4 Signs Your E-Commerce Website Needs an Upgrade
Nowadays, a consumer-friendly experience is demanded by people who are shopping on the internet. Online shopping trends are constantly evolving and so are the needs of the customers. Simply having an ecommerce website and listing product details on it is not sufficient, businesses need to constantly review and update their websites according to changing consumer trends. What are the signs that your website needs to be upgraded? Here are some indicators which will also help you understand why customers might be leaving and not shopping from your website.
Poor Interface
Run a survey and ask your customers how user-friendly your website is. Evaluate if it is hard for a user to find a product that they are looking for. Your first priority should be to make the navigation easier for your customers. According to a study by Acquity group “71% of buyers indicated they would purchase from the website with a more convenient and efficient purchase process when price is equal, despite loyalty to their current supplier“. The interface is the first thing customers see when they visit your website. Since aesthetics are important in web design, a website with poor and visually unappealing interface can discourage them from doing business with you. Hence, you need to either tweak the pages that require attention or go for a major overhaul if you have to. You must prioritize customers’ shopping experience and develop their confidence in your business. Make sure that your company’s address, e-mail, phone number and other contact details are available so that customers can reach you easily. Include a FAQ page, live chat service support, your company privacy policy, terms and conditions, latest product listings, customer events, delivery or shipping charges and payment options.
Long Loading Time
An Akamai study shows that less than 2 seconds is the ideal loading time for 47% of website visitors while 40% will abandon a site if its loading time exceeds 3 seconds.
The loading time of your website influences consumers’ decisions on whether to stay or leave. The loading process should not take more than a few seconds; otherwise, customers will visit those websites which have quicker loading times. Optimize your site to provide customers with a faster browsing experience. Tools like GTMetrix can help you evaluate the problems your website has and they also suggest what needs to be done to fix these problems.
Unresponsive Web Design
A majority of customers are using their smartphones and tablets to research about products before making a purchase decision. Keeping that in mind, you need to make sure that your website is responsive and will work seamlessly on these devices. Also, customers who travel frequently will be able to access responsive sites quickly and they can get relevant information whenever needed.
Old Content and Bleak Features
Identify those products and services which have been featured on your site for quite a while. Potential customers can recognize outdated content and this will drive them away. Update your website on a regular basis with new product or service descriptions. Upgrade your call to action button and features if they are unattractive or old-fashioned. Add modern color schemes and visual cues.
Online shoppers are more in control now than before. Businesses need to get their attention, fulfill their needs and learn to adapt a customer-centric approach. Efforts are needed to make shopping faster, safer and enjoyable for your customers.