Some people still believe that having a beautiful website or app is enough to provide a good shopping experience. The theory sounds perfect, but this is not the case in practice. Aside from aesthetics, factors such as page loading speed, usability, and navigation, among others, are critical to ensuring visitor satisfaction.
To give you an idea, 88% of respondents in a survey said they would not return to a site after having a bad browsing experience. 53% of mobile visitors abandon a page that takes more than three seconds to load. In conclusion, poor usability is to blame for the failure of 70% of online businesses. This data allows you to see how a lack of good UX practices affects the experience of those who visit your website.
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This article is worth reading if your store's bounce rates are increasing. In addition to defining UX, we've identified eight strategies you should implement in your e-commerce. Let's get started.
What exactly is UX Design?
In free translation, UX is an abbreviation for "User Experience" or "User Experience." UX Design, on the other hand, is synonymous with "User Experience Design."
The definition of UX is quite broad. However, it generally refers to the emotions and sensations that a person experiences when interacting with a product or service.
The acronym UI, which stands for "User Interface", is another term that can help you understand UX. While UX is more subjective, UI is more objective because it deals with the visible component of a solution. The idea behind this is to design user-friendly and straightforward interfaces.
UI practices for e-commerce include, among other things, the placement of icons, menus, and CTAs (call-to-action) buttons at strategic points on the website or application. UX and UI are complementary strategies that should be implemented on your website.
E-commerce user journey
Even the most impulsive shopper does not simply enter a website and immediately buy what they want. Before making a purchase, every consumer goes through some process.
This is the user journey. It begins when he conducts a Google search and discovers that he requires your product; he then accesses your website and finds that your store has what he seeks; he considers purchasing the product and finally decides to purchase it.
To put it another way, the journey begins with the discovery of a product. When customers visit your website, the shopping process you've created for them should impact them. It should be simple for them to find the product and navigate until it is added to their cart.
The most important factor is safety. Customers should feel safe entering personal information and making payments. Following that, effective delivery must be ensured. Quick and straightforward to use. One strategy is to imagine a personalized package with his message. It's your strategy for increasing brand loyalty.
Benefits of UX design in e-commerce
With this well-executed strategy, your company's profits can increase. A UX design also provides additional benefits and advantages for e-commerce, such as:
Customer Loyalty: When customers buy and have a positive experience, they are more likely to buy again.
Customer Satisfaction: If you are fully engaged and produce a high-quality product, you will have a delighted customer.
Spontaneous reach: People will spread word of mouth about your digital business. A positive experience leads to satisfaction, and as a result, users enthusiastically recommend your product to others.
Higher conversion rates: More customers will come to your store and make a purchase.
Remember that each type of e-commerce has its quirks, and this journey may differ slightly depending on what you sell. The point is that the experience must be enjoyable. Furthermore, the advantages of UX Design for e-commerce using a UX strategy can provide a broader range of benefits than ready-to-use themes that do not consider the user journey.
8 E-commerce UX Design Best Practices
Following that, we separate 8 UI and UX Design practices to implement in your e-commerce. Remember that advice does not replace the assistance of professionals. You must also refrain from making any changes on purpose. Before making any changes, it is critical to conduct A/B tests to understand the behavior of those who visit your store.
For those unaware, A/B tests can be used to redirect visitors to two different versions of the site, one A and one B. This makes evaluating the results more accessible and determining which changes benefit the user experience and which must be left.
1. Login with social media
Although some e-commerce sites continue to require their login, this attitude can degrade the customer's experience or even cause them to abandon the purchase. This is because the act of creating a username and password irritates customers. According to some studies, up to 90% of users leave sites that require this type of login.
Also, many people are irritated when they forget their login information. The password reset process is so inconvenient that 92% of people would instead leave the site than complete the action.
However, with Social Login, this issue can be avoided. This feature is commonly used in UX Design and allows visitors to access your website using an existing account on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
With Social Login, the customer can still create a username and password, or they can access the site using an external account. This way, you can please a more significant number of people.
2. Simple and easy checkout
The same functionality customers seek when registering in your virtual store should be applied at checkout. In other words, use UI and UX Design strategies to simplify the checkout process.
Instead of requiring the customer to complete a lengthy form, focus on crucial information such as a delivery address, name, and credit card details.
