4 Retail Web Design Mistakes to Avoid for Your E-Commerce Business
If your business is not online, it will be left in the dust. For retailers, this means that if you’re not complementing your brick-and-mortar stores with an effective e-commerce platform that incorporates intentional web design, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage and allowing the competition to pull ahead. Here are four retail web design mistakes to avoid. Use these tips to ensure your retail store is on the path to success.
1. Choosing the Wrong Kind of Ecommerce Platform
There are three general types of e-commerce website platforms, each offering distinctive features when it comes to website development. When you begin to build your website, you have the option between:
- Open-Source
- SaaS (software-as-a-service)
- Headless commerce
It’s important to consider your customer journey, customer, and goals when choosing your e-commerce platform. Download our eBook for more information or talk to the team at WEB ROI to ensure that you’re making an informed decision that best suits the needs of your business, rather than spinning your wheels.
Want to accelerate your business and avoid any roadblocks?
2. Poor Site Navigation
You want your visitors to have a pleasant experience when they interact with your website. You also want the design to be intuitive in a way that maximizes the amount of money customers spend on your website. For example, if your customer is purchasing trees, your site should automatically suggest related purchases (like mulch) and make these easy to add to their shopping cart. To optimize the user experience and create a smooth sales journey that guides visitors toward a purchase, make sure that your website includes these navigation elements:
- Header menu
- Product category pages
- Filters
- On-site search
- Footer
By including these elements, you ensure that visitors can navigate your website with ease and avoid any roadblocks on their search for your products.
3. Not Mobile Responsive
According to data from 2021, 79% of consumers prefer to use their mobile phones to complete the entire purchasing process, from research to buying. However, people often abandon their virtual shopping carts if the mobile checkout experience drives them to frustration. Since the onset of the pandemic, we know this number has increased.
This is an essential element of your web design that you ought to be sure not to overlook. Since almost half of consumers are using their smartphones to complete purchases, you must optimize the mobile side of your web design to avoid losing those customers and falling behind in the race to success.
Want to get your business online and have an effective e-commerce platform for your customers in Ontario locations such as Toronto, Waterloo, London and more? Look no further! At WEB ROI, our team can help. Contact us today to learn more about how you can optimize your retail website!
4. Generic Layout
Your website should reflect your brand and appeal to your ideal client. To achieve this, it’s unlikely that any form of generic web design will accurately capture the essence of your business and leave a positive mark on your website visitors.
Using a generic website layout is a pitfall for many retail e-commerce sites. Creating a thoughtful web design that’s aesthetically pleasing and readable is crucial to your business’ success and increasing your online traffic. Be thoughtful and intentional with your typography, page layout, visuals, and colour schemes to accurately convey the tone of your business and attract your ideal clients.
These simple considerations can do wonders for the success of your retail website. To accelerate your business in an increasingly virtual world, you must build an intentional and effective web experience. You want your content to be readable and flow smoothly on both desktop and mobile, with a web design that reflects who you are and what you’re offering to your clients that sets you apart.
Work With a Web Development Expert
WEB ROI specializes in industry-specific web design, with the experience and know-how to build an effective custom website that drives traffic to your business, generates strong leads, and maximizes sales. Contact us today to discuss how we can apply these techniques to your retail business, and together we’ll embark on the road to success!
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