Several retail businesses restructured their businesses and embraced digitization to stay agile and relevant to their users. The website was a crucial part of the restructuring.
Contrary to popular belief, the website isn’t just a place to store your products and showcase them. Akin to the physical store, you must ensure the customer is aware of where the products are and move around intuitively to complete the purchases.
People prefer shopping online owing to the increased availability of the Internet. The global retail eCommerce sales are expected to surpass $8 trillion by 2027.
Despite the rising online purchases, about 70% of customers abandon their carts. Labyrinthine websites, complex payment solutions and imbalanced website designs lead to these abandonments.
A web design and development company struggles to define a UX-first strategy to enhance website development and drive success. They believe it is crucial to think through security and scalability before developing the site.
This article will cover all the essential points you must consider when developing an eCommerce website.
eCommerce Web Development Top Considerations
When planning an eCommerce web development roadmap, you must consider various aspects- security, user experience, security, and customizations. Let’s look at each one in detail.
1. User Experience Design
Whether you are a website or a person, first impressions are crucial. A UX-led strategy can help carve the best impression that will escalate into an appealing and joyous journey ahead.
These UX elements can help design the website appropriately, in sync with the user’s needs.
Responsive Design
This is integral to crafting an experiential journey for your users. They may access the website using different devices. Responsive designs showcase your preparedness to ensure uniformity and frictionless usage.
- You must test your designs across devices- tablets, phones and computers.
- Check if your website offers the same experience on iOS and Android.
You can maximise your reach and improve your conversion rate with responsive designs.
Intuitive Navigation
Imagine your user walking through the physical store. What makes their stay enjoyable? The ability to track the products and put them into the cart. This is what you must mimic when creating a website.
- The navigation should be logical and well-structured. This would enhance the visibility of the products and make it easier to find them.
- Divide the products into categories and create specific pages to make things easier for the user.
High-Quality Images
Users cannot touch and feel the object. They are not sure if the product they are buying is what they need. You can overcome this friction in their purchase journey by extending high-quality images.
- You can implement zoom-in/out features that offer an in-depth view of the product.
- Implement a 360-degree view of the product to enhance their experience.
- Make sure to use advanced technologies that will help them understand the product and get a complete demo.
Seamless Checkout
People moved away from physical stores to ensure they could complete their shopping faster. However, the complex checkout processes can ruin this experience for them. That’s why businesses must invest in streamlining the checkout.
- You must implement a single-page checkout that can gratify the users immediately.
- Extend guest checkout options as well that can speed up their purchase journey.
2. Selecting the Right Platform
The platform choice is crucial in ensuring they offer the relevant security and flexibility. As your business grows, the platform should provide room for growth.
These elements must be considered when choosing the platform for your eCommerce web development.
Scalability
Your business will continuously evolve. It is possible the platform you have selected today may not work for you tomorrow.
That’s why you must consider scalability when recruiting the platform for your business.
- Look at the current scope and traffic while choosing the platform. Select the platform that can adapt to increasing user base and volume.
- You must also look for a platform that supports scaling without compromising performance.
Security
With the monumental rise in data breaches and cybersecurity issues, you cannot proceed with an unsecured website. You must look for the best security support in your website design.
- Look for a platform that prioritizes industry standards and complies with the regulations.
- They must implement SSL certificates and secure payment paths to protect the data and transactions.
Customizations
The website must be a clear reflection of the brand’s personality and image. That’s why you must choose a platform that can be customized to meet the unique image.
- The platform must allow you to customize the design and layout easily.
- You should be able to align the website with your brand’s specific requirements.
3. Mobile-first Solution
A lot of your users would prefer accessing the website on their phones. You must ensure that the website is optimized for handheld devices. There are several aspects you must consider here.
Touch-friendly User Interface
The mobile devices are slightly different from the laptops and computers. You must ensure that the user can interact with the website via their fingers and thumb.
- You must design the buttons and elements to foster a touch-friendly experience.
- You must ensure the website can cater to the different gestures and interaction methods easily.
Fast-loading Sites
The mobile user will not wait for long to access the website on their devices. your strategy must include optimizing the load time for the mobile devices.
- Optimize the images for mobile devices so that they can load faster.
- Offer quick access to the information via best delivery networks and performance optimization methods.
4. Payment Gateway Integration
This is a crucial part of developing the eCommerce website. You must consider choosing the ideal payment gateways that can grant seamless checkouts and ensure smooth payments.
Include Multiple Options
Offering the users their preferred payment options can increase the number of conversions. You must research your audience base to understand their preferred methods before implementing them.
- Include multiple convenient options such as credit cards, digital wallets and other alternatives.
- Make sure your payments are aligned with the user’s preferences.
Security Compliance
This is a key consideration when choosing digital payment methods.
- Look for payment gateways that are PCI-DSS compliant.
- Make sure the gateways are completely secure and possess the necessary certifications.
This would foster trust and reliability in the payment systems. This will eventually increase the number of customers for your business.
Authentication
You must ensure the authentication is in sync with the protection and security protocols.
- Implement two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access to the store accounts.
- Make sure the password policies are strong to ensure complete store security.
5. Compliance Considerations and Legal Framework
As an eCommerce business, you must be aware of the legal requirements and compliances you incorporate into your website. Implementing them can increase the trust and reliability of your business.
GDPR and Data Protection
Your user’s trust in you increases when you promise to safeguard the data they have given you. It is equally important to seek their consent before using the data.
- GDPR can help extend the data protection laws that foster trust.
- You can use these compliances to seek consent for data collection.
- The protocols will also help with data encryption and customized privacy settings.
Accessibility Standards
Making your website accessible to all users is crucial. Whether they have motor impairments or are visually disabled, they should be able to access the website.
- Use accessibility standards such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure your website is accessible.
- Make it inclusive by including all types of impairments and disabilities.
Conclusion
Web development for the eCommerce industry requires a multifaceted approach, where you consider all the elements. You must research your audience base and their preferences before planning the website.
Creating a UX-led strategy, implementing secure payment gateways and adhering to the compliances can ensure successful development. You must stay abreast with the latest trends and technologies to attract customers, improve retention and foster strong relationships.
These will help drive sustainable growth and profits for your business.
