Online markets have been in existence for quite a long time. But the pandemic made them a necessity more than a want.
The e-commerce industry has seen significant growth over the past few years. This has encouraged many people to launch new startups in this field.
To build an e-commerce platform, the most important base is a strong website. If the website is not well-made and easy to use, it will not bear the fruits of success.
A successful website needs certain features to work well. These include- customer services, detailed information, reviews section, different payment options, and more.
Overview of E-commerce Websites
Most Important Features for E-commerce Websites
- Accessible Design
- Mobile Optimization
- Different Payment Options
- Descriptions and Shipping Information
- Filter, Sort, and Search
- Cart and Wishlist
- Review Section
- Customer Care
- Discount and Offers
Overview of E-commerce Websites
Trade and commerce play a huge role in the global economy. Buying and selling have been in existence almost since the existence of mankind. Earlier it took place as barter and then the monetary values got involved.
Now, the buying and selling process has modernized because of the increasing technology and digitization. This has given birth to e-commerce. It stands for electronic commerce. In simple terms, it is just the commerce happening over the internet.
But how does this happen? The entire process happens over a website. It is a website that gives power to people to buy and sell products, services, and more, over the internet. For this, a person does not have to go to a physical store.
E-commerce websites enable businesses to take orders, receive payments, manage to ship, and also provide services to the people at home.
Most Important Features for E-commerce Websites
The origin of a startup is based on an idea. The idea is to solve a problem and add value to society. There is no doubt that the problem of providing products and services at home has been solved. Some of the leading platforms like Amazon, Flipkart have done that already.
But this does not mean that the newcomers cannot enter the market. To dive into this market and swim successfully needs strategic planning and its implementations. The basic and foremost strategy is to build an effective website that can help you earn a place in the market.
Here are some of the important features that you need to add to your e-commerce website:
Accessible Design
The first thing you do before putting in the various elements in anything is to make a blueprint. The most important thing for any website is its design. Make sure to keep it simple and uncomplicated. Adding a lot of elements can be fun and attractive for some. But it is the road that can lead to further complications.
Your design should be such that when a user enters your website, they access everything at ease. This makes for a great experience for the users. So, always remember to keep your design easy, uncomplicated, and user-friendly.
Mobile Optimization
Most people like access to everything at their hands. This means nowadays, they want everything on their smartphones. So, while developing a website make sure that it is suitable for mobile phones as well.
It is important to include the feature of mobile optimization. The design must be adaptive for both computer and phone screens. Its size should change according to the screen size.
Different Payment Options
This is the most important feature that ensures the seal of a purchasing deal. Many people might like the platform and fill their carts with your products and services. But when they proceed to the checkout and do not find their preferred payment option, they won’t make a buy.
So, it is important to include various payment options as your feature. You can add options of debit and credit cards, Net banking, PayPal, COD, and more. If suitable, you can also add buy now and pay in the future plugins.
Avantika Bhardwaj
Descriptions and Shipping Information
Another feature to include is product description and shipping information. It is important that every product or service has its description with it. It should also include the information of when is the shipment expected and extra charges (if any).
This feature makes the website appear clearer and more trustworthy.
Filter, Sort, and Search
This feature makes the process for customers easy and effective. Search enables the customers to look for products and services without endless browsing. The Filter ensures that they can target their exact preferences. Sorting helps them to select a criterion for listing.
So, for a sorted user experience, it is important to include this feature.
Cart and Wishlist
It is the most important feature needed for an e-commerce website. This enables the users to add all their items in one place. Many websites ditch the e-commerce buttons of a wishlist, thinking that it’s not important.
But it is necessary to think from the people’s perspective. There are times when a customer likes six items but they only have the budget for four. So, they like a place where they can keep the left items for some time and come back later for it. Thus, this is a vital feature for ensuring a good experience for users.
Review Section
This feature is helpful in many ways. It will help you to get feedback about what is good and what is not. It will help you know about customer preferences. The most important thing is that it will help the customers build more trust in your site.
Since the customers cannot see the product as they do in a physical store, they gain trust with these reviews. It is like word of mouth that helps attract more customers. So, make sure to include the feature of user reviews on your site.
Customer Care
It means to be available for support for online customers. The whole process works over the internet. So, many customers have questions to ask and also face challenges with certain things.
It is the duty of the platform to keep the customers satisfied. Including the feature of customer care service in your website shows your support and availability for the users. This feature can also gain new potential customers as they can get their doubts cleared.
Discount and Offers
This is an important feature, responsible for attracting more customers. Everyone loves when they get a discount while making a buy. You can add this feature to the homepage. So, when a person opens your platform, this is the first highlight on their screen.
You can send certain offers and codes to users via various marketing channels. For this, you can add the feature of the code box at the time of checkout.
Rishabh Rathi
Conclusion
The above-mentioned are the most important features to include in one’s site. Apart from these another thing to keep in mind is to ensure that the website has a short loading time. Long wait snatches the interest of users from the platform.
A great e-commerce website is not one that is too fancy. It is the one that gives a clear, accessible, and intuitive experience to its users. So, when you offer quality items and clear access to the website features, it is bound to take you towards the path of success.
FAQs
What are the important features of an E-commerce Website?
Some main features of a Good E-commerce websites are:
- Accessible Design
- Mobile Optimization
- Different Payment Options
- Descriptions and Shipping Information
- Filter, Sort, and Search
- Cart and Wishlist
- Review Section
- Customer Care
- Discount and Offers
What are types of e-commerce?
There are four traditional types of e-commerce:
- B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
- B2B (Business-to-Business)
- C2B (Consumer-to-Business)
- C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer)
What are the best platforms to build an E-commerce website?
The best platforms to build an E-commerce website are:
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- WooCommerce
- Wix
- Square