Customer satisfaction and effective sales? About User Experience in eCommerce

The IT industry is growing rapidly, new technologies are constantly being developed, and the programming languages used by developers continue to evolve. Over the years, the approach and tools used to design online stores are also changing just as intensely. From simple text-based sites, through the dominance of flash technology (remember sites packed with visual effects?) to today's eCommerce platforms based on PWA solutions, using automation or even AI. The transformation that has taken place in the perception of traditional store design also means changes in visitors' expectations, and thus affects the way User Experience is designed. What features of the shopping process are worth paying special attention to while creating an online store?

What exactly is UX about? Key elements of User Experience

When you enter an eCommerce site, at first glance you may notice a banner with current promotions, personalized product suggestions next to it, and - still within sight - it is possible to quickly log into a customer's account (e.g. via social media). This is exactly what eCommerce users expect, which is to provide a seamless shopping experience. How does User Experience contribute to meeting the current needs of shoppers?

UX is nothing more than the experience and feelings that accompany the user while using an online store. Comfort during shopping is influenced by a number of factors largely related to the approach to website design and the choice of specific technological solutions. What elements influence the creation of a positive shopping experience?

• Design - the look of an online store is often the first point of contact between the user and the platform. A chaotic or underdeveloped design, or an excess of decorations, can influence the viewer to abandon their stay on the platform, or even create the perception that the site is not trustworthy due to inconsistent aesthetics.
• Clarity and readability - all information that is communicated to a potential customer should be clear to them both in terms of content and its presentation. Sometimes even a correctly worded message or product description can be overlooked by the viewer because of the form in which it is placed on the site (for example, by using an unreadable font or missing space between different modules).
• Navigation - well-designed navigation ensures that a person interested in a particular product will easily find it on the site. Even a user who is determined to make a purchase may abandon the transaction when he gets "lost" on the site. The path leading from the homepage through the various categories and products to the shopping cart should be as simplified as possible and assume minimum number of clicks.
• Language - descriptions on the site, especially texts dedicated to products, should be free of mistakes, include keywords (according to SEO principles), and above all use the language of benefits. In the case of texts dedicated to the offer, it is worth highlighting elements that distinguish the store from the competition, such as an extra year of warranty or free service.

How to increase sales using UX in eCommerce?

Aesthetics, clarity or navigation - the above points are the basis when designing any website. In addition, there are points that should be particularly important from the perspective of eCommerce managers. What additionally deserves to be highlighted?

• Responsiveness - mobile traffic to online stores has been undeniably increasing over the past few years. According to a report by polish e-Chamber titled: "Dekada polskiego e-commerce" as many as ¼ of shoppers in 2022 said they would use another store if the first one does not have a responsive site. In contrast, 30% would not return to such an address at all. So it's worth ensuring that mobile versions of the platform are bug-free and deliver at least as positive an experience as their desktop counterpart.
• Shopping cart and level of complexity - in the early years of eCommerce, the standard site design included a multi-step shopping cart, where the purchase process was separated into several steps. Selecting products, completing shipping details, confirming payment and delivery methods required moving to another window. Currently, the use of one step check out minimizes the number of necessary actions so that the customer can, as quickly as possible, finalize the order. Under this solution, all the information needed to make a purchase is closed in one step (window).
• Security - the user providing his personal data counts on the store to provide him with an adequate level of security, as well as in crisis situations to prevent information leakage. Any risk situation can negatively affect the level of sales and significantly reduce trust in the store, which is difficult to rebuild. For this reason, regular updates to the store and investing in modules to improve security are a point that should not be forgotten when running the platform.

A good User Experience - or what kind of one?

It should come as no surprise that there is no clear-cut answer to these types of questions, and no universal recipe for success in the UX world. Different industries and a high level of variation in customer types require a different approach to eCommerce and customer journey design. In industries where aesthetics are particularly important (e.g., fashion, beauty or textiles), the emphasis on design will be greater than when selling technical items, where mere transparency or ease of filtering may be more important. However, it should be borne in mind that for a growing audience aesthetics is not indifferent when making purchasing decisions, so it should not be completely overlooked. What else can change the approach to platform design?

B2B versus B2C - what makes the approach to UX different in these areas of eCommerce?

A B2C customer, i.e. a consumer who buys products for their needs, and a B2B counterparty, i.e. a business, require the shopping experience to be designed differently. While it's true that some basic elements such as transparency or site navigation remain equally important for both groups, there are differences on many issues. In what areas should the User Experience be tailored to our client's specific requirements?

• Product presentation - B2B counterparties usually make purchases on a larger scale. The process of completing an order should therefore include such elements as a clear listing of products of a given category or the ability to instantly enter the number of items ordered. B2C customer purchases will most often focus on individual products, so it will be more important to present each item individually.
• Customer/contractor account - for a retail customer, time and quick finalization of the transaction is important. The business-to-business industry, on the other hand, often requires more modification of the ordering conditions, so in this case, expanding the counterparty account capabilities with additional modules (such as access to all invoices or setting the most convenient delivery time in the shopping cart) will be received positively.
• Loading time - B2B purchases are most often planned, while consumers often decide to place an order on emotion. For businesses, page load time is less important, as there is less risk of abandoning a purchase. However, this does not mean that this aspect of UX can be completely downplayed - in either case, a sudden drop in page loading speed can affect the negative feelings of the audience.
• Contacting the seller - B2B transactions in the traditional form often require contact with a dedicated sales assistant. Implementing automation solutions inside the sales platform can reduce the need to involve employees from the eCommerce owner's company. However, it will still be a good practice to design the site in such a way that at each stage of the path the counterparty can easily access contact information. Due to the lower technical complexity of possible questions for a B2C customer, a chatbot may be a better solution.

Does design matter? The importance of User Experience for eCommerce

The above question is tricky, because User Experience is a separate area of eCommerce store design that should be taken into account from the very beginning of platform development. Accordingly, UX consists of more than just the design itself. Too much attachment to the aesthetic layer of the site can cause the "nice look" to distract the buyer's attention and the thought of buying the product. For this reason, it is worthwhile to devote a similar effort to developing all the UX elements that we present in the article.

The interface should not create a sense of confusion for the end user, and the use of the platform itself should be intuitive and require no additional effort to understand. Designing an eCommerce site according to UX principles requires, therefore, a thorough understanding of the characteristics of the industry and its customers. This is perfectly illustrated by the fact that users easily get used to certain modules - replacing them with something else (such as putting the menu in a completely different place than before) can confuse the user and dissuade him from making a positive purchase decision. Often it takes time to make effective changes and see their effects. For this reason, it is worthwhile to test new solutions wisely, while keeping in mind that blindly following industry trends can prove disastrous.

Want to learn about other common UX mistakes and problems eCommerce owners face when designing a site? Watch our blog for new User Experience articles coming soon.