A Comprehensive Checklist on eCommerce Website Development and Design

Simply building an eCommerce store does not complete the job. Millions of websites selling products online exist globally, and what separates one from the other are features, design, and things alike. So if you too are planning on setting up an eCommerce website, then everything has to be nothing but perfect. Hence we’ve compiled an all-inclusive checklist for eCommerce website development and design to help you keep a brief check during the initial launch of your online store.

Open Source or SaaS based eCommerce Website

It is the question of prime importance, one which you need to address even before laying the foundation for building an online store. Open-source platform means a freely available software that allows the user to see how the software was made aka its coding. Whereas SaaS based platforms are not freely available software and to use them, one has to purchase their plans/services.

eCommfy offers, both pre-designed and custom made SaaS based eCommerce web stores because of the technical edge. These platforms provide high scalability, tighter security, data-intensive storage, attractive designs, and much more. However, the choice of platform depends upon the scale of operations of the businesses.

Create a Multi-Device Optimized Website

As per a survey, 79% of the consumers make an online purchase via smartphones. Hence it goes without saying that your eCommerce store should be smooth and responsive when accessed via a smartphone or any device. The page loading speed should be quick, font and image size should be optimized accordingly. A trash looking marketplace on devices other than laptop/PC will generate negative reviews and ultimately affect your sales.

Publicize Logos of Branded Products

Well-established brands create trust and a sense of confidence in a buyer’s mind — for that reason, consumers purchase their products online quickly over local brands. If your online store is listing and selling branded products, then you should use their logos at different pages. These logos will give customers an idea of the different brands available and also build the reputation of your online store.

Extend Chatbot Assistance

Would you repeat the procedure of shutting your online store post 9 PM and opening it at 10 AM the next morning? Silly, right! Unlike brick and mortar stores, B2B or B2B eCommerce platforms are open 24/7. But it doesn’t mean that you will be sitting all-along to aid customers or answer their queries. Chatbot tools are there to do the job on your behalf by helping visitors with anything and everything related to online purchasing. The customers will feel confident while making any purchase, and their queries will also get resolved on a real-time basis.

Have a Search Bar on Every Page

It can’t get simpler than this — every page of your online store should have a search bar for easy navigation. Customers do not like to drill down under different categories and subcategories to find the desired product.

A search bar on all pages can boost your sales by up to 30% — a monetary figure you would not want to lose.

Give Multiple Payment and Delivery Options

No matter how digitally reliant a country’s economy becomes, the existence of people who prefer purchasing in cash can’t be negated. Hence it is crucial to offer multiple payment options like COD, Debit/Credit Card, Netbanking, eWallets, etc. You should also provide different delivery/shipping options out of which the customer can select the one to his liking.

Sketch a Hook-Worthy Home Page

It is common for consumers to visit online stores for getting updates on what’s trending, latest offers, new launches, or sometimes without any reason. The best way to convert these unplanned visits into sales is by highlighting such discounts and launches on the home page itself. All the top market players who sell merchandise online fill their homepages with the offers to maximize the sales.

Suitable Product Categorization

It doesn’t matter whether your web store is selling everything or just products from one segment. The crucial task is to sort every merchandise based on commonly understood categories. For example, apparel based online stores differentiate products under two broad sections — for him & her. It is further expanded into sub-categories based on the wearability. Proper product segmentation makes shopping easy for the user. Or they’ll get confused amongst all the products and end up exiting the window due to frustration.

Win the Customers’ Confidence

No matter the era of technological advancements, people still feel a bit insecure while doing online shopping. The best way to win their confidence and make them feel secure is by taking different steps like implementing privacy policy, complying with PCI guidelines, displaying customer testimonials, etc.

Show Cart Summary

Top B2C or B2B eCommerce platforms provide a cart summary on each page. The item list gets updated as and when the customer adds or remove products from the cart. Making it even more user-friendly, you can show a summary of the items in the cart when the cursor hovers over the cart button.

Also, this button should opt as a direct checkout option for the purchasers. On clicking it, they should be directed to the checkout page.

Conduct an Awesome Photoshoot

It is a well-established law that what’s seen is sold. Make the most of it by investing in hiring a professional photographer and conduct an outstanding photoshoot. These product images will compel and also help the buyers in making a purchase. The ideal example of boosting sales through photography is of fashion stores and travel package portals.

Highlight Deals and Promotions

Like we said above, you need to inform the visitors about season offers/deals/promotions. You cannot expect them to know about it from somewhere! Highlight such things at the homepage itself, even if it means using on the face marketing techniques — a policy followed by B2C and B2B eCommerce portals.

