Having an eCommerce Website is the new fun way to do business. Gone are the days of selling through Physical stores. Now everything happens from home.
But, there must be a few must-have features on any eCommerce store that are common across all websites and that make it easier for the customer to shop. Thus making it a successful eCommerce Store.
As an Entrepreneur, Founder, Shopify expert, and eCommerce website developer, below mentions 29 Must-have features for any successful E-commerce store:
1. Domain Name
Choose a good Brand name. This is the name you’ll be using to sell with. It must be catchy and pleasing to the ears.
2. Logo and Tag Line
Create a unique Logo and Tagline that uses the same colors as your website theme. A beautiful logo really captures customer interest. The same goes for the Tagline.
3. User-Friendly Interface
Simplicity is always good for the masses. An E-commerce store is built for the masses to shop. Keep your website intuitive so these people know how to navigate your website.
4. Clean and Simple Navigation
Keep all navigation buttons visible and clear. The customer must know where everything is placed. As said before, simplicity is good for the masses.
5. Mobile-Friendly Website
Google has prioritized mobile page load speed as a key metric when determining a website’s search result ranking. This means, Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.
6. Cross-Browser Compatible
Keep your store cross-browser compatible. In other words, the customer should be able to open your site on Internet Explorer or Chrome or Firefox or Safari or any other browser for that matter.
7. Follow Branding Guideline Everywhere
Choose your theme color and font on all pages. Try not to deviate from more than 2 colors as your Branding. The same colors should match your Logo.
8. Search Box & Advanced Filter
Keep a search box present to your website with an Advanced filter so the customer can search for any product based on their needs.
9. Social Media Presence
Brands and online sellers that connect with their customers on an emotional level create brand trust and advocacy.
An active social media (Instagram / Facebook) presence enhances how people view a brand.
10. User Reviews & Testimonial
Having positive customer reviews, feedback, and testimonials can boost E-commerce conversion. Online Reviews are Essential for Your Online Store. Word of mouth is still the best source of communication.
11. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The FAQ section is the much-required details part of the product page. This is a very necessary portion of the page as all details the customer needs from this product is listed here.
Complex purchases require confidence from the seller and detailed information when buying products online.
12. All other Information pages
Keep all other information pages that show how genuine your store is. This is needed if the customer needs help from you, the storekeeper directly.
These include:
– About us
– Contact us page with Phone number
– Return Policy
– Privacy Policy
– Shipping Policy
– Terms and Conditions
– Size Chart Page (If applicable)
13. Special Offers, Promotion and Discount
Most E-commerce sites use special offers in their standard marketing practices via email, social, text, etc.
When shoppers realize they’re getting a special deal, it motivates them to buy more and spend more time searching the site.
14. Wishlist
The wishlist is similar to the Cart except this doesn’t take you to checkout. Instead, the Wishlist holds on to all the items and products you want to buy but not right now.
The wishlist is a must-have feature for all E-commerce Stores. Customers just love Wishlists.
15. Security & SSL
Security is one of the most important features as it ensures that no crucial data such as credit card information is saved and for all prepaid shipments the checkout is carried out through a secure payment gateway. The passwords must be encrypted and not stored in a readable format. All web pages should be protected by SSL. And your website link must start with HTTPS.
16. Payment Gateway Integrations
A good E-commerce website gives you the option of integrating with diverse payment gateways by not limiting your choices to a selected few. It is an integral feature of E-commerce websites that can make or break the customer experience. The most loved payment gateways are Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal. Shopify has its own Payment Gateway too called Shop Pay.
17. Multiple Shipping options & Logistics Integration
Customers now want their products delivered directly to their doorstep. Integrating logistics services allows not only seamless shipping but also ensures that the merchant and the customer get real-time courier updates along with order tracking capability. This allows the seller and customer to manage multiple shipments.
18. Blog Post and User Comments
Keeping a Blog section is turning into a thing now. Most websites offer a blog page where customers can come and read articles when they are not in the mood to buy anything. Add a section for users to comment on those blogs too. This is a good way of following what customers are looking for.
19. Live Chat Option
Keep a Live Chat Option for customers to connect with for help with regards to their orders. Major E-commerce websites generally have a 24×7 live chat option.
20. High-Quality Product Picture and Video
The first impression is generally the last impression for a customer. Keep High-quality Product pictures and a Product Video from different angel if possible. This helps customers visualize the item for themselves.
21. Instant Email / SMS / Whatsapp Notification
Upon placing an order, the customer must be informed of their purchase via E-mail, SMS, and Whatsapp. This is now an integral part of processing an order. The customer must be made aware of every step of the purchase process and which stage the product is in at any time.
22. Highly Convertable Product page
Keep an organized, clean, and functional product page. All required options must be there on this page like ‘Color’ and ‘Size’ options. This page can also have a ‘Quick Buy’ button, Related Products, Product Review, etc.
23. Lead Magnet Features: Email Marketing Features integration to get user email
Keep lead magnets on your home page so the customer is enticed to register and receive updates and newsletters of products. This is a valuable tool for collecting customer demographics and Contact email and can be of a lot of help later. You can nurture those details with product updates, offers, Personalized discounts, etc.
24. Case Study or Video Testimonial
Keep-case studies or video testimonials of prior customers to help you win over the next customer. Customers are always looking for testimonials from previous customers to know how the product they plan to purchase helped the previous customer.
25. Highlight your Unique Story
Customers love stories. They want to know where you come from and how you helped the customer in their journey. Keep a section on the ‘About Us’ page that talks about your journey. Create a story of your own!
26. Highlight your USP
Along with mentioning your story, tell the customer how what you sell is unique from others’ products. A unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes your E-commerce store better than your competitors.
27. Page Speed
Keep your website loading fast. This is the make-or-break deal in bringing in customers. Statistics say that customers won’t wait more than 3 seconds before abandoning your site for the competitors if your page doesn’t load by then.
You can use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to know your webpage load time.
28. Tracking
Use tracking and analytics tool ( Google Analytics / Facebook pixel ) on your website to know where your customer is coming from and where they are on your website and also how long they’ve been there. This helps you know which pages get the maximum traffic.
You can use Hotjar to help you with tracking visitors to your website.
29. Must Address User Needs / Desire / Paint Point with Hero Banner
Use a Hero Banner to show off your premium products. All major E-commerce Websites utilize Hero Banners. This is what the customers see first upon arriving at your website that mentions the target audience’s Needs/desires or pain points.
Having an easy-to-use eCommerce store with the right products and a safety rating is everything a customer wants from an E-commerce store.
We are Shopify experts and eCommerce Web Developers and have helped more than 1500 + International Brands including Fortune 500 Companies to set up and scale up their online businesses.
Follow the tips mentioned above and your eCommerce Store is bound to be a success!
