Ecommerce Website Expectations

Online shopping is more popular today than ever. Users look for websites that are a good fit for their needs and exude the “feel” they want. And they make a judgment – quickly. In this environment, small businesses strive to keep their websites current so they can keep in the game and boost profits. New plug-ins tempt small businesses with the promise of increasing customer satisfaction and higher sales. But what do customers say are the most important attributes of an ecommerce website? What expectations do they have?

Customer expectations have evolved over the last few years, and it’s a good idea for businesses to review their websites to make sure they are as attractive as possible to their target customers.

Customers look for features such as:

Fast, innovative website performance
- Page load time – Viewers want instant access to the information on your website. Waiting even a few seconds will likely cause a viewer to leave the site, preventing them from seeing your business and reducing its credibility.
- To improve page load times:
  - Optimize images and videos. Choose a file format that major search engines can index correctly. Keep image size manageable. Large images are slower to load. Compress large images. Use images judiciously. Too many on a page will slow load times.
  - Use web page caching to speed up page load times. Web page caching stores a copy of the web page in the browser’s memory, enabling repeat visits to the page to load from the browser rather than needing to load from the server, which reduces load times.
  - Check your current plug-ins to determine if they are effective and eliminate those that aren’t or those that are old. Some new plug-ins may look attractive but can cost you customers by slowing down your site.

Read more about load times in our recent blog post.

High-quality content
- Concise, well-written headlines – A catchy headline will often grab and hold a viewer’s attention as well as videos or images will. If it expresses what they need (or attracts them to a new idea), they will stay and look for more information. Strive for few words with high impact.
- Keyword usage – Keywords are important for SEO. It pays to develop your keyword strategy and review it often. Start by learning what words or phrases your customers use in a search engine query to find your website. Use keywords in your website content to improve SEO rankings and make your site easier to find.
- Descriptive text – Think about what your customers are searching for – an answer to an issue, a new product offering, an idea for a gift, or whatever leads them to do a search engine query. As you describe your product or service on your site, include the words potential customers will use.
- Descriptions of features customers want – No matter the product or service, customers have become used to seeing value propositions such as guarantees, customer service information or shipping information on websites. Show them prominently as a header or side banner to attract attention.
Simple yet interesting website appearance – Design trends have evolved with the popularity of mobile device usage for shopping. In general, customers prefer a clean design with plenty of white space, easy-to-see buttons, and frequent updates to photos, videos and announcements. Trends for specific color schemes, fonts, and scrolling change often. The importance of these depends on the type of business and its target audience.
Customer reviews and social proof – Consumers rely on customer reviews more than ever. “98% of consumers read online reviews to learn about local businesses, and 76% do this regularly.” (BrightLocal) Statistics show that many reviews are better than just a few. Include customer reviews and testimonials to build your brand and competitive advantage. Learn more about social proof on our blog post, “Add Social Proof to Boost Revenues.”
Rapid responses to questions and access to customer service – Consumers need to contact a business in case of a problem. Include an email page, text information, chat box and/or phone number, and show when your customer service is available. Respond quickly and solicit feedback to use as social proof.

With ever-growing competition, small businesses need to keep their websites working seamlessly. Updating content and providing value-added features will build credibility. Does your website need an update or a redesign to meet customer expectations?

Wheaton Website Services creates beautiful and engaging websites for small and medium-sized businesses. We provide website hosting, website design and development to hundreds of clients across the globe. Contact us to find out more.

Ecommerce Website Expectations