Customer satisfaction is a key to eCommerce success. Therefore, user experience (UX) plays a crucial role in creating an intuitive and seamless customer experience in an online store. The list below highlights the importance of UX and presents practices that can be implemented on different page types. By following these eCommerce UX best practices, businesses can drive sales, elevate customer happiness, and gain a competitive advantage in the market. The eCommerce UX best practices have been categorized according to different page types for easy reference and implementation:
Quick Jump
- Homepage
- Search Functionality
- Category Pages
- Product Pages
- Shopping Cart Page
- Wishlist Page
- Checkout Page
- Thank You and Order Confirmation Pages
Homepage
The homepage is vital for making a solid first impression on eCommerce site. Optimizing its design is essential for a positive user experience, encouraging them to explore products or promotions, sign up for newsletters, or make purchases. A user-friendly homepage sets the tone for the entire shopping journey, fostering loyalty, which leads to a boost in sales and revenue for the business.
Hero Banner with Call-to-Action
The hero banner is the captivating element of an eCommerce website’s homepage. It plays an important role in engaging visitors within the first seconds on the website. By including a call-to-action (CTA) button, the hero banner can seamlessly guide users toward exploring featured products, promotions, or seasonal offers. With the right combination of visual elements, messaging, and strategic CTAs, a thoughtfully designed hero banner can enhance the user experience.
Promotional Banners and Sliders
Using promotional banners or sliders to showcase new products, limited-time offers, upcoming sales, or other events ensures that the visitors are aware of current happenings. Promotional banners and sliders are eye-catching tools for highlighting special offers and deals. These dynamic elements capture visitors’ attention and effectively communicate ongoing promotions. Strategically placed on the homepage or relevant product pages can attract customers’ interest and drive engagement.
Featured Categories
Highlighting popular or trending product categories on the homepage can guide users to explore specific areas of interest easily. These sections showcase popular or seasonal product categories, streamlining the browsing experience. By presenting key categories on the homepage, users can easily access relevant items without unnecessary clicks. Using visually appealing icons or images to represent each category and ensuring they are clickable to their respective sections can make the shopping experience more user-friendly, which is very important in the customer journey.
Testimonials and Social Proof
The next practice of the eCommerce UX is showcasing positive customer testimonials on the homepage builds trust and credibility for the brand. By incorporating compelling testimonials into the homepage design, a seamless eCommerce site can instill confidence in their offerings and influence purchase decisions positively.
Trending and Best-Selling Products
Displaying a section for trending or best-selling products provides social proof and guides users toward popular choices. These sections highlight products that are currently in high demand or have received positive customer feedback. By featuring trending and best-selling products and placing them strategically, a seamless eCommerce website can entice users with popular choices, streamline their user journey, and encourage them to make confident purchase decisions.
Intuitive Scrolling and Navigation
Designing the homepage with a clear and intuitive layout allows users to scroll and navigate effortlessly to find the information or products they seek and complete their purchase journey seamlessly. For scrolling, the key is to adopt a smooth and natural scrolling behavior that follows user expectations. In terms of navigation, it is preferred to use a clear and straightforward menu structure, as well as descriptive labels for categories and subcategories, making it easy for users to understand and find what they are looking for.
Search Functionality
A search bar is one of the most frequently used tools on an eCommerce business. To give an example, one of the search engine solutions is Luigi’s Box. An intuitive and efficient search functionality enhances the user experience on an eCommerce platform. By following proposed UX practices for the search feature, businesses can help users quickly find what they’re looking for, which prevents them from leaving the website.
Prominent Placement
Placing the search bar prominently at the top of every page ensures it is easily visible and accessible at all times. A convenient position of the search bar enables users to find the products or information quickly without navigating through multiple pages. Prioritizing the prominent placement of search functionality allows eCommerce websites to improve user navigation, reduce bounce rates, and increase the likelihood of users finding what they need.
Auto-suggest
Implementing an auto-suggest feature that displays relevant product names or categories as users type their search queries helps them find what they need faster and reduces the chances of misspellings or incorrect searches. With the implementation of the auto-suggest feature, eCommerce websites enhance the search experience, minimize user frustration, and increase the chances of users discovering the right products.
Search Filters
Implementing convenient search filters, such as price range, manufacturer, category, and customer ratings helps users narrow down their search results and find products that better meet their specific criteria. By providing robust search filters, eCommerce sites enable users to narrow their choices and find products that meet their unique preferences. This feature also enhances user control and personalization, leading to a more satisfying and efficient search experience.