Cash-On the Trends

You should highlight popular products/services either on the home page or in the search bar. Consumers tend to visit eCommerce platforms for window-shopping, and by showing the trends, you can convert these random visits into sales. The trends can be of anything and everything, like an online fashion store shows massively popular summer dresses and other apparel, etc.

Add Sorting and Filter Options

The option to sort and/or filter will increase the product findability. It will also help users to specify their search results and thus save their time by displaying commodities based on their requirements.

Customer Reviews are the Best Form of Marketing

Millions of people are selling billions of products/services online. How the hell a customer will choose from a billion choices? What will be the selection basis? Yes, we can say based on price or specifications, but the most effective one is the customer review. You will prefer those pair of headphones that have more reviews as compared to the one with almost nil feedback. It will also help you gain first-hand knowledge about their sound quality, bass and echo levels, and more.

Generate Sales Via Upselling and Cross-Selling

You must have noticed that on adding an item to the cart, the store starts highlighting the top sellers, customers also bought this, etc related to the shortlisted products. These strategies are called Upselling and Cross-Selling. All the leading B2C and B2B eCommerce stores use this technique to influence consumers’ buying decisions. Upselling means persuading the customer to upgrade and buy an expensive version of the same product. The best example can be of the same model of a mobile phone having different variants. Cross-Selling means showing products that are often bought by people with an item in the cart. For example, screen guards and covers are habitually bought together with mobile phones.

Show the Number of Items Left

When you show visitors the exact quantity of product left, it generates a sense of urgency in them. Due to this, customers usually end up purchasing products they may have planned on buying later. It is owing to the fear of losing the product or the deal.

Must Have Buttons: Buy, Add to Cart, and Add to Wishlist

You cannot have an eCommerce website without giving these three options to the customers. Reason? Nothing! The visitors simply expect them to be there. But yes, they help in boosting sales by providing options such as to save for later or one-step checkout, etc.

Tell Ways to Get In Touch

It is crucial to make the shoppers feel assured while they are shopping from your B2C/ B2B eCommerce platform.

And they feel assured knowing the way to reach customer-care ASAP when the need arises. Hence, you should mention/highlight the Contact Us details on every page.

Product Images and Videos

You want to buy the sexiest pair of stiletto heel and for that, you log-onto an online store. Would you purchase the very first footwear you set eyes on? It will be a big fat NO. We all prefer studying the product carefully via images from all the angles. And if a model is wearing them, then it’s even better. Some fashion stores have video clips of models doing a fashion walk in that product. Your store should also follow these rules of the game. The more customer-centric an online marketplace is, the probability of boosted sales are super high.

Give Constant Updates on the Delivery

Whenever we order something online, be it a small goodie or a cool gadget, it feels like Christmas! We keep checking the delivery status for its arrival, and then we can show it to our friends/family. If you expect that, then your customers are no different either. Therefore it is of utmost significance to provide a live status of the product — from the moment it is packed and shipped till the final delivery.

Do Not Deliver Cost Surprises

A major blunder committed by the maximum number of eCommerce stores is giving consumers a cost-shock! Almost 56% of users abandon their carts during the checkout process owing to hidden costs like taxes, shipping, etc. It not only reduces the sales but also leaves a negative impact on the buyers. To counter the effects, you should show all the costs on the product page itself. As a result, the customer will already know about the additional charges (if any) he/she has to pay on checkout.

Extend Options to Edit the Cart Items

Your store cart should have the add, remove, and save for later selections. It provides customers with an easy way to edit the items in their cart without having to drill down to the individual product page, which consumes a lot of time.

Provide Product Descriptions

You must be wondering that if product images and/or videos already updated, then what’s the need for a detailed description. The answer is — search engines. The AI and web crawlers read the content and rank pages based on the use of keywords. You should write plagiarism-free product descriptions that are not stuffed with keywords. Non-compliance with the guidelines could lead to the imposition of penalties by the search engines.

Choose the Ideal Checkout Process

Whether online store owners accept it or not, but the checkout process has a significant impact on the rate of shopping cart abandonment. There are four types of checkout processes for SaaS based eCommerce platforms — one click, single page, multi page, and accordion checkout. The ideal checkout process for an eCommerce store varies from one case to another.

eCommerce Checkout Process Multiple Page

To know more about the processes in detail, refer to our blog on four checkout processes.

Your Inputs are Welcome

So these are our 25 inclusions in eCommerce website development and design checklist. The list will help in giving the perfect boost for launching your online store. If we’ve missed some points, then please feel free to let us know through the comment section given below.