eCommerce Website Design

How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform

Choosing the right platform for your new online store is just as important as creating a professional responsive design. There are many different options available to business owners ready to sell online today and navigating the pros and cons of each eCommerce store software can leave many people overwhelmed. It is important to have this conversion early on in the website design project to ensure you have the best information available to make an educated decision for your business. Professional web designers and developers will have the most current knowledge and be able to help weigh the advantages or limitations within each platform to help kickstart your eCommerce design.

The two most popular systems for creating e commerce websites are Shopify and WooCommerce. Our Toronto web design company focuses primarily on open source website development which means our eCommerce website designs are built primarily on WordPress. We are however quite knowledgeable when it comes to the Shopify platform and have even recommended some new leads start their online store on the Shopify environment as it is generally faster and more budget-friendly to get started without the help of a professional website design agency.

Where our website design team excels is in custom eCommerce site design that is hand-crafted on WordPress using WooCommerce to configure and control the online store. This approach allows our web designers complete control over the user interface design for everything from the home page to product pages. As WooCommerce is an open-source application we are able to weave virtually any customization into the eCommerce web design process to offer our client’s business a fully branded and tailored eCommerce store.

To learn more about the WooCommerce vs Shopify debate and get advice on how to choose the best eCommerce website platform for your business, read our article WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which eCommerce Platform is Best For Your Business?

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UX Design for e-Commerce Websites

As with any website, user experience design is a fundamental part of the website design process. When a business ventures to sell online with an eCommerce site it is vital that a professional web design company with eCommerce website design experience is engaged. Understand the user experience differences and subtle nuances between a lead generation website and e-commerce websites is critical to the success of the online store. Users engage with an eCommerce website in different ways than they would a general information based website. We cannot design our home page and product pages the same way as we would a lead generation page as our conversion goals are very different. With an eCommerce design, we are focused primarily on conversations which is most often a very quick interaction that can be completed without any human involvement from the business. With a lead generation or landing page website design we are focused on the long game. We are not converting users into customers on their initial visit. We are aiming to build a relationship with them over time and this process usually requires human engagement after the initial point of contact.

What does remain true for both eCommerce website design and all other types of web design is the eCommerce store must be easy to navigate. The primary reason we use UX design so prominently in the website design process is to ensure we are creating the best possible user experience to help get users from one point to another, quickly and intuitively. When this is done correctly, users are more easily converted into customers.

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Website Security is Paramount

For many people, making online purchases still carries with it a certain stigma – and rightly so. Many e-commerce websites are not properly updated and maintained leaving security holes and vulnerabilities exposed to would-be trouble makers. Proper eCommerce website design and development requires a thorough understanding of website security and best practices for transactional experiences and information management. For example, early on in the strategy phase of an eCommerce website design project we ask the right questions in order to plan ahead and build the right foundation for the online store. For example, one of the most defining questions in an eCommerce design scope is information storage. Will the website store customers’ personal and credit card information? Or will it be passed on to the payment processor via encrypted API communications and handled off-site? This particular aspect of an eCommerce website is critical in determining the setup and configuration of everything from the home page right down through the product pages. eCommerce websites that store customer information must meet a stronger security threshold called PCI DSS compliance.

Another key factor in eCommerce website design is determining the most appropriate web hosting provider to use for the new site. When a company makes the choice to sell online a standard run of the mill shared hosting provider will no longer cut it. In order to ensure the most current and up-to-date technology, security and support a managed host covers all our bases and many even include a security guarantee within their easy to use hosting packages.

The reason a common shared host is not sufficient in providing enough security for your new eCommerce website is that the site would live in a space with thousands of other websites. Should one of those sites get infected with malicious code or fall under attack, all of the sites on the shared server become vulnerable as there is rarely a firewall between each site to protect it from its neighbours who may not be keeping their own websites updated with the latest security patches.

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UI Design & Clear Communication

As with any website, the user interface design on your e-Commerce website must communicate clearly and effectively with your customers as they navigate through their online shopping experience. A professional and engaging eCommerce website UI design can make all the difference in the success of the online store. Companies invest thousands of dollars each year in paid advertising as well as search engine optimization to drive traffic to their eCommerce website. Without an engaging user interface to effectively guide users throughout the buying process which leads to conversions, there is no use in spending money to drive traffic to the site.

Not only should great effort be made to offer a professional e-commerce website design that is engaging, but time and attention should be allotted for clearly outlining important information like shipping details or terms and conditions related to purchases made on the eCommerce website. These important pieces of information should be displayed prominently within the UI design or offered through clear navigational pathways to avoid buyer confusion or unhappy customers later on in the sales funnel.

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Instant Live Customer Support

If you’re operating an e-Commerce website instant support is not just critical, it’s expected. Not only will customers often have questions about your product or service prior to buying, those that have already made purchases may have questions about related products, features, order details, or even shipping and returns. Even though customers prefer to browse your products from the comfort of their home, they still require a touch of the age-old in-store “can I help you with something?” approach.

This support can be achieved on your site in different ways with the advancements in artificial intelligence and live chat technologies which make setup and deployment easy. If your company has the staffing power to provide realtime live chat or phone support, this method is always the best avenue to take when choosing to sell online. If you do not have a dedicated person available to field inquiries from your site there are many different AI providers offering various AI platform forms or bots that can be tailored to use on your site to field customer inquiries and triage the support process making site management and support easy for owners.

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Product or Service Reviews

Real customer reviews go a long way. An e-Commerce website that offers legitimate customer reviews on your products or services will almost always outperform those sites that do not when we measure conversion rate. Word of mouth references have historically been the best marketing tool for businesses and online reviews are no different. Even if you received sub-par reviews, it is important to publish them to your website. Negative reviews can often put positive reviews in context and help offer a more trustworthy experience on your e-commerce website.

Online reviews from happy customers are not always easy to come by, but subtle email marketing blitzes offering a small percentage discount on their next order from your site delivered right to their inbox often spurs enough customer feedback to get the ball rolling. Building trust and consumer confidence will ultimately increase the conversion and sales rate on your website.

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Responsive eCommerce Website Design is a Must

eCommerce design trends have evolved just as quickly as website design and development in the broader sense. If you offer an online shopping experience on your site, it must be accessible on all types of electronic devices, from mobile phones and tablets to laptop and desktop computers. More and more people are making online purchases on their tablet or mobile phone whether they’re on the couch or out with friends. Professional responsive website design is a must not only for mobile e-commerce but for SEO and user experience as well.

Request Professional e-Commerce Website Design Services

To learn more about our e-commerce website design and development services in Toronto, Ontario please contact our Toronto web designers. We’d be happy to review your business model and budget to suggest a best-fit e-commerce website design solution to meet your needs.

If you’re ready to start planning the design and development of your eCommerce website we invite you to fill out our online quote request form and submit your RFP, or call our professional e-commerce website designers in Toronto at 416 901 8633.