14 Components Of A Successful E-commerce Website

1.Responsive web design.

Nowadays more and more people started to use mobile phones more than laptops and computers.

That is why having a mobile-friendly version of your e-commerce website is quite. important. Some of the well-known e-commerce shops declared that their sales increased by 98% after optimizing its mobile website.

2. The speed of your e-commerce website is one of the most crucial factors that can influence sales.

Increasing the loading speed of the website by 3 seconds increases the revenue by 10-12%. Delay of 1 second can potentially cost an owner an annual loss of $2.5 million. A site taking 3 or more seconds to load gets 22% fewer conversion. 

Source: https://www.google.com.tr/amp/s/cedcommerce.com/blog/elements-of-successful-ecommerce-websites/

You can accelerate the loading time by

-Reducing the number of pictures

-Cashing the browser

-Optimizing the files and compressing the images. Use JPG for images and keep them under 150 kb or around. Images that don’t load or take too long to load will see a consumer drop-off rate of 39%.

Source:https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ecommerce-guide/must-have-website-features/

Try to use a minimalistic web design that will not only help with the speed acceleration but also ensure the customer is focused on the products to buy rather than on some other attention distracting elements. In this sense using templates can help. 

3.Easy Navigation

76% of consumers say the most important characteristic of a website is the ease of use.

Source:https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/14953/What-Do-76-of-Consumers-Want-From-Your-Website-New-Data.aspx

Place the menu bar on the top or on the left side of the page.

Improve the search with autocomplete search function.

Use breadcrumb navigation that helps the browser jump to any section in the middle of the home page and the product being browsed which makes the search short and to-the-point.

It also makes the website look more clear and better looking.

There are 2 types of breadcrumb navigation that are suitable for e-commerce websites: location-based breadcrumb and attribute-based breadcrumb.

The first one represents the website structure and lets the customers jump directly to other products rather than navigating to previous pages one by one.

The second one lists the categories of a specific page or product.

The example below shows the difference between these 2 types.

4. The homepage of the e-commerce website

On the top:

Sign in/log on, currency/language change, brand logo, search bar, navigation bar, shopping cart, wish list is also possible.

The middle part of the home page should include such customer attention attracting elements as bestsellers, popular products, discounts, special offers, new collections, new products or its new versions.

Placing the clients' reviews about the webshop, its story and advantages may increase the customers' trust.

On the bottom of the page, you can place the links to the FAQ section that, which in its turn, should include such aspects as the return policy (this one can be also presented separately), shipping details, payment information and the other details that could be interesting for the customers, terms and conditions, blog, social media accounts, subscription, payment options icons (optional).

Contact information is also a crucial point that creates trust. It can be presented on the top and on the bottom of the page as well as on the contact us page.

5. Call-to-actions is a must for every e-commerce website.

Where to place?

Placing in the middle provides a higher click-through rate. However, the place of the CTA should be logical.

Which colour to use?

According to surveys red and green are more likely to be chosen by the users.

There should be enough white space around it. The text on it shouldn't go into conflict with the bottom colour. The text on it should be clear and consist maximum of two words. The CTA button itself should be easy to notice.

6.Payments and security

Try to use as many payment options as possible so that the customers feel comfortable while making this choice.

Security is also important for your website. Especially for E-commerce websites.

Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce websites already have security features. However for the others:

-Make sure that you have an SSL certificate, it ensures a secure connection between the buyer and the website.

-Use 2 factor-authentication represents an extra security level by requiring login/password and a code sent via email or mobile phone.

Sometimes the competitors may use special bots to scrap the content, prices, personal data, credit cards details and so on. In order to protect your website against such bots, it is recommended to use real-time bot detectors.

Don't forget about the firewall that helps to block the harmful traffic.

Adjust the system so that it could make the customer creating a secure password.

7. Registration on the website.

Allow your clients to buy your products without registration but at the same time try to encourage them to register.

You can do it using various tricks.

For example make the order tracking system, adding the products to the wishlist, and providing special discount codes available only for personal account holders.

8.Product Pictures

Nowadays buyers want to see many pictures of the same product, also having a zoom option is a must.

Photographs have to be of a high-resolution and optimized for a page load.

9. Order management system

Permits the customers to receive information about the order status.

It is also necessary for the vendors as they can see all the orders placed, track them and understand if they are fulfilled and completed on time or not.

10.Clear checkout process

It is essential for the customer to have an opportunity to check what he is going to purchase.

So make sure that your check out page's design is simple, clear and doesn't have any attention frustrating elements. This page should load fast.

11. Sharing option.

Make sure you have it for each of your products, the customer's wish list and for your blog articles (if you have).

This is a good opportunity to attract traffic to the website and to benefit from the power of the word of mouth.

12. Wish lists.

There are 2 main reasons why the wish lists are important:

-They create engagement for the buyers

-They serve as a good source for the marketing information

13. Customer reviews and product ratings.

You can give the possibility to the buyer to leave the reviews and ratings for each product as well as for the E-shop itself. It will facilitate the purchase decision making of your clients.

Don't be afraid of the negative reviews, you can take the opportunity from them as they serve as good feedback for you. Besides, dealing with them in a proper way will help you to increase the trust of your company and to build good relations with your customer.

14. "You may also like this" products.

The psychologists say that even this phrase can increase our serotonin level when we hear it.

This is a good way to increase the number of purchased items.

This way is successfully used here in Turkey where I live. If you visit any boutique and choose one thing you will be always advised to buy this item related products.

This category can also include offering similar products to the buyer.