5 Smart Ways to Provide a Great User Experience

Creating the perfect Ecommerce store is tough. With so many different elements to consider, how do you know what customers want to see and what they don't want to see?

At AmeriCommerce, we can't reiterate enough that providing a great user experience is essential to making that all important sale.

So that's why we've put together this smart list of essential features that you really need to include, if you want people to convert...

#1. A clear message

It's true what they say, you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. So when it comes to new visitors landing on your site, they need to be able to understand what you can do for them without them having to think about it.

At this point it's all about using great design to tell the right story.

You need to make it abundantly clear what it is that you can offer them, so that they can make the decision to buy. Your message needs to be compelling, it needs to resonate with their needs, and it should show them how your product can change their lives.

So how do you fix it?

Make it clear what it is you can do for them. A great place to start would be your homepage because this is a first port of call for many. MyOwnBike is a great example of a homepage done well. The reason it works is because it's not even in English, yet it's evidently clear what they sell; bikes.

But not only that, the user can go ahead and design a custom bike, right from the homepage. This pushes the user onto the next stage of the sale, as they get to see their own bike design brought to life.

It features a clean design, the message is clear, and it effortlessly moves the visitor along the sales cycle. Once you achieve this with your site, you'll be providing a powerful first impression.

#2. An easy navigation

The next element that we think is just as important as your message is your web navigation. In fact we're not the only ones. According to Hubspot, 76% of consumers say that the most important factor in a website's design is that it's “easy for me to find what I want”.

The truth is, if a visitor cant find what they want then they are gonna leave without a second thought. Your job is to move a visitor through your site, without them having to put any effort in on their part.

Again, it's all about making everything as simple as you can.

So how do you fix it?

First we'd suggest following the three click rule. That is, making sure your visitor gets to every major product you offer in three clicks or less. You can test it by starting from your homepage and count how many clicks it takes to get to your top 10 products. If it's more than 3 clicks then you'll want to re-evaluate your navigation.

Next we recommend that you take a close look at your search navigation bar. You need to make sure that you implement one that offers comprehensive search functionalities so that customers can find exactly what they are looking for.

For example, Amazon has a great search bar that will suggest products, assign products in categories, and will even make recommendations when a visitor spells a word wrong:

#3. Social sign up

The social sign up is a fairly new feature, but it's taking the Ecommerce world by storm. Clearly you want your visitors to give you their details, but sometimes this can be a little hard to achieve when a person has to manually enter their name, email address, password and then sign up for an account.

So how do you fix it?

With the click of a button, your customers can instantly connect their social platforms to create an account, so they won't have to enter any details. That way, you get their contact info and they get a faster checkout! Various Ecommerce brands have adopted this method, including Asos below:

#4. Plenty of product images

So when a person gets to your product page they wanna know what your products look like, right? But if you only offer one image of the product then this can really hinder your chances to get people to click on the golden buy button.

How do you fix it?

We really recommend that you feature as many images as you can of your product, so the customer can really get to grips with what they are buying. Take plenty of pictures of your products in different angles, styles and colors, so that you can help the customer make an informative buying decision.

Check out Betabrand as a great example. Included on the product page for a shirt is a total of 11 images, all for the same product. It shows close up's of the shirt, it shows the model wearing the shirt in different scenarios, and it even gives a detailed image of how the shirt has been made!

It's not just about the number of photo's either. You need to make sure that the quality of your products really shine through. Think about the camera device you want to use, getting the right lighting, the position of your products and making sure you edit them with editing software.

Related reading: Take a look at our product photography cheat sheet to find out plenty of actionable tips on how you can create the perfect visuals!

#5. Responsive across every device

Our final tip – and it's an important one – is ensuring that your site works across every single device! With more and more consumers now shopping with their smartphones, gone are the days that you can get away with solely focusing on desktop users.

How do you fix it?

When it comes to designing for a mobile device, you need to think smaller and simpler. You can't include as much information as you can for a desktop, so you need to consider what your most important aspects are. Can you lose some of the copy? Make sure your mobile version is clean, simple, with clear links to your CTA buttons.

And it certainly helps if you're using an Ecommerce solution that offers responsive themes as standard. Here at AmeriCommerce we offer exactly that, so be sure to check out our features to find out more!

Grab our free ebook!

As you can see, providing a great user experience is all about making life simpler for the people that visit your store! But, these are just 5 examples of how you can improve your online store. If you're looking for more then check out our free ebook with 13 mistakes that smart Ecommerce owners make – and find out how you can improve your conversions today!