Essential features of an E-commerce website

(co-well, 2022)

Hello guys, in my opinion, out there are 7 essential features for a website, and those are :

Mobile-friendly design: Mobile devices are now the main source of website traffic, and 61% of consumers are more likely to buy from sites that are mobile-friendly. In other words, making your eCommerce website mobile-friendly can increase both traffic and conversions. To make your website mobile-friendly, use responsive web design - this is the best practice for e-commerce web design.

(Levanier, 2022)

User-friendly navigation: If your website is difficult for users to find what they need, they're less likely to stay on your site and make a purchase. Convenient and easy-to-use navigation is one of the most important features of an e-commerce website. For great e-commerce UX design, make sure your menus are easy to use and allow users to browse different product categories. 

You can also allow users to sort and filter products based on price, style, size, manufacturer, and other characteristics. The features you include in your e-Commerce web design depend on the products you offer and the characteristics your customer's value.

Multiple security features: Another e-commerce website must-have is adequate security. Customers' data must be protected, and visitors must see that your site is trustworthy and secure. If shoppers don’t trust your site, they likely won’t make a purchase.

A lack of security can also put your business at risk financially and legally. (Berry, 2022)

Some of the most vital site security steps include:

• Securing your website by purchasing a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate
• Using a credit card verification value (CVV) and address verification system (AVS) at checkout
• Maintaining a secure password and updating it on a regular basis

Prominent shopping cart and checkout buttons: Easy-to-use cart and checkout features are vital e-commerce website features. Your 'add to cart' and 'check out' buttons should be prominently displayed on your site to encourage sales. Show the user all the relevant information when they click into their cart, such as the name, price, and quantity of each product.

From the cart, shoppers should also be able to remove items or change the number of items. Also, allow customers to save their cart so they can come back to it later. 

Multiple payment options: The main reason, companies are offering multiple payment options is that will help maximize your translation rate. Providing multiple payment methods also makes checkout easy for your customers.(Benefits of Multiple Payment Options for Businesses, 2022)

(Payment Methods | Braintree Payments, 2022)

High-quality photos and videos e-commerce essentials: 

The importance of product photography in eCommerce is immense: when shopping online, shoppers do not have the benefit of being able to see the product before them, but photos are the perfect solution to this. 

There are so many benefits of product photographs:

• Your customers will know what they can expect from them.
• An image of high quality implies a high-quality product; it creates a good first impression.
• Your eCommerce store inspires customers to buy with confidence from your store.
• Photographic images are more appealing than written copy.
• Photographs are an excellent way to establish your brand identity.
• Photography plays a key role in the decision-making process – it will increase your conversion rate.
• Product photos can be used as a marketing touchstone across all of your marketing channels.
• Images are more accessible to mobile audiences.
• A custom product photograph allows you to highlight your product's unique selling points to stand out from the competition.(Bhatoa, 2022)

(Edwards, 2022)

Contact page with multiple contact options: 

Contact page includes all the standard information for example name, location, email, and so forth. The page feels plain, but it fits with the rest of their site and their overall branding, which lets the user know who the brand is and what they can expect.(Crowe, 2022)

References

Crowe, A., 2022. 39 Inspiring Examples of Contact Us Pages. [online] Search Engine Journal. Available at: <https://www.searchenginejournal.com/examples-contact-us-pages/378518/#close> [Accessed 1 August 2022].

Berry, S., 2022. Ecommerce Website Essentials: Does Your Site Have All 11?. [online] WebFX. Available at: <https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/ecommerce-website-essentials/#:~:text=Easy-to-use%20cart%20and%20checkout%20features%20are%20vital%20ecommerce,and%20quantity%20of%20each%20product%20in%20their%20cart.> [Accessed 31 July 2022].

Bhatoa, S., 2022. The importance of quality photography for your eCommerce. [online] Splento Blog: Videography & Photography on demand. Available at: <https://www.splento.com/blog/photography/the-importance-of-quality-photography-for-your-ecommerce/> [Accessed 1 August 2022].

Braintreepayments.com. 2022. Payment Methods | Braintree Payments. [online] Available at: <https://www.braintreepayments.com/gb/features/payment-methods?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.ro%2F> [Accessed 1 August 2022].

CO-WELL Asia. 2022. Top 9 E-Commerce Website Features You Should Know | CO-WELL Asia. [online] Available at: <https://co-well.vn/en/tech-blog/top-9-e-commerce-website-features-you-should-know> [Accessed 31 July 2022].

Edwards, K., 2022. How to take high-quality photos of your e-commerce products? Packshot guide. - E-commerce Germany News. [online] E-commerce Germany News. Available at: <https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/how-to-take-high-quality-photos-of-your-e-commerce-products> [Accessed 1 August 2022].

Gocardless.com. 2022. Benefits of Multiple Payment Options for Businesses. [online] Available at: <https://gocardless.com/guides/posts/benefits-of-multiple-payment-options-for-businesses/> [Accessed 1 August 2022].

Levanier, J., 2022. Top 7 tips for mobile-friendly website design - 99designs. [online] 99designs. Available at: <https://99designs.co.uk/blog/web-digital/mobile-friendly-website-design/> [Accessed 31 July 2022].