E-Commerce In The Contemporary Era

Did you know that the global e-commerce shopping site or industry accounted for a staggering 14.1 per cent of the retail sales worldwide for the year 2019?
Well, this number is expected to grow even higher (22% by 2023) as people are getting more accustomed to using e-commerce shopping sites for purchases. The dependence on digital mediums to get things done has grown massively. A change in consumer behavior patterns has also been seen.
So why are so many people buying from e-commerce websites instead of visiting a brick-and-mortar store to make a purchase?
Well, there are plenty of reasons why people are opting to buy from e-commerce shopping sites – the one that weighs in fairly higher is the convenience quotient. In addition to this, the abundance of discounts offers lures in a lot of customers to make a purchase online. It also drives impulse buying behavior that has seen a growing trend in customers all around the world. 
Getting into the e-commerce space in contemporary times can be highly rewarding, provided you know what the consumers want and how to effectively market the products needed by the customers.
Your website and product page have a huge role to play when it comes to converting customers to your e-commerce shopping site. There are plenty of tools that can help you create an awesome customer experience for the users visiting your website. Now, some of these are essential features that you can’t do without.

E-Commerce Shopping Site- Post Pandemic Era

Let’s delve deeper into some of the most important e-commerce website features that you must have. These features help accentuate the customer experience and also boost the conversion rates. Hence, it results in increasing your top-line figures. One can easily opt for e-commerce shopping sites development services offered by software companies to save resources and time.

1. Payment Gateway Integrations

As we progress further into the digital era, the dependence on digital tools and solutions has increased evidently. The advent of fintech companies has changed the way people transact by making it more convenient for a regular person to transfer and receive money. Now, all you have to do is tap on the ‘pay’ button on your smartphone application and enter the pin, and you are all set to transact.
Since customers are already familiar with using digital channels to transfer and receive funds online, there is a growing need for e-commerce shopping sites to integrate payment gateway solutions that offer a wide range of options for the customers to easily pay for their online purchases.            
Payment gateways should offer customers multiple options to choose from, including bank transfers, credit cards, PayPal, etc. Cash-on-delivery is also an important payment method that should be offered by e-commerce players. The reason for adding cash on delivery as a payment method is that it helps instill trust among the customers who might be a little skeptical about making a purchase from your website.

2. Website Design of E-Commerce Shopping Site

This is one of the most important factors that can literally make or break the game for your online business. Let’s understand this with a brick-and-mortar store context.
What compels you to buy from a physical store other than the products being offered? Well, the things that usually count, other than the product, are the customer experience offered and the ambience of the place.
Even the little things including the lighting, the colors of the wall, etc. do make a difference in setting up a good ambience for the customer.
Now your online store is no different. Your website design can play a huge role in improving conversion rates and adding more customers. A user-friendly design attracts more customers and helps them make a purchase without scratching their head.
Your website design consists of elements including your logo, colors used on the webpages, shopping cart, search bar, terms & conditions page, etc. You have to optimize everything to make it more convenient for people to buy. A great website design not only attracts more customers but also helps instill trust.

3. Mobile Optimization

What separates a great entrepreneur from an average one?
Well, it’s the attention to detail, and observing minute things that might have a significant impact on the user. People in the e-commerce shopping site space usually miss this thing and that hinders them from achieving the most out of their online business.
Mobile optimization is the key to winning in the e-commerce space. As high as 57% of the traffic comes from mobile devices on e-commerce shopping sites. Just put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about how frequently you use your phone, laptop or any other device. 
You’ll have the answer and that’s true for the majority of people.
Were you aware that 40% of people will leave the webpage if it takes more than 30 seconds to load? That’s how short is the attention span of online users. Optimizing your e-commerce shopping site for mobile is what will help you achieve more than the average. It will boost the customer experience for those who otherwise might find it challenging to navigate around your online store.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a popular framework that helps to facilitate the quick loading of web pages on mobile devices.

4. Product Visuals of E-Commerce Shopping Site

There is still a large fraction of the population that does not shop online. So, why are people skeptical about buying their goods from an online store?
Well, most of them are unsure of the quality of goods that they will receive and if it will be what they think it is. Now, this is a major hurdle that limits the potential of e-commerce but there are solutions to fix this as well. The first step in this process is to put high-quality product visuals that can exactly depict what you are selling to your customers.
High-quality product images and videos will also help you mitigate losses that might occur when customers return the product. Compelling product videos will help bridge the learning curve for new products that the customers are unaware of.
Using high-quality images will also help them assist with their purchase decision. They can be sure of the exact benefits that the product offers and the features present. Images from multiple angles will help bring more transparency into the system.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions are indispensable to any good product page. It is a must-have element on your web page as it helps address the queries that your customers might have before making their purchase.
Now many-a-time, customers do not ask for more info that could help them make their purchase. They simply leave the website thinking the product being offered might not be suitable for them.
FAQs generally answer the most common queries that the customers might have. Now again, you’ll have to think like a customer.
Do you make a purchase without knowing the delivery time? Well, usually people don’t.
Let’s take an example to understand better. Have you ever bought a mobile cover online? Can you buy it without knowing if it’s compatible with your mobile? You simply won’t. Let’s say that there is an FAQ section on the web page that answers a question regarding compatibility, now you would easily buy this product!

6. Customer Review & Social Proof

Customer reviews have proved to boost the conversion rates for e-commerce shopping websites.
Have you ever bought something from Amazon? Did you buy it without checking the ratings and reviews?
Well, that rarely happens if not never. A sane customer will never buy a good from an online store until it has customer reviews and other social proofs. Social proofs are important for the growth and success of your e-commerce business. The more the merrier, social proofs help establish trust among customers.
As much as 70% of the customers need social proof or reviews to make a purchase. User-generated ratings and reviews on a website encourage people to buy from an online store. Your website design should be optimized in such a way that people can easily check out the ratings and reviews for any given product.

7. Security Features in E-Commerce Shopping Site

The digital world has certainly eased our pain but it is not immune to the negatives. Cybercrimes have increased significantly and problems like identity and data theft are commonplace in absence of a robust security system for a website.
One of the most important features of an e-commerce shopping site includes security elements like a Secured Socket Layer (SSL) certificate. It helps your site transmit data securely without worrying about the misuse of data.
In an era where data is driving the world, securing customer data is also very important for businesses. Your e-commerce website should have robust security in place to instill trust in the minds of consumers.

Conclusion

These were some of the most important e-commerce website features that will help online businesses to grow and provide a secure and smooth user experience. It will help the e-commerce industry to grow exponentially and drive more sales for businesses in this arena.
If you are having such a business idea or any other business idea to go live with it. Then, share it on the Supersourcing platform and we make sure to provide you the best assistance. We can help you to find the right development agency that can be suitable for your definite budget and timeline, along with no compromise in their tech expertise.