The Importance of UX Design in E-commerce: Six Upgrades that Can Revitalize Your Conversion Strategy
Mar 2024
4 Mins
It’s no secret that e-commerce is a vitally important force in today’s interconnected world—not only for businesses, but also consumers. The ability to buy and sell goods and services from anywhere at any time offers so many advantages. I mean what could possibly be better than shoe shopping in your pajamas?!? It’s a convenient, cost-effective, efficient, flexible way to shop—both for the buyer and the seller.
Equally important is the role that user experience (UX) design plays in enabling and empowering e-commerce. How easy is it for your customers to buy those shoes—or any other product or service you offer? How hard is it for them to find the right size and purchase the pair that they need? Are you giving them the information they need to make confident, informed decisions?
In this post we take a quick look at how a few simple upgrades to UX design can positively impact your conversion rate optimization (CRO).
What is user experience (UX)?
User experience is the overall experience a user has while engaging with a website, software program, or application. User experience is important because, done right, it can be a powerful but subtle way to provide a positive, more meaningful experience for your product or service.
What is UX design?
UX design is the process of designing a product—in this case an e-commerce website—so that it’s intuitive, easy, and fun to use. It’s design with the user in mind.
What is conversion rate optimization (CRO)?
Conversion rate optimization is the practice of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action. A desired action could be purchasing a product, completing a sign-up form, sharing content with others, or simply clicking on a link.
The relationship between UX design and conversion rate optimization
In e-commerce web development, UX is pretty much your customer experience. It’s your storefront. It’s your sales force. It’s how your store is organized. A great UX design plays a pivotal role in conversion rate optimization.
In our shoe shopping example, the job of UX design is to sell people shoes—and maybe a couple pairs of matching socks—and make that process as simple and seamless as possible.
Like a smart salesperson, smart UX design can help increase conversion rates and sales, build credibility and trust, boost customer loyalty, and make it easier for people to do more in less time. It can help customers find what they are looking for, recommend similar and complementary products, process payments, and give customers a good reason to come back.
On the flip side, a frustrating user experience can result in increased bounce rates and cart abandonment, more churn, missed conversion opportunities, negative customer reviews, poor brand perception, and lost revenue.
What’s worse than an online customer not visiting your e-commerce website? A customer who visits and leaves because of a poor user experience.
Why you can’t afford to overlook UX design
A study by The Gomez Report showed that 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site following a poor user experience.
According to a survey done by Adobe, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.
Mobile visitors are 5x more likely to abandon the task if the site isn’t optimized for mobile.
94% of negative feedback about websites is design related.
6 UX design elements that can impact conversion rate optimization
1. Intuitive navigation – Organize your inventory into categories and subcategories that are familiar to your visitors and make it easy for them to browse and locate the products and services they are looking for. Clear labels, logical organization, and search functionality all play a part in creating an intuitive navigation structure.
2. Responsive design – Mobile commerce, aka m-commerce, is more than on the rise, it’s here. With over 60% of US adults believing that mobile shopping isn’t just nice, it’s a necessity for convenience, it is absolutely necessary for your website to work on a smaller screen. Responsive design ensures that users can comfortably navigate your site on any device, without sacrificing functionality or visual appeal.
3. Clear messaging – At the heart of good communication is clarity. Write simply and clearly so that anyone reading can understand where they can find what they want and how they can buy it. Use short, scannable paragraphs and calls to action (CTAs) to help guide visitors through every touchpoint of their shopping experience.
4. Visual appeal – When it comes to your e-commerce website, looks matter. Shoppers buy with their eyes and the way you present your products and brand online can have a significant impact on user behaviors and sales. High-quality product images, consistent typography, and the appealing use of color all contribute to a positive user experience.
5. Detailed product information – Give your visitors the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. Providing clear product information, specifications, and pricing—as well as shipping costs and return policies—can go a long way in building trust and confidence in your brand.
6. Streamlined checkout – Make it easy for your visitors to seal the deal. This includes optimizing form fields, providing a guest checkout option, supporting multiple payment methods, and minimizing the steps required to complete the transaction.
Interested in leveraging 45/RPM’s UI/UX design expertise to optimize your e-commerce project?
Let’s connect. Learn how we can help you create an exceptional e-commerce user experience that results in increased conversions, higher sales, and satisfied, more loyal customers.