds to load. This emphasizes the importance of optimizing your website and ensuring that it is running at peak efficiency.

SEO focuses on improving your website’s search engine rating and increasing revenue by employing a diversity of approaches and strategies. Don’t forget to include keywords in the content that will be used on the website. Include keywords in new website content such as page names, descriptions, and image captions. Many experts fail to recognize that if you include “alt” descriptions with your visual content, clients can find you via image search.

Finally, testing is essential to ensure there are no technical issues. Running an A/B test is an important step in website development because insufficient testing can lead to the accumulation of technical debt.

10. Mobile Friendly Adaptation

According to HootSuite’s Digital Report, 5.112 billion unique mobile device users – or almost two-thirds of the world’s population – spend 48% of their online time on mobile devices. Furthermore, the majority of smartphone users prefer to purchase items online.

As a result, it is critical to ensure that your E-commerce website is mobile-friendly and responsive, so that users have the greatest experience possible regardless of the device they use to access it. A responsive website design strives to provide mobile device users with a positive experience with your platform, from navigation through payment and checkout.

11. User-generated Content & Reviews

UGC is an excellent method of generating social proof for your offerings. Along with photographs and videos, it can include reviews and testimonials, which can be quite beneficial to your company. In fact, a lack of reviews on your website might easily turn off potential customers, leading them to seek out alternative businesses.

Consider how you may acquire and display consumer feedback, as it is always useful for increasing the trustworthiness of your website. Customers may be able to submit video evaluations and product images, in addition to textual reviews and product unboxings, to the website. You can also have a comment carousel on the main page with links to the products that have been reviewed.

12. Price Filters & Wishlists

By implementing price filters, you can provide your consumers with the choice of searching and sorting for products within their specified budget. The whole pricing of the products should be clear, with no hidden fees. An E-commerce website should also have a wishlist. It enables your clients to save a product for later use if they do not need to make a purchase right away. Remember to make your wishlist appealing and engaging so that website visitors can readily see it and have the desire to use it.

The e-commerce sector is expanding like never before as more shoppers begin to shop online at their leisure and preferred time. Any organization can employ theE-commerce web development tactics outlined above to alleviate the industry’s basic obstacles. Understanding the business requirements, optimizing the website content, and providing the best services to attract customers are all part of the process. By taking these factors into account, you can develop an E-commerce platform that provides a great user experience, converts visitors into purchase leads, and generates revenues. 

By leveraging robust technologies, Intagleo helps you in choosing the best E-commerce software that can assist you in creating an ideal store in terms of both style and functionality. Get in touch with us now to transform your business processes.