Ten Must-Have Features for your E-Commerce Site

E-Commerce stores, sites, and businesses are becoming an increasingly popular form for selling products & services online. With so many different platforms and methods of selling available, it can feel a bit overwhelming when deciding what to use for your business. Today, we’re going to cover what we consider twenty of the most important, must-have features for your e-commerce site. Let’s break down the various features you need to propel your business towards success!

Optimize User-Friendly Navigation

The first and foremost feature of your site should be a well-optimized user-friendly experience, where navigation and finding what your customers need is simple. Think of the old moniker k.i.s.s.: Keep it simple, stupid! No one wants to spend an inordinate amount of time looking through your website. In fact, 76% of internet consumers state the most important feature a website or platform can have is the ease of use.

Optimize for Mobile Device Use

Smartphones are becoming increasingly used globally, and because of this fact, you need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and functions well on small devices or mobile phones. In fact, one recent statistic put mobile shopping as being 50% of all online transactions. Mobile responsive web design goes a long way, with major brands like Walmart seeing a 98% increase in sales with mobile customers after optimizing their website. 

Use High-Quality Images and Videos

When posting images and videos to your eCommerce store, quality should be your number one goal. Your customers want to know exactly what they’re purchasing, so providing them with multiple angles and photographs gives them a more informed idea of what they’re purchasing. You also need to ensure that your photos and videos load in a timely manner, as long wait times can cause a customer to lose interest in your product.

A Reviews Section

A reviews section can be a useful feature for your e-commerce business. One study found that 95% of customers consult reviews, and only 57% will do business with a company that’s rated with four or more stars. Both positive and negative reviews are useful for businesses, as they provide you with the feedback you need to optimize your business for the better.

An FAQ Section

Your customers will sometimes need answers related to your products and services, so it’s always good practice to provide them with a frequently asked questions page. This page should contain details about making purchases, return policies, shipping times, and other important factors for running an eCommerce business. This establishes trust with your customers and credibility for your business.

Related Items & Wishlists

If you’re familiar with sites like Amazon, then you’re familiar with these features. Having a wishlist feature for your website allows your customers the ability to favorite items they’d like to purchase at a later date. Additionally, you can program a related items feature which will list similar items to the ones your customers have purchased. Both of these features can be useful for moving more products and boosting sales.

Incorporate your Social Media

Social media is key to running a business in 2021. Not only do these platforms allow for you to easily post your content and find an audience, but maintaining social media accounts also helps to create a trustful bond between yourself and your customers. Moreover, you can more easily interact with your audience this way which in turn will help boost sales and create a community around your brand.

Security

Given you’ll be processing sensitive information and completing online transactions, having a security setup for your e-commerce platform is critically important for your business. There are a number of simple steps you can take to improve your site’s security, such as having an SSL certificate for your store, using two-factor authentication for logging in to your account, and utilizing a firewall for the protection of your servers.

Multiple Payment Options

Giving your customers the ability to choose is important, regardless of what they’re doing on your site. Providing customers with a variety of payment options is important since not all of your customers will utilize the same payment methods. You should try to include popular payment options such as debit, credit, PayPal, and cryptocurrency; among other options. 

Provide Detailed Shipping Information

Finally, your customers need to be aware of what they’ll be paying for shipping. One of the most common reasons for customers to abandon their shopping cart is due to unexpectedly high shipping costs. So including accurate shipping information during the checkout process is important in order to prevent abandoning your shopping cart. Finally, shoppers spend 30% more on their purchases when offered free shipping; meaning that by having detailed shipping information your company can actually earn more per order.