For an e-commerce site to be successful it has to solve to problems of its customers. It is what differentiates the good from the best, so to speak.
There are three aspects to an e-commerce online ordering system (in a B2B setting) or e-commerce shop (in B2C) which are 'must haves'. If these three don't work really well then it is highly likely that the system or shop will under-perform badly.
- Responsive design & mobile optimisation: more and more transactions are mobile based. This is true for B2B as well as B2C. Given the number of different sizes of devices now available, the best way to go is via responsive design, where the site automatically resizes itself. A responsive site will deliver lower bounce rate, increased page ranking and increased conversions.
- Conversion oriented user experience: A simple and effortless user experience is what every customer wants but, unfortunately, it is not what they get. The 'add to cart' and 'checkout' stages are very important. Make the design conversion-centred and use contrasting, brightly coloured buttons to draw attention.
- Simple user interface: while you would think this is common sense, there are too many examples of sites that don't make it easy for the user. The ideal is to reduce the number of steps between product selection, placing in cart and payment as small as possible. It should be easy and simple. The last thing you really want to do is have a one-off relationship with a customer - this should be all about making things easy for them so they want to return to your site time and time again.
Is there anything else that makes a difference?
Whilst these three make the most difference, you might want to consider the support that is given to site users. How easy is it for them to comment to you if a product page isn't working, if you are out of stock in something they need or they want advice on new products or alternatives? These might seem like simple things to resolve but, as an SME, you will be judged on the quality of your service and this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself.
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ITQ Solutions is a Sellerdeck and Magento agency.