Category Pages
In this section, we will take a look at optimizing category pages to provide the best user experience possible. By implementing the practices mentioned below, eCommerce websites can create user-friendly and engaging category pages that simplify the shopping process, increase user satisfaction, and ultimately lead to higher sales.
Clear and Informative Category Titles
First of all, each category on the category page should have a clear and descriptive title that immediately communicates what products are included. A concise and straightforward title helps users quickly identify the category they want to explore.
Visual Hierarchy and Organization
Establishing a visual hierarchy on the category page guides users’ attention and makes it easier for them to browse through the products. Arranging categories in a logical order and using visual cues like icons or images helps users distinguish different sections. Placing the most relevant or popular categories at the top captures immediate users’ interest.
Filter and Sorting Options
Another important practice is optimizing filter and sorting options. Providing users with filtering and sorting options on the category page allows them to browse products based on price, size, color, brand, and other relevant attributes. Interactive filter widgets and easy-to-use sorting controls enhance the user experience by helping users narrow down their choices and find products that match their preferences.
Consistent Product Display
It’s important to maintain consistency in the way products are displayed within each category. eCommerce websites should also use uniform product images, concise titles, and transparent pricing information. This consistency not only enhances the overall visual appeal but also allows users to make quick comparisons between products.
Pagination and Infinite Scrolling
Depending on the number of products in each category, it’s worth considering implementing either traditional pagination or infinite scrolling. Pagination breaks down product listings into pages, while infinite scrolling allows users to view more products as they scroll down the page continuously. It’s essential to choose the option that best suits the website’s content and user behavior.
Relevant Product Information
Displaying relevant product information on the category page, such as product ratings, reviews, and availability status, helps users make informed decisions without needing to navigate to individual product pages.
Performance Optimization
Optimizing the loading speed of the category page by compressing images, minimizing scripts, and leveraging caching ensures a smoother user experience and reduces bounce rates. Try to monitor website performance regularly.
Product Pages
The product page is where the actual purchase decision takes place. Optimizing this page is crucial for encouraging conversions.
Product images
Clear, high-quality, and visually appealing images give customers a better understanding of products. Using high-resolution images showcasing products from different angles allows customers to make better purchasing decisions. Prioritizing high-quality images enhances customer engagement and satisfaction, leading to higher conversion rates.
Detailed Product Descriptions
Detailed product descriptions are essential for an optimal eCommerce user experience. Providing comprehensive and informative descriptions helps potential customers fully understand the features, specifications, and benefits of each product. Including details such as dimensions, materials, usage instructions, and care guidelines enables shoppers to make informed purchasing decisions.
Reviews and Ratings
Customer feedback and ratings provide genuine insights into product quality and customer satisfaction. Including authentic reviews allows shoppers to make informed decisions based on real experiences from other buyers. High ratings and positive reviews build trust and credibility, encouraging potential customers to feel confident in their purchases, while negative feedback offers opportunities for improvement and demonstrates transparency.
A visible “Add to Cart” button
Placing the “Add to Cart” button prominently on product pages allows shoppers to easily add items to their cart without unnecessary scrolling or searching. The button’s visibility ensures quick access and effortless interaction, facilitating a smooth purchase process. Using a clear and contrasting color for the button makes it stand out, increasing its discoverability and encouraging immediate action.
Pricing and shipping information
Clear pricing and shipping information are vital for a transparent and user-friendly eCommerce experience. Displaying product prices prominently on product pages ensures that customers can quickly understand the cost of items they are interested in.
Shopping Cart Page
The shopping cart page is where users review their selected items before proceeding to checkout. The process can be streamlined with the following UX practices:
Clear Product Summary
A clear product summary in the shopping cart is crucial for a smooth and transparent eCommerce user experience. Providing a concise and detailed summary of each item in the cart allows customers to review their selections before proceeding to checkout. A well-organized product summary helps users verify their choices, make any necessary adjustments, and proceed confidently to complete their purchase.
Edit and Remove Options
The inclusion of “Edit” and “Remove” options in the shopping cart is another way to provide an efficient and user-friendly eCommerce experience. These options offer customers the flexibility to modify their cart contents as needed. Implementing clear and accessible “Edit” and “Remove” buttons next to each product in the cart streamlines the process and saves customers time, reducing frustration.
