Ecommerce has now become one of the major sources of income for many businesses. Christmas is around the corner, which means people will be buying gifts. If you don’t have an ecommerce website yet, this is the ideal time to develop one and make more profits.

Ecommerce web design is not difficult. For it to succeed however, you must pay attention to small details. Your design must satisfy all your customers’ needs.

• Accommodate All Types of Users- Some of your visitors may want to take a look at products you are offering, while some will buy them. Your design must satisfy a window shopper as well as a customer.

Now, window shoppers may not be buying a product immediately, but, if they like your products and the usability of your site, there’s a good chance they will come back to purchase later.

• Write a Compelling Copy for Your Landing Page- A regular blog reader may have the patience to read long paragraphs, but online customers like to read short and interesting content that is beneficial for them.

You should write a compelling copy for your landing page/homepage and encourage your customers to check your product lists. For instance, a sentence like “buy any book from our vast online library and get another book for flat 50% off” is likely to increase your conversion rate.

• Use Innovative Headings- This is important for every product in your online store. Write a clear, strong heading that tells the buyer the benefits of buying your product. For instance, if you are selling an iPhone 4S, you can write, “iPhone 4S – One year additional warranty included for free.”
• Innovative Call-to-Action- A simply “buy now” button beside every product is not effective in increasing sales. You must make your call-to-action message interesting. For instance, a call-to-action like “check our half price book list” is more effective than a simple, “check our book collection.”
• Good Quality Images- You must use high quality images for your products, because online products can’t be checked physically. Thus, you have to convince visitors about the quality of your products by showing them high quality images.

Show at least 3 images of every product from different angles to satisfy your customers.

• Allow Product Review- A person will generally be looking for his favorite products and read customer reviews to take a buying decision. You should give your customers an option to post product reviews on your website and simultaneously, allow them to read previous reviews.
• Create an Efficient the Checkout Process- Filling up a long form is like waiting in a long queue to purchase a product. Users hate it!

Break your checkout process into 2 or 3 parts and guide your customers step-by-step through the form. For instance, you can break your checkout page into 3 parts – sign up, shipping address and payment. When a customer arrives on the sign-up page, include a heading that says “part 1 of 3”. This will tell the customer how small or big the checkout process is.

Remember, the longer the check-out process, the greater the chances of customers exiting your page. Avoid unnecessary fields in your checkout forms.

• Guide Users through Checkout- Assist your customers when filling up forms. Mark the mandatory fields so they don’t miss filling them. Be sure to pop-out error messages when there is a mistake. For instance, if a customer forgets to write “@” in the “email address” field, show an error message to help him identify his mistake.
• Offer Contact Details and a Business Policy- You must give your contact details to win your customers’ trust. Include your phone number, email address and mailing address in your website.

Additionally, include your shipping policy, return policy, etc, to create an honest and transparent image. When you establish a trustworthy brand image, you sell more products, without spending too much on advertisements.

• Always Test Your Site- Once your site goes live, you need to test it for usability. Ecommerce websites are generally vast and even a single broken link can mar your reputation. Ensure that checkout forms are working correctly.

If you find any fault in your site, repair it immediately to give your customers an enjoyable shopping experience.

You should follow these aforementioned guidelines to optimize your ecommerce site. However, if you lack experience in website development, hire a website development company to develop your site.