5 Things your e-commerce site should have

Today I was asked by a designer for a company developing a new e-commerce website, what are 5 functionality must-haves for an e-commerce site?

It only took me a moment to start busting out my requisites for an effective e-commerce site. I thought I would share with you my answer:

It needs to look professional 

This sounds obvious but it really is 'make or break'. This means the branding, design, images, content and information architecture of the site should be high-quality, intuitive, consistent and user friendly. If the user has never heard of your brand before or is using your site for the first time, this is especially important. If the site doesn't put the user at ease within the first few seconds, they are not going to hang around and hand over their personal and financial details. details.

There should be an incentive to buy straight up

To get an edge over your competitors you need to offer an incentive to shop with you. It could be free shipping if you spend a certain amount or a discount code when you sign-up to receive news.  

A prominent search bar

Most of the time, a user knows exactly what they want. It's quicker to just type it in a search bar rather than finding the item via menus or navigation. Please make this easy to find, clear and prominent.

Efficient 'add to cart' functionality

Most users will use the 'add to cart' function as their wishlist and iterate their list when it's time to actually seal the deal and put their payment details in. There's nothing more annoying and time-wasting than getting taken to a new screen every time you decide to add a product to your cart. This breaks the user's browsing flow and wastes valuable browsing time. Keep the user browsing your catalogue, adding items with momentum until it's time to purchase. The user wants the process to be efficient and the more screens that have to load, the less time they will spend actually browsing and buying. 

Don't you know who I am? 

Remember the user's last purchase (especially important for regular purchases), login details, payment information and shipping details and they will come back again and again. Convenience is king. Also make recommendations based on the user's browsing and purchase history. 

Also remember:

People are affected by the behaviour of others. We look to other people to see how our behaviour should be. This is called social validation and it can have a big sway when it comes to purchasing decisions.

If you highlight popular items or best-sellers, people will trust this product to be good and be more confident in their purchase.