Prominent Checkout Button
A distinguished checkout button in the shopping cart is a critical element of a streamlined and seamless e-commerce user experience. Placing the checkout button noticeably on the cart page ensures that customers can easily proceed to complete their purchase without any confusion or unnecessary steps. The checkout button should use clear and action-oriented language, such as “Proceed to Checkout” or “Checkout Now,” to encourage users to take the next step.
Cart Persistence
Cart persistence is a crucial aspect of an exceptional eCommerce user experience. It refers to the ability of the website to retain a user’s shopping cart contents even after they leave the site or close their browser. Implementing cart persistence ensures that customers can return to their shopping carts later without losing their selected items, saving them time and effort.
Wishlist Page
The Wishlist page is where users can save and manage products they are interested in but not ready to purchase immediately. To make the Wishlist feature engaging and user-friendly, it’s worth considering the following practices:
Easy Access
Ensuring the Wishlist icon or link is easily accessible and visible from any page of the website allows users to quickly add products to their list. Easy access to the wishlist is a valuable feature that enhances the e-commerce user experience. By prioritizing easy access to the wishlist, eCommerce websites encourage users to save and revisit their desired items, increasing the likelihood of future purchases. This feature also fosters a sense of personalized shopping, where customers can curate their wishlist and make informed decisions on their own time, resulting in improved customer engagement and satisfaction.
Organized Display
Present the Wishlist items in a clean and organized layout, showcasing product photos, names, prices, and availability. A clear and structured presentation of saved items makes it easy for users to review and manage their desired products.
Add-to-Cart Option
Adding a direct “Add to Cart” button to each Wishlist item streamlines the shopping experience. With this feature, users can effortlessly move desired items from the Wishlist to the cart with a simple click. By eliminating the need to search for products again, it saves time and enhances user satisfaction as well as encourages users to complete their purchases.
Checkout Page
Last but not least, the checkout page. It is the final step of the buying process, and it is essential to make it as smooth as possible to reduce cart abandonment. Key practices for the improvement of UX on the checkout page include the following:
Guest Checkout Option
The guest checkout option is a valuable feature for a user-friendly, seamless eCommerce experience, allowing customers to make purchases without the account. This type of checkout simplifies the shopping process for first-time or infrequent shoppers who may not want to go through the account registration process. This convenience can lead to a positive user experience, as customers are more likely to complete their purchases without any barriers.
Progress Indicators
Display a progress indicator to show users how many steps are left in the checkout process, ensuring transparency and reducing user anxiety. By displaying clear progress indicators, such as step numbers or progress bars, customers can easily track their current stage and the steps remaining to complete the purchase. This sense of direction reduces the risk of cart abandonment and instills confidence in users as they move through the checkout process.
Trust Badges and Security Information
Displaying reputable security badges and SSL certificates to customers instills confidence during checkout. Providing visible security information, such as secure payment methods and encryption, assures customers that their sensitive information is protected and reduces concerns about data breaches.
Thank You and Order Confirmation Pages
The post-purchase experience is as vital as the rest of the shopping journey. Ensure a positive user experience on thank you and order confirmation pages with these UX practices:
Order Summary
A well-designed order confirmation page should present a clear and detailed order summary, including product names, prices, quantities, and estimated delivery dates as well as the total order cost, taxes, and shipping fees, ensuring transparency in the final purchase. By presenting a well-organized order summary, seamless eCommerce websites enable users to review their purchases, make any necessary adjustments, and proceed confidently to complete the transaction. This feature enhances user trust and reduces the likelihood of errors.
Delivery Tracking
Well-structured order summary page should provide users with a link or information on how to track their orders to keep them informed throughout the shipping process. Providing tracking numbers and delivery updates enables online stores to keep customers informed about the whereabouts of their packages from shipment to delivery. This feature enhances transparency and customer satisfaction, as users can anticipate the estimated delivery date and make necessary arrangements.
Summary
Prioritizing commerce UX best practices for each page type in eCommerce is vital for creating a seamless and delightful shopping journey. From the captivating hero banner to the streamlined checkout process, every aspect of the user experience plays a crucial role in engaging visitors, fostering trust, and driving conversions. Importantly, e-commerce UX should be taken care of not only from the desktop sites level but also from mobile devices because a large part of potential buyers uses the mobile sites of their favorite online stores. Mobile users tend to navigate eCommerce sites differently than desktop users. On mobile, users are usually looking for something very specific, and they want to find it quickly. So the priority should be to shorten and streamline the mobile user journey as much as possible. By adopting the practices listed in the article, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and stand out in the competitive world of online shopping.