Avoid sending customers to external websites, such as payment platforms. The most recommended method is to keep the checkout on the same page and include a progress bar so the user can see what information is still missing. Remember that to improve the user experience, the purchase process should be as simple as possible.
3. Mobile first
According to a survey, cell phones were found in 99.5% of national households and are still the most commonly used device for internet access. Furthermore, 87% of your customers usually shop online using their smartphones. Given these statistics, it is clear that e-commerce must adapt to meet the needs of this mobile-first audience.
Creating a responsive website is no longer a competitive differentiator; it is now a fundamental requirement of online business. As a result, developing a mobile-first project can be very effective in further improving the user experience.
A responsive website is initially designed for desktops but can later be adapted for mobile devices. The opposite occurs in mobile first. The site is primarily designed for smartphones and tablets, while the desktop version is adapted from the mobile version. As a result, if most of your store visitors use mobile devices, it is worthwhile to prioritize mobile-first, as this version prioritizes usability and performance even more.
Tip: Logistics can also have a significant impact on the user experience. As a result, if you are not already a Melhor Envio customer, please register.
4. Security Security
One of the pillars of an e-commerce UI and UX project. It can facilitate login, authentication, verification, or password reset processes while ensuring visitor satisfaction through the "Security User Experience" (SUX, or Security User Experience).
Another thing you should do in your store includes security seals and certificates on each page. This increases consumer trust.
5. Navigability and usability
Despite their similarities, these two UI and UX Design practices have distinct differences. The purpose of usability is to create intuitive interfaces that guide visitors through your site's navigation. Information organization within the site is more critical in terms of navigability. As an example:
- Organization of the menus.
- Division of categories.
- Inserting a search bar
- Icons for identification
Furthermore, accessibility, loading speed, and layout standardization all interfere with usability and should be applied to your store, as we will demonstrate later.
6. Availability
The primary goal of accessibility is to allow all customers to access your website. As a result, technical UX Design changes are required to ensure that people with and without disabilities can browse your store.
Here are some resources and strategies for improving accessibility:
Adapt navigation for people with low vision or blindness: by investing in screen reading software with features such as image magnification, sound access, and detailed product and image descriptions. More people will have access to the information this way.
Language selectors: language is an exclusionary barrier. Don't make the mistake of presuming that every one comprehends a foreign language. If applicable, create bilingual or multilingual content. Another suggestion is to invest in components like language selectors. As a result, you include more people.
Use appropriate fonts: Select fonts in reasonable sizes and shapes.
Improve the color palette: the colors, contrast, and brightness should make it easier for visitors, particularly those with vision problems, to see.
7. Website load time
Many people abandon pages that take too long to load. Use tools like Chrome User Experience Report, GTmetrix, Pingdom, and PageSpeed Insights to evaluate the user experience and the site load time. So you can identify the source of the problem and resolve it.
Using images with web-specific dimensions and formats also contributes significantly to speed. Another option is to make the photos lighter in color. It is worthwhile to use image compression sites such as Tiny PNG for this.
Sites with fast loading times benefit customers and rank higher in search engines. As a result, incorporate this UX Design strategy into your e-commerce as soon as possible.
8. Aesthetics
While aesthetics alone will not improve the user experience, an appealing and clean layout will catch the attention of anyone browsing your store. As a result, when developing a UX or UI Design strategy, this topic should not be overlooked.
Furthermore, it is necessary to maintain consistency in the page layout. For example, if the shopping cart is in the upper right corner, it must remain on all pages. This way, the consumer can easily find the information and is less likely to become frustrated while browsing your store.
Consumers' expectations are rising, and user experience should not be overlooked. If your e-commerce does not keep up with UX Design trends, you will fall behind your competitors. So, don't be afraid to implement good UX/UI practices in your business.
Conclusion
UX design enhances user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and the product. In other words, it's about making your customer's experience as fantastic as possible. And that's where e-commerce comes in – if you can make buying from your store a delightful experience, you can bet that customers will come back for more. So, how do you go about incorporating good UX practices into your online store? Let us help! We have years of experience creating beautiful, easy-to-use websites that drive sales. Contact us today to get started on a project tailored specifically to your business goals and needs.