Shopping, whenever the word strike the first thing that comes into your mind is women, right??? But now this does not happen anymore!!! As there are a large number of online stores with an extensive assortment of technical gadgets which can make any man stuck to the screen for hours. Also, there are more than a few stores that cater for parents, teenagers and kids as well. Overall, ecommerce websites engage web customers and they are all set to struggle for each and every one of them. At present, you cannot really say that online shopping is a niche market, aimed at a small audience anymore.
I am not going to discuss the benefits of online stores in this article, we all already know that the system works. What I do want to discuss with you is about the home page layouts and designs that could truly assist your online business flourish.
Clear Logo
A clear and outstanding logo is a business card for both branded stores and start up shops. When it comes to shopping online, a noticeable logo is an encouraging symbol and a part of trust of the organization or company. The renowned brands can afford to create a webstore with a stylish home page that displays minimum features. An eminent mascot or a logo, an attractive video or image and the ‘Buy’ button will serve for such designs.
Deals, Free offers and Free Shipping
Individuals usually decide very swiftly whether they like a website or not, that is why you should grab their interest in a matter of seconds upon their entry to the website; otherwise they will just come across some other store with a more eye-catching home page. And nothing fascinates faster and better than shopping deals. Millions of people lose their minds during sales and discounted periods, and purchase anything at slashed prices just because it is on sale. So, it makes sense to position attention-grabbing banners with discount offers of free shipping on upper part of the home page of your webstore.
Latest News & Most Popular Products
When there are news, a sales period or upcoming events that buyers should know about the product, the home page is the best place to house them. Do not make it too hard for purchasers to discover hot prices and exclusive deals. In addition to this, recurrent customers will more probably look through numerous ‘latest products on sale other than spend half an hour browsing through the whole store for something latest and stylish.
Brand Products
It is not always probable to envisage what the next customer will be in search of, but it does not mean that you should place all your products directly on the home page. What you can do is have the most interesting and eye-catching offers readily obtainable. This trick makes an enormous difference for vendors who have a vast products catalog.
If you have branded products on sale, then display them upfront. It is a great attention-grabber exclusively with first-time visitors who do not know what exactly they are searching or looking for. Furthermore, there are numerous large retailers which provide a prospect to ‘Shop by Brands’.
Login Box, Search Box & Shopping Cart
The login box, search box and shopping cart features are frequently placed together at every ecommerce website. It is almost incredible to imagine a store without a shopping-cart function encompassed. A simple basket is the most popular shopping cart icon, so it makes sense to select something that is as same for your website. Many online shops also provide their consumers a private account where they can check all their current and previous orders.
Every purchaser who signs up can select a personal login id and password for further access. Above and beyond, owners of such accounts can receive special discount offers from the store owners and participate in different promotions or sales. If you deal with a large webstore that has a widespread choice of products then the search box is a must-to-have. This will also prove to be popular with consumers who demand a specific product that they just have to locate from your webstore to make their order.
Payment Systems Icons
Ecommerce websites cope with many consumers from all around the world and they each have their own favored payment system. Furthermore, there may be technical limitations to a payment option or method, and that is the reason it would be better to make the payment options clear in advance or integrate different payment gateway. For example, some ecommerce websites do not accept international credit cards. Others have a need of the delivery address and the customer billing address to be in the same country as the official store’s location.
Online stores usually make use of gift vouchers, debit and credit cards, PayPal, cash on delivery etc. as their major payment system. You can simply come across these payment icons on the top right corner or at the footer of websites.
Social Media Links
It is said that just about 25% of online purchases are achieved after surfing through social networks. Social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, are the greatest, if not fastest, source to get the details you need on just about everything.
In addition to this, social media accounts bring outstanding opportunities for self-promotion: online communities can assist in identifying the most influential and active customers, or discover new ones who are not acquainted with the online stores yet. For web stores, it is a good channel to keep customers well-informed of the special deals or latest news, which are oriented towards Twitter or Facebook followers only.
Phone Numbers and Online Chats
With online shopping, purchasers interact with vendors by means of internet that makes transactions that are not bounded geographically. When an issue arises, consumers would more probably prefer to have someone they can talk with. This is the center of the need for a store support team; 24/7 live chats and hotlines are highly preferred forms of value-added customer service.
If online purchases can be completed all day and all night long, there is a need to provide 24-hours customer services to solve the majority of after-sale and pre-sale questions. Furthermore, individuals can go online from home or from their working places, so a buying — and any associated query — may come up at any time of the day.
Store Finder
A store finder tab is a must-have feature for online stores that have more than a few local or international vendors. Many conservative consumers who prefer to check out the actual store itself may visit website but only to discover the nearby branch or location.
More probably, one will come across this alternative on the top or bottom right corner of the website. If the store has an extensive trade network then it will be good to create a special store location search box for a city, zip code, country or address search. Check out the store finder tabs on these ecommerce websites.
Trustmarks
Trustmarks are logos or small images that display a security assurance by an external party that indicates it is harmless to shop on the website. Some of these trustmarks come from McAfee, Verisign, Network solutions, GeoTrust, BBB, and TRUSTe etc. Such accreditation certificates give consumers or shoppers a sense of safety and gives them assurance in sharing their private details. Visitors would be more motivated to make a purchase if they know that their payment details are safe from inquisitive eyes.
Aside from trustmarks, convenient menus, a clear design, user reviews and detailed product descriptions are also significant for creating better online reputation. Just note that trust plays an indispensable role in a customer’s will to part with their money.
That is it! We hope that the above tips assist you in making your webstore the perfect go-to page for prospective purchasers. With all the effort, finances and time put in to generate your online presence, these simple suggestions may actually aid you in making or breaking your business.
