UX improvements for e-commerce websites

Setting up an e-commerce website is simple. Thanks to platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, it’s easier than ever to set up an e-commerce store to sell your products.

But setting up your e-commerce site is just the beginning. You also need to create a great online shopping experience that makes it easy for people to browse and buy your products. Without this, many shoppers will give up and look elsewhere — it’s one of the reasons that almost 70% of carts are abandoned before the sale is made.

UX improvements for e-commerce websites can dramatically increase sales, improve conversion rate, and enhance customer satisfaction. So what can you do to give your customers a seamless experience?

Common UX mistakes people make when designing e-commerce websites

Knowing what constitutes poor user experience can help you understand how to make UX improvements for your online store.

Here are some of the most common UX mistakes found in e-commerce websites:

• No mobile-friendly website version
• Complex checkout processes
• Too many pop-ups
• Broken or ineffective search bar
• Low-quality product images
• Inaccurate or insufficient product information

UX improvements you can make for your e-commerce website

Making your website more user-friendly can help you get more site visitors and see higher conversion rates. Use these good e-commerce UX tips to create a better customer experience.

• Make your e-commerce store mobile responsive
• Streamline the shopping process for simple checkout
• Offer a guest checkout option on the checkout page
• Use popular payment methods to reduce the risk of data fraud and card cracking
• Make your e-commerce store mobile responsive
• Reduce the use of pop-ups
• Improve your product photos
• Write accurate, informative product descriptions
• Improve your website navigation

How to make your website more user-friendly

Improving the user experience of e-commerce sites isn’t always easy. Not all UX issues are as clear-cut as poor mobile optimization or dodgy product photos.

Follow these steps to make your site more user-friendly:

Identify pain points

Before you take drastic action, you should identify where and why your UX isn’t working.

With this information, you can start to address the biggest problems first, giving your purchase process changes a chance to make a big impact.

You can use analytics, heatmaps, and user research to identify where the main issues lie.

Visualize your solution

When you know where your pain points are, you can put measures in place to fix them. Drafting a solution on paper can help you come up with the right approach before you make any major changes to your site.

You should also prioritize your fixes, with the big-impact solutions right at the top of the list.

Get feedback

Consulting with your users is the best way to find out if a fix works.

Beta testing is a great way to get instant feedback from users, but you can also conduct interviews and usability tests to determine if your solution will work for your customers.

How to ensure your website provides a good user experience

Conduct UX research

Encourage customers to tell you how they feel about your website, and what UX improvements you could make to your e-commerce stores.

Protect your customers’ data

Server-side bot management keeps your customer data secure when they make online payments, ensuring users will revisit your site.

Review your product details

If your product photos and descriptions don’t show your product at its best, replace them with updated versions.

Use heatmaps

Heatmap software can show you where you’re losing customers, giving you insight into where UX improvements could boost your bottom line.

Use efficient security measures

Too many security measures can have a negative impact on user experience, causing you to lose customers. Make sure your online security doesn’t force you to compromise on UX.

What to do if you're not happy with the UX of your ecommerce website

e-Commerce user experience takes time, testing, and analysis of your website. If you’re struggling to get the optimal experience for your online store, take a look at these techniques to improve user experience and optimize customer satisfaction.