 "Our Top 8 UX Considerations For eCommerce Websites")
Whether you’re looking to migrate, redesign or optimise your existing website, focusing on user experience is a surefire winner!
In this post, we summarise our top eight UX considerations for eCommerce sites, complete with examples.
1. Navigation.
Navigation is crucial to any eCommerce to ensure a positive user experience, increase conversions, improve SEO, and help users discover new products. A well-designed navigation system guides users through the site and enables them to access products and information quickly.
Our top four tips for good navigation:
Clear & intuitive. The navigation must be clear and intuitive, with categories and subcategories that are easy to understand. Be careful not to use technical jargon, that the average customer may struggle to understand. Ensure typography follows accessibility guidelines and is legible to the desired demographic.
Consistent. Navigation should be consistent across the entire website and be sticky at all times, allowing users to easily navigate from any part of the website they find themselves.
Core elements. The navigation must contain key elements such as the basket, search, and account to ensure easy access and to adhere to eCommerce best practices.
Brand logo. The navigation must contain the logo, to promote brand recognition, and allow the user to navigate quickly to the Homepage.
Visit Quiksilver, the Australian sports brand that brings together surf, ski and snowboarding, to see great navigation in action.
2. Search.
A powerful search function is essential for any eCommerce website. Users often come to eCommerce websites with a specific product or category in mind, and a search function allows them to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. This helps to reduce frustration and, in our experience at blubolt, also leads to doubling conversion when a user experiences a successful search.
Our tips for a good Search:
Keywords or phrases. Users should be able to find products quickly and easily by searching for keywords or phrases.
Relevant and accurate. Search results should be relevant and accurate, displaying products and categories. It should also be intuitive and optimised for all devices.
Synonyms. Following the point above, ensure you set up synonyms and ‘Did you mean?’ functionality to improve the relevance of the results. AI learning from certain apps can help with this.
Accessibility. The search should be accessible from any page and is primarily placed within the navigation.
Open search. To encourage more search use, tactics such as displaying an open search bar versus a closed search can have a large impact.
Shopify offers a plethora of search apps, and at blubolt, we regularly work with Boost Commerce, and Klevu and have had great success with both. Check out sites for Abbott Lyon or Aquaplanet for more details.
3. Collection pages.
Effectively organising products into digestible groups helps shoppers browse your eCommerce site more comfortably and encourages them to browse for longer periods.
Our top tips for collection pages:
Filtering. Your collection page filters should be sticky to ensure users can change their scope at any point.
Product cards. Ensure your product cards have minimal information and a clear typography hierarchy to make the page browsable and reduce cognitive overload where possible.
Reduce UX dead ends. At the bottom of the page, make sure there are additional collections/products for users to look at to draw users across the website, boost the click-through rate and avoid UX dead ends.
4. Product pages.
Product pages are the heart of any eCommerce website and need to not only effectively communicate what the product looks like but also convince the potential customer to purchase it.
Our top tips for product pages:
Sleek design. They should be well-designed and easy to navigate, with clear and detailed product information.
Avoid overload. To avoid cognitive overload, keep the content digestible by using small paragraphs, pulling out key points using bullet points, and utilising accordions/tabs to keep the content organised. Furthermore, consider using imagery/iconography to assist with visually reflecting the products USP’s.
Quality images. Images should be high-quality and should show the product from different angles. Ensure zoom functions are present to allow the user to view the product in more detail.
Buying options. Clear and intuitive buying options, with stock clarity and a prominent ‘Add to Bag’ button. Consider these being fixed as the user scrolls the product page template, allowing them to add the product at any point.
Delivery & returns options. Ensure your product pages include clear and concise delivery, return and contact information, and links to the individual pages for each so shoppers can get more details.
Looking for a lovely PDP in the wild? Read more about our work for premium fashion retailer RIXO here.
5. Cart/basket.
The checkout process should be quick and easy, with minimal steps required to complete a purchase. Your website should also accept a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and other e-commerce payment platforms. Additionally, your website should have a clear and easy-to-use shopping cart, so that visitors can easily view and manage their purchases.
If you’re working with Shopify, you’ve already got access to the best-converting checkout on the planet that now has even greater customisation options! Considering a migration to Shopify Plus? Browse our client work covering a range of verticals for buckets of inspiration.
6. Mobile optimisation.
With more and more users accessing eCommerce websites on mobile devices, it's essential that your website is optimised for mobile. This means that the website should be responsive and should look great on any device. Users should be able to easily navigate the website and complete transactions on mobile devices. Take a look at Never Fully Dressed - the destination for feel-good fashion - to see this at work on Shopify Plus.
7. Speed & performance.
Speed and performance are critical for any eCommerce website. Users expect websites to load quickly and to be responsive. Slow-loading pages can lead to frustration and can cause users to abandon their purchases. To ensure that your website is fast and responsive, you should optimise images and code, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
8. Content.
Your website should have high-quality, informative content that is relevant to your products and services. This includes blog posts, product descriptions, and other types of content that will help visitors make informed purchasing decisions. For example, Robert Welch’s elegant and informative blog - The Edit - showcases the brand’s heritage, design stories, and products, plus recipes, style tips and useful ‘How to’ guides.
Summary: top UX considerations for eCommerce.
In conclusion, there are many different factors to consider when designing and building an eCommerce website. Navigation, search, product pages, checkout process, mobile optimisation, personalisation, speed and performance, security, customer service, and A/B testing are all important considerations that will help to ensure that your website is user-friendly, easy to use, and effective at converting visitors into customers. By taking the time to consider these factors and optimise your website accordingly, you can increase conversions, build customer loyalty, and grow your business.
Fancy a chat about boosting UX on your eCommerce store?
Whether you’re looking to migrate, redesign or optimise your existing website, our Shopify Plus agency can deliver eCommerce solutions to help your brand grow faster. Explore our expert Shopify services and browse our client work for Shopify inspiration. Get in touch to discuss your requirements. We would love to help!
