With 92% of the UK population internet users, online sales have dominated and continue to dominate the retail market. According to research conducted by Capgemini and IMRG, the value of online sales hit £133 billion last year, which is a 16% increase on online retail sales in 2015. Team this with increasing mobile sales, and the ecommerce world is a great place to be for businesses of all sizes and niches – that is, if your website provides the user experience consumers have come to expect.

Your ecommerce website should be a portal to better business and greater profit. Whether you are just starting out online or looking to enhance the offering of your existing ecommerce website, the design of your site is a vital part of the wider formula for success. Here we reveal the golden rules of great ecommerce web design so you can muscle in on a greater market share and take a big, juicy slice of the booming, multi-billion-pound online retail industry.

Step into your customers’ shoes

Defining a succinct, simple and successful customer journey is what the ecommerce web design process is all about. Without great usability, customers simply won’t make it to your checkout. Step into your customer base’s shoes and pin down what they want to feel and experience when they visit your ecommerce website.

Understanding your core demographic will define your design choices from the outset as well as influence your brand identity, and the marketing and advertising tactics that will get your name out there.

Avoid information overload

It can be difficult to provide a concise and clear path from landing page to checkout if you have a huge product or service range, but remember it is doable. Complex menus and content heavy landing pages are sure fire ways to halt the buying process in its tracks. Avoid information overload with navigation that takes your customer from A to B in as fewer clicks as possible. Make your journey as simple as you can by calling upon user experience practices that not just meet but exceed customer expectations.

Keep it consistent

Difficult to use ecommerce websites will see higher bounce rates than others, and to keep things simple, the design principles you use have to be consistent. Too many brands sacrifice their identities in search of a simple ecommerce experience but you can have your cake and eat it with the right guidance. By ensuring certain elements, like fonts, colour schemes, themes and navigational journeys, are consistent you can create an excellent customer experience whilst complementing and communicating your brand message, even across multiple websites.

Consider the complete experience

It’s not just the look, feel and functionality that good ecommerce web design dictates. The entire experience can be crafted from the web design principles you use, with points like page load speeds, product imagery and email marketing all covered. You can also learn a lot about your customer and the wider market through your website with data insights gathered giving you the information you need to plan the next phase of design and development.

Like this article? Show us some love by sharing it with your friends. If you’d like to know more about ecommerce web design, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.