Launching an online store involves much more than uploading products and adding a payment button.
Customers expect modern e-commerce websites to make shopping convenient, informative, and secure.
The exact features your store needs will depend on your products and business model, but there are several capabilities that most online stores should consider.
- Responsive Design
Your store needs to work across smartphones, tablets, and computers.
Customers should be able to browse products and complete purchases regardless of their device.
- Product Search
Search becomes increasingly important as your product catalog grows.
A good search system can help customers find products using:
- Product names
- Keywords
- Categories
- Attributes
- Product numbers
Advanced stores may also use filters and autocomplete.
- Product Categories
Organize products into logical categories.
Good categorization helps visitors browse your store and makes the overall shopping experience easier to understand.
- High-Quality Product Pages
Every product should have a useful page containing the information customers need to make a decision.
Depending on the product, include:
- Images
- Description
- Price
- Options
- Specifications
- Availability
- Shipping information
- Return information
- Shopping Cart
Customers should be able to add products, review their order, change quantities, and remove items easily.
The cart should clearly display the order total and other important information.
- Secure Checkout
Checkout is one of the most important parts of an online store.
Customers should be able to complete purchases through a secure and reliable process.
Keep the experience clear and avoid unnecessary steps.
- Multiple Payment Options
Depending on your customers and market, offering multiple payment methods can provide additional convenience.
Choose payment options that make sense for your business and customers.
- Order Confirmation
After purchasing, customers should receive confirmation that their order was successfully submitted.
Useful confirmation information may include:
- Order number
- Products purchased
- Total
- Shipping information
- Expected fulfillment information
- Order Tracking
For businesses that ship physical products, customers often appreciate the ability to track their orders.
Depending on your shipping system, tracking information can potentially be integrated directly into the customer experience.
- Customer Accounts
Customer accounts can provide features such as:
- Order history
- Saved addresses
- Saved payment preferences
- Wish lists
- Reordering
- Profile management
Not every store needs mandatory accounts. In some cases, guest checkout may be preferable.
- Reviews
Product reviews can help customers evaluate products.
If you use reviews, make sure the system is managed appropriately and that your business follows applicable rules regarding authenticity and disclosure.
- Inventory Management
Your website should accurately communicate product availability.
Depending on the business, this may require integration with inventory management software.
- Analytics
Analytics help businesses understand how customers interact with the store.
You can use data to identify:
- Popular products
- Traffic sources
- Shopping behavior
- Checkout problems
- High-performing pages
- Security
An e-commerce website handles sensitive information and should be developed with security in mind.
Businesses should consider secure hosting, software updates, access controls, backups, and appropriate payment-processing practices.
- Easy Content Management
Your team should be able to update products and content without unnecessary technical work.
A good administration system can make it easier to manage:
- Products
- Prices
- Images
- Inventory
- Categories
- Promotions
- Content
Don’t Add Features Just Because You Can
More features don’t automatically create a better online store.
Every feature should have a purpose.
Ask:
Does this make shopping easier for customers or managing the business easier for our team?
If the answer is no, it may not be necessary.
Need Help Building Your Online Store?
Iguana Technologies develops e-commerce websites designed around the needs of individual businesses.
We can help you determine which features your store actually needs and build a solution that can grow with your business.
Contact us at Iguana Technologies to discuss your e-commerce website.
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