Shopping online couldn’t be easier especially where customers can search for the best gifts for their family and friends on any e-commerce websites.
One of the main things users look for when browsing online sites are whether the sites loads fast enough before they decide to continue surfing that particular site. Bottleneck traffic and inconsistent server loading are expected, however, with the right e-commerce hosting solution, customers will be satisfied and will be likely to visit the site again.
We’ve observed a few notable e-commerce websites and checked the structure and web design to serve as guides on how to tweak your website during holiday seasons.
- Emphasis on costumer service banner – eBay Hong Kong shows that the customer service team is ready 24/7 for queries and assistance. When you visit the website, a flashy blue banner displays the number beside a photo of a customer service agent. You may find a sweet spot for your customer service feature to leave an impression of strong customer support.
- Maximise the masthead for deals and discounts – Taobao positioned the deals and discounts banner below the masthead and at the top of the page after the masthead, customers can easily find the links for login, categories and utility links.
- Hands-free search using voice control – Another small yet significant tweak on TaoBao’s website is the hand-free search for products. You won’t find this on the eBay’s shop, but this only shows that Taobao knows the importance of hands-free searches for shoppers who have disabilities and those who frequently use voice control features on mobile.
- Convenient positioning of search bar – Alibaba’s showroom e-commerce page shows location search bar at the centre, making it easier for shoppers to customise searches on products by location.
- Highlight buyer protection and terms of buying – JD.com global e-commerce page features a straightforward buyer protection terms seen on the right side of the page where visitors can read it. Displaying the terms is helpful for you to earn the trust of first-time shoppers and guarantees them on what they get from you.
- Holiday list / recommendation banner – Create a banner or graphics for holiday gift guides for shoppers. Do a little favour for your customers to make it easier for customers to decide on purchases.
- Visible payment methods – A few of the e-commerce websites position the payment methods below, like eBay and JD shop. However, Taobao does a different strategy, placing the payment methods on the right side of the page where it is seen quickly. Make the payment methods visible to shoppers to encourage them to buy, leaving an impression of hassle-free payment options.
Consider applying two or three of the said tweaks above as long as you follow basic guidelines in web design, from colours to font size and banners. If you’re using a Magento platform, a stable Magento hosting solution is highly recommended to scale the resources, especially these holiday seasons. Other web apps like Shopify and BigCommerce are widely used and paralleled to the former, depending on what suits your online store.