An online business can be opened quickly. But how do you stand out from the numerous competitors and make your e-business successful in the long term? Shop design plays an important role here. Usability, trust, motivation - we have summarised eight web design tips for you on what you should pay attention to when designing a successful online shop.
Inspire your target group
A different shop design is attractive for young people than for silver surfers. Women are seduced by different imagery and functionalities than seasoned men. So think carefully about who you want to appeal to with your online shop and what the usage habits of your target group are.
Present your products attractively
In addition to comprehensive product information, high-quality product images are crucial for the success of an online shop. As customers do not have the opportunity to experience products with all their senses when shopping online, they at least want to see exactly what they are buying. Professional product photos show the items against a background that is as uniform and non-distracting as possible. It is best to provide your customers with an entire image gallery with product views from different angles and a zoom function for detailed views.
Ensure self-explanatory, user-friendly handling
Even the most impressive web design is of little use if your customers cannot find the products they are looking for or struggle to complete their purchase. Good usability is therefore the be-all and end-all for a high-turnover shop. Above all, the navigation should be clearly recognisable and clearly structured. A clearly visible search function allows customers looking for a specific item or manufacturer to quickly find the desired product. The shopping basket and checkout should also always be in view so that the purchase can be completed quickly.
Motivate and convince potential customers
User-friendliness alone is not enough. You also need to awaken the desire in your customers to buy products. With persuasive web design, you can guide shop visitors along the desired path by limiting user behaviour (hide all visual distractions after product selection; hide superfluous information and links when the purchase is completed), make concrete suggestions for action (offer suitable products or show what other customers have also bought) or offer a concrete motivation to act (present discounts clearly visible).
Present yourself as a trustworthy, reputable online retailer
Place seals of approval, awards, positive reviews, etc. in a clearly visible position so that potential customers can immediately identify you as a reliable, reputable shop operator. For a professional overall appearance, you should of course also adhere to the usual design guidelines (no more than 3-5 different font sizes, no wild confusion of fonts, etc.) as well as applicable law (clearly recognisable basic price information and checkout buttons, etc.).
Offer your customers popular payment options
Whether your customers' full shopping baskets pass through the virtual checkout often depends on the payment options offered. If the familiar payment service is not included, too much sensitive data is requested or the order cannot be sent intuitively, the purchase is quickly cancelled and an alternative source of supply is sought.
A study conducted by the Cologne Institute for Retail Research in 2015, for example, found that customers prefer to pay by invoice, closely followed by credit card, direct debit and PayPal. Higher amounts in particular are paid using the long-established payment methods of invoice and credit card. Around a third of total spending is also divided between direct debit and PayPal, meaning that around 80% of online sales are processed via these four payment methods alone.
For you as a shop operator, it is not only the basic fee or card discount that is relevant when choosing a payment service, but also the provider's service, security retentions, payment terms, payout intervals, merchant centre handling and other fees incurred in the event of chargebacks, etc..
So think carefully about which payment options you offer your customers and display the logos of the popular payment providers prominently in your shop.
Weigh up open source and commercial solutions
Open source systems and designs are of course a cost-effective alternative and there is a solution for almost every requirement thanks to the huge developer community. However, it should be noted that with open source solutions you cannot expect direct support from the developer, nor that everything will work flawlessly. If shop software, plugins and templates come from different programmers, plan for the fact that the individual components may not be compatible and that extensive customisation may be necessary.
Motivate and convince potential customers
User-friendliness alone is not enough. You also need to awaken the desire in your customers to buy products. With persuasive web design, you can guide shop visitors along the desired path by restricting user behaviour (hide all visual distractions after product selection; hide superfluous information and links when completing a purchase), make concrete suggestions for action (offer suitable products or show what other customers have also bought) or offer a concrete motivation to act (present discounts in a clearly visible way).
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