Online shopping has become a staple for consumers worldwide. From the convenience of shopping from home to the endless product options available, it's no wonder why more and more people are turning to online shopping websites to satisfy their retail cravings.
However, for businesses, simply having an online store isn't enough. In this highly competitive market, having the best online shopping experience possible for your customers can make all the difference in the world. That's why we're here to discuss the must-have features that every online shopping website needs to have to achieve success.
Why Does Your Business Need An Online Store
Gone are the days where brick-and-mortar stores were the only option for consumers. In fact, recent studies have shown that online shopping has continued to rise in popularity year over year. This means that businesses who don't have a strong online presence and a user-friendly online store builder are missing out on a huge potential customer base.
Not only that, but having a successful online shopping website can also lead to increased brand awareness, customer loyalty, and ultimately, revenue. With the right website features, businesses can create a seamless online shopping experience that customers will love and keep coming back for.
Online Store Features: Creating a Successful Online Shopping Experience
At the heart of every successful online shopping website are its website features. From user experience to security to marketing and sales, website features play a crucial role in creating a positive online shopping experience for customers.
In the following sections, we'll dive into the 10 must-have features for a successful online shopping website that every business should consider incorporating into their online store. So, whether you're just starting out or looking to revamp your existing online shopping website, keep reading to learn more!
A. User Experience Features
When it comes to online shopping, the user experience is everything. Customers want to be able to find what they're looking for quickly and easily, view products in detail, and make purchases without any hassles. Here are the must-have user experience features for a successful online shopping website:
- User-Friendly Website Navigation And Layout
Image taken from Strikingly
A cluttered or confusing website layout can be a major turn-off for potential customers. Your online shopping website should have a clean and easy-to-navigate design that makes it simple for customers to find what they're looking for. This includes having a clear menu with categories and subcategories, prominent search functionality, and intuitive product pages.
- Clear And Detailed Product Descriptions
Having clear and detailed product descriptions is essential for providing customers with the information they need to make informed purchase decisions. Your product descriptions should be concise and easy to read, while also providing all the necessary information about the product's features, specifications, and uses.
- High-Quality Product Images And Videos
In the world of online shopping, product images and videos are worth a thousand words. High-quality visuals can make all the difference in helping customers visualize and understand the product they're interested in. Make sure your online shopping website has high-quality product images and videos from multiple angles, with the ability to zoom in for more detail.
- Reviews And Ratings System
Image taken from a Strikingly’s user’s website
A reviews and ratings system is a powerful tool for building customer trust and confidence in your products. Customers rely heavily on the opinions and experiences of other shoppers when making purchase decisions. By including a reviews and ratings system on your online shopping website, you can provide customers with social proof and valuable feedback on your products.
- Search Functionality
Search functionality is crucial for helping customers find the specific products they're looking for quickly and easily. Make sure your online shopping website has a prominent search bar that is easy to find and use. It's also a good idea to include filters and sorting options to help customers narrow down their search results.
By incorporating these user experience features into your online shopping website, you can create a shopping experience that is easy, enjoyable, and memorable for your customers.
B. Security Features
In today's digital age, security is more important than ever. Customers want to feel confident that their personal and financial information is safe when making purchases online. Here are the must-have security features for a successful online shopping website:
- SSL Certificate And HTTPS Protocol
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol are essential for ensuring that all data transmitted between your online shopping website and your customers' devices is encrypted and secure. This is especially important when it comes to sensitive information such as credit card details and personal information.
- Payment Gateway Integration
A payment gateway is a secure online payment processing system that allows customers to pay for their purchases using their credit or debit cards. It's essential to integrate a payment gateway into your online shopping website to ensure that customer payments are secure and protected.
- Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security that requires customers to provide two forms of identification to access their accounts. This could be a password and a code sent to their mobile device, for example. By implementing two-factor authentication on your online shopping website, you can add an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access.
- Secure Login And Registration Process
Your online shopping website's login and registration process should be secure and easy to use. This includes requiring strong passwords, implementing CAPTCHA systems to prevent automated attacks, and using secure forms to collect and store user data.
- Protection Of User Data
It's essential to protect your customers' personal and financial data from unauthorized access or theft. This includes implementing security measures such as firewalls, data encryption, and regular security audits.
By incorporating these security features into your online shopping website, you can build trust and confidence with your customers, and ensure that their shopping experience is safe and secure.
C. Mobile Responsiveness Features
More and more customers are shopping on their mobile devices, so it's essential to have a mobile-responsive online shopping website that provides a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience. Here are the must-have mobile responsiveness features for a successful online shopping website:
- Responsive Design For Seamless Mobile Experience
Your online shopping website should be designed to provide a seamless experience across all devices, including smartphones and tablets. This means using responsive design principles that adjust the layout and functionality of your website based on the screen size and orientation of the user's device.
- Mobile-Friendly Checkout Process
The checkout process on your online shopping website should be optimized for mobile devices, with a simplified and streamlined design that makes it easy for customers to complete their purchases. This includes minimizing the number of steps required to checkout, and using mobile-friendly forms that are easy to fill out on a smaller screen.
- Mobile Payment Options
Offering mobile payment options such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal can make the checkout process even easier for mobile shoppers. These options allow customers to complete their purchases quickly and securely using their mobile device, without having to enter their credit card information manually.
By incorporating these mobile responsiveness features into your online shopping website, you can provide a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for your customers, no matter where they are or what device they're using.
