Ecommerce usability and conversion guidelines help ecommerce site owners and site designers design an ecommerce website keeping the target users in mind. You cannot afford to ignore your users as they are the ones who pay out of their pockets to buy what you sell on online stores. They must get special treatment by way of making your online store aligned towards what they are seeking.
As users enter your ecommerce store, make sure they get what they are looking for without wasting any time. For this you must ensure that they get a pleasant feeling when they visit your store, hence the web design and layout should be such that it impresses them and gives them the confidence of buying by giving them a feeling that the store is a genuine one. Make sure the website navigation is streamlined and helps them reach various important sections without digging deep.
Things that enhances the credibility of an ecommerce store is transparency of information that matters to consumers. This includes product information, shipping details, payment options, taxes, if any, company information, address, customer service details, etc. If all this is stated clearly on the site, it makes the consumer think that the online store will provide quality products at suitable price on time.
You must also have an FAQ page answering all possible questions that a consumer may have about a store. Other important sections are About Us, Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, etc. Mention company address and contact number clearly. This is how they are prompted to do online shopping from such a store.
Next, important factor that affects ecommerce usability and conversion is the shopping process. Once the user is satisfied about the quality of products and service, he clicks the Buy Now button. What happens after that must be completely secure and safe. The user is required to submit his personal as well as bank or credit card details. Make sure that the buying form is simple and the whole check out process works fine without a single glitch. Even the slightest of doubt in the mind of the user can make him drop the idea of purchase from your store.
Tell the users that your site follows a secure and safe buying experience and that their credit card and other information is encrypted. Also, tell them that your site protects them from online fraud. Have users confirm their order once before final payment is done. When the payment process is complete tell them about order number, date when they will receive the order and about online order tracking. A conformation mail must also be sent to the user with their complete order details and thanking them for placing the order. All these are important aspects of ecommerce usability and business success.
