What Do Ecommerce Shoppers Really Want?

Your website is the world’s window into your business. Is your business trustworthy? Efficient? Reliable? These are all questions your potential customers have when visiting your website. But what else are ecommerce shoppers looking for?

A user-friendly experience

The growth of online retail isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. As a result, competition between retailers is becoming increasingly aggressive.

So, what can you do to stand out?

Don’t get caught up in price wars. Focus instead on building a user-friendly website that people love visiting. After all, what’s the point of offering the lowest prices if shoppers can’t spend longer than five seconds on your site without getting frustrated and leaving?

Slow loading images, low quality content and confusing layouts all contribute towards a high bounce rate. A thorough website usability audit by an experienced digital team should help you flag any usability issues that might be affecting user experience.

Clear navigation

Although it might seem like the simplest thing in the world, many businesses overlook the importance of clear navigation on their websites. Your site should direct people where they need to go in the clearest, simplest way possible in as few steps (think clicks) as possible.

The way shoppers navigate your website needs to feel intuitive and effortless. If too much thought and effort is needed to find a particular service page, people aren’t going to stick around.

To keep the number of clicks to a minimum, keep your navigation bar in the same place across your website. Don’t move it from top to bottom and from side to side. Your goal is to present your customers with a solution (your products and services) not a problem (finding them).

Responsive design

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of responsive web design in the past. However, responsive web design is more essential today than ever before. Why? Mobile traffic is now just as prevalent as desktop traffic.

This means than just as many people will view your website on their mobile phones and tablets as do on their desktops. It’s crucial that your site is designed in such a way that it will display properly on screens of all shapes and sizes.

Efficient service

No matter what trends come and go, reliable and efficient service will continue to be one of the most sought-after features of any business – online or not.

Last year, the JDA/Centiro Customer Pulse Report Europe 2016 revealed that 74% of UK shoppers would likely switch to an alternative retailer if they experienced problems with an online order.

However, despite the importance consumers place on reliable service, the same report also shows that a staggering 1 in 2 European shoppers experienced a problem with their online order in the 12 months leading up to the survey. The message to ecommerce retailers is clear: be efficient and reliable if you hope to attract (and retain) business online.

Need help?

Here at Bing Digital we believe in user-friendly web design. To find out more, take a look at our e-commerce services or give us a call on 020 8242 1954.