D. Website Speed and Performance Features
When it comes to online shopping, speed and performance are crucial for providing a positive user experience. Slow page load times or website downtime can lead to frustration and lost sales. Here are the must-have website speed and performance features for a successful online shopping website:
Your online shopping website should load quickly, with pages loading in two seconds or less. This requires optimizing images and other media, minimizing HTTP requests, and leveraging browser caching to reduce page load times.
- High Website Uptime And Availability
Your online shopping website should be available to customers at all times, with minimal downtime for maintenance or updates. This requires reliable web hosting, a solid website architecture, and proactive monitoring to detect and address any issues that may arise.
- Effective Use Of Caching
Caching is a technique that stores frequently accessed data, such as images or product information, to reduce page load times and improve website performance. By effectively using caching, you can ensure that your online shopping website loads quickly and provides a positive user experience.
By incorporating these website speed and performance features into your online shopping website, you can ensure that your customers have a fast and reliable shopping experience, which can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.
E. Customer Support Features
Providing excellent customer support is essential for building trust with your customers and ensuring they have a positive shopping experience. Here are the must-have customer support features for a successful online shopping website:
- Live Chat And Chatbots For Quick Customer Assistance
Live chat and chatbots are convenient ways for customers to get quick assistance when they have questions or issues with their order. By providing these options, you can offer immediate support to your customers, which can lead to increased satisfaction and sales.
Image taken from Strikingly
- Easy-To-Find Contact Information And Customer Support Page
Make sure your online shopping website has a prominent and easy-to-find contact page with all the necessary information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses. This will help customers quickly find the support they need if they have questions or issues with their order.
- FAQ Section
Having a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section can be an effective way to provide customers with quick answers to common questions. By anticipating customer needs and providing helpful information, you can reduce the number of inquiries your customer support team receives and improve the overall customer experience.
By incorporating these customer support features into your online shopping website, you can provide excellent customer service and build trust with your customers, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty.
F. Marketing and Sales Features
In addition to providing a seamless shopping experience, your online shopping website should also have robust marketing and sales features to help you drive traffic, boost conversions, and increase revenue. Here are the essential marketing and sales features your website should have:
- Email Marketing Integration
Email marketing is a powerful way to reach out to customers and promote your products or services. Make sure your online shopping website integrates with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, so you can easily create and send newsletters, promotional emails, and abandoned cart recovery emails to your customers.
- Discount Codes And Coupons
Discount codes and coupons are effective ways to incentivize customers to make a purchase. By offering discounts or free shipping, you can encourage customers to complete their purchase and increase your overall sales.
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
Abandoned cart recovery is a feature that allows you to send automated emails to customers who have left items in their shopping cart without completing their purchase. This feature can help you recover lost sales by reminding customers to come back and complete their purchase.
- Upselling And Cross-Selling Features
Upselling and cross-selling features allow you to suggest related or complementary products to customers as they browse your website or complete their purchase. By recommending additional products, you can increase the average order value and boost your overall revenue.
By incorporating these marketing and sales features into your online shopping website, you can attract more customers, boost your sales, and increase your revenue.
Build a Successful Online Shopping Website with Strikingly
Are you looking for an online store builder that can help you create a successful online shopping website? Look no further than Strikingly! Strikingly is a user-friendly website builder that provides powerful ecommerce features to help businesses of all sizes succeed in the competitive world of online shopping.
Image taken from Strikingly
With Strikingly, you can create a beautiful and responsive online store in just minutes. Whether you're selling physical products, digital downloads, or services, Strikingly makes it easy to set up your store, manage your inventory, and process payments.
But that's not all - Strikingly also offers a range of marketing and sales features to help you promote your online store and drive more sales. From email marketing integration to abandoned cart recovery, Strikingly has everything you need to succeed in online shopping.
And the best part? Strikingly is trusted by thousands of businesses around the world, and has helped countless entrepreneurs build successful online shopping websites. Don't believe us? Check out some of the amazing examples of online shopping websites built on Strikingly!
Conclusion
Phew! That was a lot of information, but we made it! Let's quickly recap the 10 must-have features for a successful online shopping website:
1. User Experience Features. User-friendly website navigation, clear and detailed product descriptions, high-quality product images and videos, reviews and ratings system, search functionality.
2. Security Features. SSL certificate and HTTPS protocol, payment gateway integration, two-factor authentication, secure login and registration process, protection of user data.
3. Mobile Responsiveness Features. Responsive design for seamless mobile experience, mobile-friendly checkout process, mobile payment options.
4. Website Speed and Performance Features. Fast page load times, high website uptime and availability, effective use of caching.
5. Customer Support Features. Live chat and chatbots for quick customer assistance, easy-to-find contact information and customer support page, FAQ section.
6. Marketing and Sales Features. Email marketing integration, discount codes and coupons, abandoned cart recovery, upselling and cross-selling features.
7. Strikingly and Online Shopping Websites. How Strikingly can help businesses create successful online shopping websites, Strikingly's user-friendly website builder and ecommerce features, examples of successful online shopping websites built on Strikingly.
Remember, regularly reviewing and updating your website features is crucial to keeping up with the changing needs and preferences of your customers.
And finally, if you're looking for an online store builder that offers all of these must-have features and more, be sure to check out Strikingly. With its user-friendly interface, advanced ecommerce features, and examples of successful online shopping websites, Strikingly can help you create an online shopping experience that will keep your customers coming back for more. Happy selling!
