Here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we are Manchester’s leading web design professionals. We work with a variety of companies across Manchester, and the North West, including those in Blackburn and Chorley, to provide high quality web design solutions. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything you should know about web design for online shopping.
What are the important web design considerations for online shopping?
When creating a website that aims to sell products online, there are a number of important design considerations to think about. These include:
- Imagery and visual design
- Call to action buttons
- Cart design and checkout
Imagery and visual design for eCommerce websites
The imagery you use across your website, from the landing page to the product page is important. You need your products to look great, and this means using high quality imagery that looks professional. This imagery will also need to be optimized for maximum performance, including reduced website loading times.
You also need to consider the type of imagery. Using photography of your products in action, or in use can be a great way to grab attention int he hero area of the landing page. But for product pages, close-up imagery and even 360 degree views can be more effective, as your potential customers consider purchasing your products.
Call to action buttons for eCommerce websites
The call to action buttons you use for your online shopping can determine how many of your potential customers will take the leap and purchase. These buttons need to be clear and obvious, using a different, stand out colour to attract attention. And they also need to use the right type of language, to involve user action. Phrases like “Buy it now” should be used as these provide a clear instruction, as well as a time sensitive phrase.
Cart design and checkout for eCommerce websites
Finally, you should also consider the design of the chopping cart and the checkout process. Once your website users have selected their items, they need a number of things from the cart design, including:
- A running subtotal as items are added and taken away
- The option to remove items completely, as well as removing just one of the item, where multiples have been selected
- Clear navigation towards checking out the items
And for the checkout process itself, the design aspects to consider include:
- The design of the form- a one page form design can be too overwhelming for some users, and it can be a good idea to break down the process into stages, taking users through three different screens, asking for only a small amount of information on each. If you do choose this option, be sure to use a progress indicator, to show customers how far through the process they are.
- The size of the buttons or fields- the entry fields for entering content need to be the perfect size, especially for responsive web design. This is because if the fields are too small, it will be very difficult for your customers to complete the process, and they will simply leave our website and look elsewhere.
For more information or for professional web design support, get in touch with the team today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.