7 Effective Tips to Design a Conversion-Driven E-commerce Site

Have you ever experienced visiting an online store only to leave immediately? And it is not because the product you are looking for is unavailable.

You left because the website looks confusing.

Do not worry, you are not alone. In fact, the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.57%.

If you want to have an e-commerce website to drive more sales, make sure to follow these conversion-driven design tips:

Best E-commerce Site Design Practices For Conversions in 2022

1. Make it Clean and Simple

According to a study by EyeQuant, online stores that adopt a clean and simple look saw less bounce rate and more conversions. And by “clean and simple look” we mean more white space, less text, and high-quality images.

It may seem daunting to redesign your e-commerce site to adopt a clean and simple look. Nonetheless, following these quick tips is pretty straightforward:

Focus on product imagery instead of adding design elements that can distract your potential customer’s attention.
Use a large CTA button to direct a buyer to add an item to their cart or to proceed with the purchase.
Limit the colors on your product page so that buyers can focus on what you are selling.
If the product page is okay without an added design element, let it be.
Do not forget to test your checkout process to see if it is as streamlined as it can be.

2. Use Clear Purchase CTAs

A clear call-to-action (CTA) is what can make a site visitor become a paying customer in a short amount of time.

While your CTA can be as simple as “Add to Basket” or “Proceed to Checkout,” the key here is to make it stand out from the rest of the page. Use contrasting colors so it can grab a site visitor’s attention, as well as compel them to take action.

Another tip is to make your CTA short and sweet just like the two examples we used earlier. The key here is to ensure that your desired action is aligned with the site visitor’s intent.

Let’s say you have a blog and a site visitor landed on your blog post. It is less likely that they have the intention to buy one of your products. So, adding a “Buy Now” CTA will not make sense, either.

3. Make Your Payment Channels Visible

Nowadays, you no longer need a credit card to make an online payment.

There’s direct debit, bank transfer, digital wallets, and digital currencies. In some countries, there are payment gateways that allow third-party money transfer.

And while it is impossible to include hundreds of payment channels on your e-commerce site, it is imperative to cater to what the majority of your customers have.

Say, the majority of your buyers are from Southeast Asia, you may want to consider direct debit, bank transfers, and Paypal. And then make sure that it is clearly stated on your product page and checkout page.

PRO TIP: Accommodate at least the top three payment channels in your sector, and see a 30% increase in your conversion rate.

In addition, limiting your payment options to three can make it easy for you and your customers to monitor and prevent chargeback scams. Though, as an ecommerce site owner there are merchant chargeback rights that you have.

4. Simplify Your Checkout Process

While a clear CTA can compel site visitors to add an item to their cart, what really brings in sales is whether they will proceed with the checkout. And that can only happen if you will simplify the checkout process.

You can opt to emulate Amazon’s one-click checkout process, allowing your customers to skip the “Add to Cart” part and proceed with the purchase. Doing so will enable site visitors to place an order 90% less than it could have take them using the traditional method.

And this will not just help boost your e-commerce sale, it can also lessen your cart abandonment rate. Mind you, one of the top reasons customers abandon their online cart is due to a complicated checkout process. Moreso if that customer is on mobile.

5. Add a Customer Review Section

Customer reviews are one of the best ways to compel a site visitor to buy. In fact, 87% of people trust product reviews they read online.

That said, make sure that you have a customer review section on your product page. Doing so enables site visitors who are interested in a particular product to see what your previous customers have to say.

Not to mention that customer reviews can help with their purchase decision.

6. Use Excellent Product Photography

Humans are visual beings by nature. Hence, a high-quality product image is a pivotal way to drive e-commerce conversion. Not to mention that it can also help with your e-commerce fulfillment strategy.

For one, a product image is what grabs your potential buyer’s attention. Second, this one of the few ways (if not the only way) that you can showcase your products. Keep in mind that your customers cannot touch your products. Hence, your product image is their only way to scrutinize the item the want to buy.

Here are some quick product photography tips you should keep in mind:

For White-Background, Product-Only Images. Make sure to showcase your product from multiple angles.
For Lifestyle Product Image. Showcase how your product is meant to be used.

7. Optimize for Mobile

We all know that more than half of Internet traffic is from mobile. But did you know how many of those mobile Internet users made an online purchase in the past six months? It’s a whopping 79%!

This makes it essential to ensure that your e-commerce site is mobile-friendly and to get that, you need to choose a good eCommerce platform this resource should come in handy! Not to mention that more and more people are accessing the Internet and doing their transactions while on the go.

But other than accommodating mobile Internet users, making your online store mobile-friendly can also impact your search ranking.

You may think that an e-commerce business is all about generating sales. While that is not totally false, you also have to consider how web design can help drive revenue for your online store.

Do you have other e-commerce site design tips you would like to share? Let us know in the comments!