Having an online store is a great way to increase the revenue of your business after all, the reach of your brand becomes greater, the convenience to the consumer becomes frequent and the expansion of the business can become real on a national and even international level.
For your e-commerce to be a success, it is necessary to pay attention to some technical details that will make the difference in the success or failure of your operation.
Regardless of the platform your business uses, having a site with a design focused on user experience, adaptable to any type of device, are important and mandatory requirements for any online store.
One way to ensure that these requirements are present in your store, when you are starting out, is to use ready-made website templates, also known as Templates. And they guarantee a high level to your site.
In today's article we will give you some tips on how to choose a template to start your e-commerce in a correct and professional way.
How to choose a template
Purchasing a template for your site is a quick way to start your operation, since the installation is easy and greatly reduces development time.
Another benefit of ready-made website templates is the quality of the implementation, which already takes into account the best practices in the industry, and of course the customization and cost-effectiveness it offers your business.
When buying a template for your e-commerce, you need to keep in mind some essential points to ensure that your brand is delivering a complete experience to your users and customers. Features like:
User-friendly design
Your website is the first contact your customer will have access to before they even think about making a purchase, so it's important to make a positive impact from the very first moment.
Take into account an organized layout and well arranged information allowing the customer to navigate easily and find the products they want in a few clicks.
When the design of a store is not taken into consideration, the chances that customers will feel confused and will look for other options to do business are high. This causes your site to lose sales and underperform.
It is also important that your design is customized and has the essence of your brand in every detail.
Responsive site
A survey conducted by CETIC in 2018, points out that 70% of the Brazilian population is connected to the internet network. Of these seventy percent, about 56% use the net exclusively through mobile devices to do research and even make purchases.
This data reveals the importance of considering specific content and layouts for mobile devices, since people search, browse, and make purchases through their mobile devices.
But just being present on mobile is not enough for companies that want to grow their business online, it is necessary to offer the user a fluid and immediate experience, after all, we are all looking for convenience.
Having a site that adapts to different screen sizes, with fast loading and no errors is necessary to attract and retain more consumers.
Focus on user experience
The user experience on your website can be a deciding factor between the success and failure of your business. This is because consumers prefer shopping at online stores that are easy to use, where the desired product is just a few clicks away, and where they don't waste time with long loading times.
Thinking about call to action, the layout of promotions, providing a functional site search or even creating simpler forms, already facilitate the user experience and can increase the conversion of the site both on desktop and mobile.
E-commerce best practices
In e-commerce, there are several practices that are essential for an online store to work and succeed, they are not necessarily mandatory but it is interesting to follow these practices to pass more confidence and convenience to the user. Here are some tips:
- FAQ section: Make sure to answer the most frequently asked questions and include them on a page for reference whenever the customer needs them.
- Add Live Chat: Giving the customer the option to ask more urgent questions via chat is a way to immediately help the customer make a buying decision.
- Product Category: Most users look for products in categories that interest them. Group your products in sections that facilitate the purchase.
- Search bar: Make the customer's search easier by providing a search field on your site.
- Browsing History: You can create a personalized experience based on information from your customer's browsing history. Like indicating products that he has already shown interest in, indicating similar products or products that complement the purchase.
- Quality Images: Make sure that each product is accompanied by a photo or photos in good quality and that it shows important details. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the quality of your store's banners.
- CAT's: Insert calls to action, so your customer knows what to do next.
- Customer reviews: Make available on your website reviews from customers who have already bought and used your products. This can be done through comments, ratings, or referrals. It is important to convey credibility at the moment of purchase decision by other customers.
- Clear policies: Describe clearly the policies that your company follows. Shipping and return policies, exchange policies, customer support policies. Let your client know how you work.
Characteristics of each niche
You may have already noticed that e-commerce follows a standard of information and functions that must be present in a store, but those who are just getting into digital commerce may overlook them.
Functions such as shopping cart, wish list, shipping calculation, site search, account access, product shelf, and categories are basic and standard in any online store.
What differentiates each niche is the way this information is placed on the site. For example, in marketplaces it is common that the user already has access to the most visited categories and products on promotion. In markets it is common for the customer to have direct access to the product shelf, and in niches such as fashion, the user has access to a showcase of photos, banners, and suggestions to instigate impulse buying.
These differences in layout and site layout were tested and developed with the best practices for each segment strategy, taking into account not only the purchase journey but also the consumer's level of need.
You can see by now that it is not easy to run an e-commerce site, many points of execution are important for the success or failure of your online business. However, if you choose Templates for e-commerce and follow the tips we have left in this post, your business is sure to start on the right foot.
And if you are thinking about acquiring Templates for your e-commerce, please contact us. We have several options in components and we are fully committed to your project, aligning it to your business expectations and needs.
Any questions? Leave a comment and let's talk.
