6 Ecommerce Website Design Errors And How To Fix Them: A Beginner’s Guide

written by Houke de Kwant on May 2, 2022

Product trends come and go but the e-commerce market remains so dense. Thus, you have to find an advantage where you can make people choose your shop. Of course, having a great website interface is one of them.

If you own an e-commerce store, you must pay attention to the design of your website. That is because people tend to make decisions in a split second based on your website’s overall look.

Besides, nobody wants to browse products from a complicated and unpleasant-looking website, right? Hence, it is important to take all aspects into consideration when designing a website.

Sadly, most people still make costly mistakes when designing their websites. These mistakes can negatively affect the user’s experience resulting in sales loss.

But what are these mistakes and how can you fix them? Well, keep on reading, and let’s find out.

1. Not Highlighting Trending Products

The first mistake you can make for your online store is not emphasizing trending products. It is only natural that certain goods require higher demands. Especially when people saw it trend on social media.

You have to take advantage of these trends and create a section on your website where you can showcase these popular products. You can design a product slideshow or carousel where users can see them easily.

Make sure that it is on your homepage. It is also essential that you can swap featured products easily since trends change rapidly. It is vital that your website can adapt to it easily.

For example, every year, people always seek things that will keep them warm and comfortable during the winter. Electric blankets that generate heat are in high demand and become best-sellers during these times.

According to Google Trends, the search phrase “electric blanket” tends to surge around the winter season. You can use this data and place it together with other related products like comforters or heat packs in the trending product section of your site.

When the season is over, take advantage of the same tool to see what people usually buy for the next season and change your featured product accordingly.

However, the season isn’t the only thing you should focus on. Furniture, home renovations, and other decor have been a huge hit for online shoppers since the pandemic started.

For instance, you can highlight home products such as modern freestanding tubs, vases, candles, and plants too. You can also mix them with seasonal goods or include them in the recommended section of your site.

Unlike electric blankets, bathtubs and decors are not seasonal goods. Every day, people build houses while many others renovate their homes. That makes them a perfect online product to sell.

Alternatively, you can also highlight your top-selling product to introduce them to shoppers. The more they see it, the more chances that they will be wanting it.

2. Search Bars and Filters

Not everyone has the time to go through your catalog to find products. Some customers prefer to search for what they need when visiting your store.

Sadly, many e-commerce websites have search engines that produce too many results. Although this is good for customers that do not know what they want, it can be frustrating for others that know what they are looking for.

Your search engine should allow users to search by keywords and filter through their search results to solve this problem. You can check if your e-commerce software has a solid built-in search engine or hunt for plugins to increase its capability in this regard.

3. Slow Response Websites

The harsh truth is that no one will buy from you if you have a sluggish website. Thanks to increased internet speed, the length of time a consumer is willing to wait for your website to load has decreased significantly.

About 20% of online customers cannot wait as long as three seconds. So, if your website has a one-second latency, expect a 7% decrease in conversions.

To increase the responsiveness of your website, first, you need to understand why it is so slow. Usually, it could be because it has too many large files, or you have code bloat.

You can solve the problem by removing unnecessary images, compressing files, or adjusting the source code

4. Hiding Contact Information

The internet today has several scams and frauds. So, before people release their credit card information, they want to be sure your business is legitimate.  They also want to know that they can talk to a real person and get the assistance they require if they have an issue.

If your contact information is not easily accessible, your customers may not trust your website. This might lead to fewer sales.

To correct this problem, ensure your contact information is easy to find. Ideally, the information should be in your footer, header, on by the side. Also, make sure you have a customer service option that works.

5. Using a Theme Without Customizing It

Most people make the mistake of using eCommerce themes just as they are. Yes, these themes are created to allow everyone, including beginners create websites without having to learn to code.

However, using a theme without altering anything can be a significant mistake. The issue here is that your website will appear generic and will not stand out from the crowd, mainly if the theme is popular or free.

It might be intimidating to change a theme, especially if you are new. Also, there is this fear of ruining things since the theme looks good already and runs fine.

However, giving the theme a few touches is worth it if you want your website to look different to your clients.

6. Complicated Order Process

Your ordering process must be as simple as possible to make sales on your websites. The more complicated the process is the greater chances that your customers might leave your site without making a purchase.

The ideal checkout process comprises a single page where customers may review their order and enter their billing and shipping information and a confirmation page before submitting their transaction.

Anything else, including asking them to signup, will only complicate the process.

Conclusion

The above list is some of the many mistakes people make in the eCommerce website designs. Hopefully, as you make changes with some of these suggestions, you will see an increase in sales.