The Importance of UI/UX Design for E-Commerce Webpages

With global digitalisation driving businesses and consumers online, there is now an increasing need to optimise e-commerce User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design to drive online traffic. The purpose of UI/UX design is to improve the interaction between shoppers, websites and products through thoughtful aesthetic elements and easy online navigations. Prioritising UX design can benefit businesses in many ways. Here are three key reasons to improve e-commerce web design: 

1. Attracts new customers 

When businesses improve the e-commerce user experience and adopt e-commerce UX best practices, they are more ready to attract online traffic and convert leads to paying customers. Apart from this, a well-developed website with strategic UI/UX design is key to attracting online customers who resonate with the product and establishing loyalty with those who trust the brand.  

2. Improves customer retention 

One of the benefits of UX design is its ability to win the favours of customers and retain them through fast loading speed and careful placements of website features, buttons and menus. Statistics from Portent has shown that an e-commerce web page that loads in one second has a conversion rate two and a half times greater than a site that loads in five seconds. Hence, it is important to have a well-executed e-commerce web design that emphasises user experience, as it is more likely to lead potential customers to make decisive purchases on the website rather than letting them leave without taking any action. 

3. Saves time and cost

The benefits of good UX go beyond attracting new traffic and customer retention; it also helps businesses save time and cost through scalable UI/UX design. An e-commerce site that adopts user experience design can anticipate the changing demands of browsers and integrate flexible adjustments without going through time-consuming redevelopment. 

UI/UX best practices for e-commerce sites 

For businesses that are ready to optimise their e-commerce websites, here are five UX best practices that can be easily incorporated:

1. Have a prominent CTA

Call to actions, also known as CTAs, are clear and noticeable indicators on websites that prompt website browsers to take specific actions. When there are CTAs such as “Click here” or “Pay Now” to motivate desired actions, web visitors are more likely to advance quickly from casual browsing to becoming instant customers.

2. Pay attention to the quality of your product images 

Because the nature of e-commerce business lacks the tactile component, featuring high-quality photos that reflect the real essence of products is of utmost importance to enhance e-commerce user experience.

The use of imagery is a powerful tool to convince online shoppers to take desired actions. Try to showcase high-resolution photos of products from different angles. Such visuals encourage shoppers to make a purchase and not leave the site with an empty cart. 

3. Write compelling product copies 

Incorporating persuasive product descriptions and marketing copies is important for elevating user experience. Well-expressed copies can help pique the interest of the audience and finally, convince them to buy the products. If visuals are the elements that attract the attention of online browsers, then compelling copies are the ones that give them the final nudge to seal the deal.  

4. Optimise the checkout page 

A well-optimised checkout page can exponentially increase the chances of achieving marketing goals and revenue.  When a page is hard to navigate and requires shoppers to jump through hoops just to make a payment, online audiences who are used to instant gratification in this digital world are more likely to switch to other sites with better UI/UX design.      

5. Provide accessible customer support 

For any e-commerce site to be successful, offering high-quality and timely customer support is key to improving brand image and loyalty. Offer contact options for customers to reach out easily. For example, live chat has been a popular customer support tool that’s common in today’s online shopping journey.

Apart from optimising the user experience for your e-commerce site, consider leveraging social media and DHL Express’ cloud computing services to take your e-commerce business to the next level. Open an account with us today!