fifty milliseconds: Just a blink of an eye is what it takes for any average Internet user to form an opinion about an online store, after their computer and/or cell phone open the platform.
After the store is deployed and the user looks at what the brand offers as a presentation template, it takes the user just that fraction of a second to decide whether to continue shopping and exploring the store, or leave it and look for a new one.
With so little time to create a good impression on the consumer, it is therefore important to talk about the relevance of the design of online stores when selling, especially at the end of the year when the purchase intention increases.
5 basic rules of store design
I give you five basic rules that brands should know about the design of online stores, to encourage the creation of platforms that are intuitive and friendly when browsing, in search of success in the last quarter of the year:
1. Useful and attractive home
It is not enough for the welcome page to be aesthetically pleasing. The role of the home pages is to show, on the same screen, all the functionalities of the store, from the purchases per se, to the available catalogs, frequently asked questions and information about the company.
It is also necessary that for a homepage to be functional, have direct links to the products and catalogs available, and that navigation within that home page does not require scrolling and clicking many times until you reach the products. The easier and more direct the process is, the more functional it will be for the user.
2. Featured and Slider Banner
Every startup ‘Home’ has a featured banner. The question is, what are you going to place in that space that stands out from the rest? It’s important for stores to know that they shouldn’t stick to posting just one thing, but can opt for a slider where, with a swipe, people can see different products and ads from the online store, and Click on what most attracts your attention.
This way, in that slider banner, companies can highlight a particular category, seasonal itemsand exclusive offers for events such as the holidays, and others.
3. Big and clear images
It is not enough to see the products from only one angle. For this reason, the images in any online store play a crucial role, since in this way the user can see different perspectives and have details of the characteristics of the products that they are going to purchase.
I also recommend that you not only show the products on their own, but also pictures of those same items in their real environment.
In this way, the potential customer gets a suggestion of what that product would look like in action and generates a more emotional connection that motivates them to buy.
4. Show reviews clearly
What do users rely on to know if a product works as promised by the trade? The answer lies in the opinion of other consumers who have already bought it.
Therefore, it is important that the reviews and the ratings that businesses receive for the selected products are always clearly and easily visible. Using scales such as ‘five stars’ or charts that allow you to immediately know the ‘rating’ of each product will make this process easier for the consumer.
5. Intuitive payments
If all of the above worked, then the user will come to the key point: the payment. It is therefore necessary that online stores do not crumble everything that was previously achieved with a payment experience with friction and little fluidity.
On the contrary, it is necessary to offer a screen that is clear, intuitive and with large payment buttons that help the purchase to be completed in a few clicks. In addition, it is important to enable simple bank data forms that take little time for the user, as well as the ‘Guest payment’ option for those who are not subscribed to the platform.
Another fundamental aspect in the payment experience is the summary of the shopping cart.
As the user adds products, a button should always be visible that reminds the buyer how many products they have saved, in addition to allowing them to access the summary of products to pay with a single click, from that same button. Clear steps in a distraction-free user interface will enable successful completion of purchases.
In conclusion…
The closing of the year and the holidays are a time when consumers have a greater motivation to buy. For this reason, inviting them to go to the online store with positive experiences is a much more efficient strategy than low prices, especially now that consumers are more demanding in terms of customer journey digital.
Carlos Borberg Building and formalizing commercial relationships in Latin America for more than eight years, Carlos enjoys being able to optimize and personalize our merchants’ e-commerce experiences through our large ecosystem of technology partners.