Innovative designs
Since almost every business has a website, your website needs to stand out from the crowd. This is where design comes into play. Your approach should be bold and different, no matter the style of your site. You should consider unconventional designs that keep the website attractive and functional. Naturally, how you use this design will depend on the type of business you own, and perhaps even reflect it. Using layout to break up space in an unconventional way and using engaging elements like interactive videos, animated photos, and infinitely scrolling image sliders will result in longer user engagement, better branding, and more conversions.
Features like search options and product filters allow visitors to easily sort through products and navigate to what they really need. But poorly optimized filters can drive customers away from your website, reducing your sales. That's why smart, well-optimized filter options are so beneficial in helping guide users deeper into your product catalog. Simple but smart features like these not only help reduce bounce rates, but also help retain customers who have had a satisfactory shopping experience. For a detailed insight, you can read our blog on Ecommerce Web Design Trends.
chat bots
Machine learning technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, meaning businesses can now use automation and AI to improve the customer experience. The biggest modern example of this is chatbots. Chatbots have a live chat interface that provides 24/7 customer service. This can act as a resource that will guide buyers to the right pages and keep them coming back to your website.
Additionally, chatbots are also a great tool for analyzing customer behavior and tracking purchasing patterns. Likewise, they can also be used to conduct simple surveys by asking customers questions. All of this information can be used to improve the products, market them differently if necessary, optimize the website and increase the reach of your business.
voice inclusion
Voice-assisted e-commerce sales are projected to reach around $19.4 billion by 2023 (Juniper Research). Therefore, now might be the time to incorporate voice-assisted technologies into your website as well. Voice assistants will not only improve the speed of searching for products, but will also be very useful for people who do not know how or cannot write the name of products. Most importantly, you will ensure that your website is designed inclusively and is accessible to potential customers with special needs.
Multiple payment options
Customers want to be able to choose their preferred payment method at checkout. This means that businesses that have diversified payment gateways implemented on their website have a much better chance of building trust, reducing cases of cart abandonment, and encouraging customers to spend more. This is mainly due to the fact that a large number of payment options available come with their own incentives, so a customer would be inclined to pay through a mode of their choice.
Shoppers are also looking for greater flexibility when shopping online. This is why one-click payment modes and interest-free financing models like “buy now, pay later” are becoming increasingly popular and should definitely be part of any modern e-commerce model.
New technologies
Augmented Reality (AR) is an exciting new technology that first took the gaming world by storm. But its potential in the world of e-commerce is still in the process of being tapped. Nike is successfully using it to allow customers to measure foot size at any time. Nike also used it as a marketing strategy for its new limited edition shoes (Nike Momofuku Limited Edition Shoes)
Likewise, technologies such as virtual reality, product viewers and builders, and 3D mapping will regularly make it easier for customers to view their products, and even "try them on" in the online space. For example, many online eyeglasses companies now allow you to upload an image of your face and see how various glasses will look on you. Many paint companies will also allow you to upload a picture of your room and see how it will look with different paints. All of this is essentially about recreating the feeling of shopping in stores.
Progressive web applications
Progressive web apps or PWAs are basically regular website pages, but they appear and function like traditional or native mobile apps. Although they are a relatively new phenomenon, they have been growing in popularity among numerous companies. Since they combine all the functionalities of a mobile app, such as short loading speeds, push notifications, and even offline features, without having any of the drawbacks such as space requirements or app aggregators like the Play Store or App Store, they allow a Highly immersive user experience that has been shown to improve user engagement and conversions.
According to research (AppInstitute), some of the benefits businesses have received from PWAs include
- 68% increase in mobile traffic
- 52% average increase in conversion rates
- 78% increase in average session duration
- 137% increase in interactions
- 134% increase in the number of page views
Security
You need to make sure your website is secure. Your customers are unlikely to continue purchasing products and services from your business if your online store is not secure. The average online store is attacked quite frequently, with hackers looking to steal your customers' private information or cause damage to your business. Obviously, this is really bad news for your eCommerce store and a good way to lose customers immediately. As hackers become smarter, it is important that website design services also keep up to date with the latest security measures.
Subscription models
Nothing manages customer retention better than well-placed and well-thought-out subscription and loyalty programs. These programs are used to target regular shoppers and thank them for the business they provide by providing additional convenience, exclusivity, special offers, and more savings. Such tactics will not only help you build a relationship with your customers, but they can also be incentivized to become advocates for your brand.
Fast delivery and easy returns
Fast deliveries show that you can deliver on your promises, are reliable, and care about customer experiences and expectations. Likewise, an option to facilitate product returns is also a must if you want to continue reaching a wider audience. If you make returns simple, most customers will give you repeat business. Studies have shown that more than 60% of customers review return policies before going ahead and making purchases. Strong return policies can improve customer retention, which means significantly higher sales.
