Ecommerce Web Design – The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several changes in customer behavior and preferences. Before the pandemic, about one-fifth of the American population shopped online. However, now almost everyone is buying things online. The pandemic has also resulted in shifts of various degrees in the demands of products. The demand for apparel and accessories has declined drastically.
On the other hand, the sale of electronics and books have shot up. Companies are wondering how to make the best use of the situation to maximize revenues from their eCommerce websites. Business analysts have deduced that owners must keep six essential customer behaviors in mind while designing their eCommerce website to increase their revenues in the current times. In this article, we are going to discuss those six aspects in detail.
Table of Contents
Convenience
You may feel that eCommerce websites are not for convenience anymore, but it is a dire necessity these days. Most business analysts have the same idea, including us. But we are not talking about the fact that eCommerce websites are convenient to use. Business analysts have noticed that responsive design and convenient navigation are essential aspects that drive the success of eCommerce websites.
Since the initial purpose of online shopping was to promote convenience, people are still bound by that behavior. Most consumers prefer to shop with known brands. The customers that want to explore other options show little patience to non-responsive designs and inconvenient navigations. Therefore simplicity and convenience of an eCommerce site should be one of the foremost driving factors of professional web design.
Choice
Consumer analysis has revealed that most people who shop on eCommerce websites are spoilt for choice. However, the overabundance of options can be detrimental to the user experience. Some consumers feel overwhelmed by so many choices and end up losing interest in the purchase.
Business analysts say that the presence of a virtual shopping assistant can improve the UX experience and result in higher sales. Virtual assistants enhance a customer’s experience on the eCommerce website as well as increase their satisfaction with shopping. That is why intelligent business owners are incorporating virtual shopping assistants in the eCommerce website design to help online consumers with the options.
Customization
Even after providing a wide array of options, some customers may not feel entirely happy with the range of choices. Several stores offered to customize their products to suit the taste of consumers. Since almost every brick and mortar store has gone virtual these days, customization has become essential for businesses to stay ahead of the competition. But offering the services is not enough.
The eCommerce web design should also facilitate the customization of the product virtually so that the customer can visualize the finished outcome. Web designers are using AI-powered solutions to create a platform that can present all the customization offered by the company.
Communication
Communication is one of the foundations of customer service. However, employing and managing a team of customer care executives is not a cost-effective solution for businesses in the post-pandemic scenario. But providing instant communication is necessary to maintain customer satisfaction.
The absence of adequate customer service options have resulted in consumers leaving eCommerce websites, never to return. Therefore to remedy the situation, businesses have started incorporating chatbots in their eCommerce web design.
Chatbots are extremely intelligent AI solutions that can reply to and solve the most common queries and problems faced by customers. Business analysts have noticed that most customers prefer the use of chatbots over any other method of communication these days.
Cost
The cost of products may not be the only deciding factor for the success of an eCommerce website, but it is one of the most important ones. In this era of stiff competition, maintaining the lowest prices may not be a successful strategy for the business. Therefore eCommerce websites have started adapting dynamic pricing to control the cost of products. However, some market leaders have used the website design to highlight the presence of dynamic pricing on their website.
For example, several airline websites include a calendar on the left panel when a consumer searches for a flight. The calendar shows the price of a ticket on different days of the month. That way, if the customer is not happy with the ticket price on that day, he or she can choose a lower price, provided the dates of travel are flexible. It helps the websites to prevent the loss of revenue from these customers.
Cookies
You may have guessed it already that we are not talking about delicious buttery treats. Cookies are the temporary files that websites automatically download in the user’s computer to enable the different functions and options possible. However, consumers have become extremely aware and wary of website cookies since the controversies about targeted marketing came into limelight.
Therefore intelligent businesses have started using disclaimers and options as part of their website design to give the control of cookies to the users. Even though most websites still need to download cookies to function, making the customer aware is seen as a due diligence process, which satisfies most users. The eCommerce website must be secure and present an SSL certificate to enhance a consumer’s privacy.
Molding the business to the customer’s preferences seems to be the only way to survive and thrive these days. That applies to both the real and virtual presence of a business. Incorporating these C’s of consumer behavior can help your eCommerce business.