eCommerce website development, the process of building a website used to sell products and/or services online, is a critical part of business growth for many business owners. In order to market their products and services to a broader audience and build brand recognition, businesses need to know how to develop enticing and easy-to-use eCommerce websites for current and potential consumers.

How to design eCommerce websites

It’s important that your eCommerce website looks trustworthy and promotes user privacy. Online shoppers are concerned about their personal data and want to know they can trust your website. Here are a few ways to ensure your eCommerce website is designed with trustworthiness in mind:

• Add a business overview  
• Add your store policies
• Use approachable and clear language
• Publish client/customer reviews
• Host your website on a secure server with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Ecommerce Models: Building an eCommerce site successfully

There are a few different models to choose from when building an eCommerce website. Based on your products/services and goals for the website, you can choose from the B2C, B2B, and C2B eCommerce website models.

B2C eCommerce stores

Business-to-Consumer (B2C) eCommerce stores typically market products or services directly to customers. An example of a B2C eCommerce store is Amazon.

B2B eCommerce stores

Business-to-business (B2B) eCommerce stores are stores that permit manufacturers or businesses to offer their products and services to other companies. 3DXTech is an example of a company that uses B2B eCommerce website development.

C2B eCommerce stores

Consumer-to-business (C2B) eCommerce stores use a model in which consumers can market their products and services to businesses. An example of this type of business model would be Fiverr.

eCommerce UI Design Considerations

eCommerce UI (user interface) Design deals with the visuals and graphics featured on a website.

The UI is important for any business and the following should be considered when building the UI:

• Navigation is easy-to-use: Make your navigation to be as straightforward and as easy as possible. Customers don’t want to spend hours using poorly designed navigation to find what they’re looking for.
• Your website is responsive: Make sure your eCommerce has a flexible responsive design. Whether your consumer is visiting your site from a phone, a tablet, or a laptop, your website should work effectively.
• You place clear CTAs: CTA (Call-to-Action) buttons tell your website visitors what to do next: Sign Up, Register, Contact Us, and more. Including these buttons on your eCommerce website will give customers an easy way to connect with you and your products/services.

Find the right eCommerce platform

There are a growing number of eCommerce platforms available today that can help business owners in their quest to build their eCommerce website.

Shopify/Shopify Plus

A popular eCommerce platform, Shopify has more than a million clients. It’s easy to use and has a variety of custom domains, user-friendly templates, and a great customer support team.   

Magento

Magento is an eCommerce platform that runs on an open-source model. It offers a variety of features including responsive mobile design, instant purchasing, customization video options, and more.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce has been around since 2009 and has been introduced to 120 countries worldwide. This platform is a little pricier than others but comes with more features.

Providing the best online shopping experience

To have a successful eCommerce website, it’s important that you provide your customers with the best online shopping experience possible. To achieve this:

• Make sure that your website loads quickly.
• Use high-quality photos of the products you’re selling.
• Provide your customers with the option of getting immediate assistance through live chat.
• Offer first-time discounts and free shipping.
• Include out-of-stock notifications and backorder dates.

Testing & Launching your Ecommerce Platform

To ensure that your eCommerce website is going to run as intended, you’ll want to test your website prior to its launch.

Make sure to test the following before launching your website:

• Your CTA buttons
• All implemented features (e.g. live chat)
• Social media integrations
• Payment methods
• Compatibility of different web browsers
• Mobile responsiveness
• All webpages and sub-pages
• Mobile and desktop orders

Promoting your online store

To drive traffic to your business, online or offline, it’s important to promote your online store and to make the most of your digital marketing strategy. There are a few effective methods to use when promoting your products or services.

Content marketing

Content marketing is a marketing method that focuses on creating and sharing content across different platforms. The content could range from videos, blog posts, or social media posts and can be shared across the web.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is the method of using certain keywords, or terms and phrases, to rank higher on search engines. This helps to increase visibility.

Email newsletters & promotional sequenced campaigns

An email newsletter is basically a generic message sent to a group of individuals who have signed up for your newsletter. To get more subscribers to your newsletter, offer promotions for those who sign up.

Running online ads

Running online ads means that you’ll be advertising your products and services alongside search engine results, through partner websites, or through social media ads.

Design eCommerce for Trust and Security

The concepts of eCommerce website design and development are critical to your website’s success. Your site should show consumers that your business is trustworthy and is a safe place to make purchases. It’s important to focus on your brand identity as consumers are much more likely to trust a familiar name/source. Additionally, keep your eCommerce site professional and easy-to-use and offer secure payment options and processes. If you implement these strategies, you’ll be on your way to having a successful eCommerce website.