WHAT MAKES A GOOD E-COMMERCE WEBSITE?
Zoe Piper 25th October 2007
"Your website is a selling tool". You've probably heard that one before; after all, your website really is a great platform to showcase your company and your services. But what about the literal sense? Many of our clients have successful online stores, but this isn't universally the case. Here I'll delve into the mysterious world of selling online, and tell you exactly what makes a good e-commerce website.
Know What Your Customers Want
The first and foremost thing your e-commerce site must do is give the customer exactly what they're looking for. People generally don't spend their time browsing online; they already know what they want and they're never more than a few clicks away from looking elsewhere. So keep it simple:
- Easy navigation
- Logical product categories
- Clear pricing
- Appropriate functionality – you might want a:
- Search box
- Quote calculator
- View colour variations option
- Simple checkout process
- Error-proof payment system
Take a look at a client of ours who sells catering supplies. Check out the fiendishly simple navigation, obvious product specifications and pricing. Everything a customer might want to know is right before their eyes.
All the bells and whistles should be secondary. Sure, talk about how brilliant your products are, how your prices are the best in the market and how you're experts in your field. But make sure customers don't get bogged down in all this, when all they want to know is if they can get your table coverings in blue.
Get the Right Information on the Page
All your product information – price, size, etc – has to come from somewhere. For an e-commerce website, it's all stored in a database and retrieved when someone views a product. A custom-designed database lets you choose exactly what information is loaded, be it extra pictures of the product or 'recommended items'. Your database is the heart of your e-commerce site and should be built to specification depending on your needs.
Manage Your E-Commerce Site
Your products might have a high turnover, or you might have special offers you want to add to the homepage each week (like our client). Whatever your needs, you’ll use a content-management system (CRM) to update your static pages (like the homepage) and your product database.
A good web developer will build your CRM to specification so you can do exactly what you want with it, from adding to your blog to updating product ranges. For ongoing website management, a good CRM is essential.
Today's Moral.
A good e-commerce website should have all the pertinent information, readily available, and easily updateable. Simple really, and absolutely painless if you have the right team of experts to make it all work.
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