You are very excited about the launch of your e-commerce platform. You know the potential that lies in the digital space. However, things do not seem to be going the way you expected. You do not seem to be able to attract traffic. Even those who come to your website leave quickly.  You are dealing with constant abandoned carts issues.  

You thought your website would be a magnet for leads. However, you are not able to capture any that are worth converting.  

It is interesting to note that it is a challenge many e-commerce platforms face. Talk to any reliable web design company, and they will tell you to take a look at your web design.  

In our article, we will share with you 6 critical e-commerce web design mistakes that decline sales.  We will also share with you some tips on how you can correct them.  

1. The Site Is Not Easy To Navigate

Think about visiting a brick-and-mortar store. You want to be able to move from aisle to aisle without any obstacle. You also want an attractive display of the product. Finally, you should be able to identify and get access to whatever you need quickly.  

The same applies to your e-commerce platform.  Ensure it is easy to navigate and gives a fantastic user experience. Take note of the following.

• The links should lead to relevant pages.  
• The buttons or icons should be clickable and responsive. 
• Have products in categories to make it easier to shop. 
•  Dropdowns and mega menus allow for more straightforward navigation. 
• Provide shortcuts to relevant pages to make the process of shopping easy
• Optimize site search options for easy access

2. Your Design Is Confusing Customers

Think about what happens when you go to the supermarket. You may not have a particular brand in mind. But, when you get there, you get so many options. 

Eventually, you may leave without purchasing anything. It is something that happens when you present customers with too many options. It leads to a kind of paralysis in making a choice.  

The trick is to narrow down what is available to your customers. It could explain why exclusive offers work very well. Focus on subtly guiding your customers by displaying fewer products. Again, it goes back to having proper categories to separate what you have on your platform.  

Have a limit on the number of products you display on each page. Then, if the customers want more, they will click on the next page.  

3. Your Pages Load Slowly and Are Not Responsive

Everything in the digital space works quickly. When a customer comes to your e-commerce platform, they want efficiency in the shortest time possible. Internet users can be very unforgiving. If your pages do not load within two to three seconds, you could lose your audience.  

You lose up to 79% of customers if they’re not happy with the experience on your website. 27% will not even visit a brick-and-mortar store if the online experience was terrible.  

You can be sure of declining sales with slow-loading pages. The search engines also penalize you with lower rankings. Take note of the following:

• Optimize images and videos by compressing large files
• Be careful about the web hosting provider you opt to work with. They should be able to give you sufficient bandwidth to handle any amount of traffic on your website. The company should also have good customer support to eliminate any downtimes
• Be careful about the use of carousels because they can distract shoppers
• Watch out for 404 errors, broken links, malware, or failed DNS lookups
• Continually check page speeds with tools such as Google PageSpeed

4.  Your Website Is Unattractive

 Here are some truths you must live by when operating on the online platform. 

•  Humans are visual creatures.
•  Your online audiences will judge you by how your e-commerce platform looks

If your website is unattractive, you will not attract anyone to your pages. You must engage the services of a web design company.  

It may be tempting to try and do it yourself using online web builders. However, if it is not your key area of expertise, you should not attempt it.  Consider it an investment to get professional help when building an e-commerce platform.  

The company will advise you on the right layout, depending on the target market. You also get advice on some of the latest trends. You will eventually see the ROI for the money you spend.  

Some things to pay attention to include:

•  A powerful landing page
•  Prominent Call-To-Action
•  Proper use of product images and videos
•  Appropriate fonts and typography that are easy to read and professional looking
• Incorporate the use of 3D elements, virtual reality, and chatbots for a better user experience
• Avoid bombarding customers with too many advertisements.

5. You Have Not Optimized For Mobile

Over 50% of online shoppers will use their smart devices to shop. Therefore, you must optimize your e-commerce platform for mobile. The users should get the same or even a better experience when using such devices.  

The mobile-first approach is becoming a trend in web design. It means you designed for mobile and optimize for desktop. It eliminates any design issues that may occur if you do it the other way around.  Remember, the search engines will also penalize you with poor rankings if you do not optimize for mobile. 

6. Difficult Check-Out

If you can make the check-out process difficult, you will deal with abandoned cart issues.  Watch out for the following:

• Do not make the registration process difficult with too many steps
• Avoid collecting information that has no relevance. It lengthens the check-out process for no reason
• Avoid having things like navigation bars on the check-out page because they can be distracting
• Have exact, easy-to-follow steps. The use of Visual cues can help hasten the check-out
• Be upfront about all the fees the customer will incur
• Give several payment options
• Have proof of data security so that customers know their information is safe

Final Thoughts

We have looked at six critical e-commerce web design mistakes that decline sales. Therefore, it is essential to engage the services of a professional web design company. They will advise on the best practices so that you see high conversion rates on your website.

6 Critical eCommerce Web Design Mistakes that Impact Sales

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