Best Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design
When you visualize buyers moving through the e-commerce websites you construct, you more or less expect them to follow this journey:
• Step 1: Enter on the homepage or a classification page.
• Step 2: Use the navigational components to orient themselves to the shop and absolutely no in on the particular things they're looking for.
• Step 3: Review the descriptions and other pertinent purchase information for the products that ignite their interest.
• Step 4: Customize the product specifications (if possible), and then include the products they wish to their cart.
• Step 5: Check out.
There are deviations they might take along the way (like checking out associated products, perusing various categories, and conserving products to a wishlist for a rainy day). For the most part, this is the leading pathway you build out and it's the one that will be most greatly traveled.
That being the case, it's particularly crucial for designers to no in on the interface components that consumers come across along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you won't simply see a boost in unexpected variances from the course, but more bounces from the website, too.
So, that's what the following post is going to focus on: How to ensure that the UI along the purchaser's journey is appealing, instinctive, interesting, and friction-free.
Let's take a look at three parts of the UI that shoppers will encounter from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be utilizing e-commerce sites developed with Shopify to do this:
1. Develop A Multifaceted Navigation That Follows Shoppers Around #
There when was a time when e-commerce websites had mega menus that shoppers needed to sort through to find their desired item classifications, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you might still face them nowadays, the much better option is a navigation that adapts to the shopper's journey.
THE MAIN MENU #
The very first thing to do is to simplify the main menu so that it has only one level beneath the main classification headers. For instance, this is how United By Blue does it:
The item categories under "Shop" are all neatly organized underneath headers like "Womens" and "Mens".
The only exceptions are the categories for "New Arrivals" and "Masks & Face Coverings" that are accompanied by images. It's the exact same reason why "Gifts" is in a lighter blue font style and "Sale" is in a red typeface in the main menu. These are incredibly timely and https://247creative.com.au/ appropriate classifications for United By Blue's shoppers, so they are worthy of to be highlighted (without being too distracting).
Going back to the site, let's look at how the designer was able to keep the mobile website organized:
Instead of shrink down the desktop menu to one that consumers would need to pinch-and-zoom in on here, we see a menu that's adjusted to the mobile screen.
It needs a couple of more clicks than the desktop website, but buyers shouldn't have an issue with that since the menu doesn't go unfathomable (once again, this is why we can't utilize mega menus any longer).
ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #
If you're building an e-commerce website for a customer with a complicated inventory (i.e. lots of products and layers of categories), the product results page is going to need its own navigation system.
To assist consumers limit the number of items they see at a time, you can include these two elements in the style of this page:
1. Filters to limit the outcomes by product specification.
2. Sorting to purchase the items based upon buyers' top priorities.
I've highlighted them on this product results page on the Horne website:
While you might keep your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned style above the results is a better choice.
This space-saving design permits you to show more items at the same time and is likewise a more mobile-friendly choice:
Consistency in UI style is essential to shoppers, specifically as more of them take an omnichannel technique to shopping. By presenting the filters/sorting choices consistently from gadget to gadget, you'll produce a more predictable and comfy experience for them in the process.
BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #
As buyers move deeper into an e-commerce website, they still may need navigational support. There are 2 UI navigation elements that will help them out.
The first is a breadcrumb path in the top-left corner of the product pages, comparable to how tentree does:
This is best utilized on websites with classifications that have sub-categories upon sub-categories. The further and further buyers move away from the product results page and the convenience of the filters and arranging, the more vital breadcrumbs will be.
The search bar, on the other hand, is a navigation element that must constantly be readily available, regardless of which point in the journey shoppers are at. This opts for stores of all sizes, too.
Now, a search bar will certainly assist shoppers who are short on time, can't discover what they need or simply desire a faster way to an item they already understand exists. An AI-powered search bar that can actively predict what the consumer is looking for is a smarter option.
Here's how that deals with the Horne site:
Even if the buyer hasn't completed inputting their search expression, this search bar begins providing ideas. On the left are matching keywords and on the right are leading matching items. The ultimate objective is to accelerate consumers' search and reduce any stress, pressure or disappointment they may otherwise be feeling.
2. Show The Most Pertinent Details At Once On Product Pages #
Vitaly Friedman just recently shared this suggestion on LinkedIn:
He's. The more time visitors need to spend digging around for relevant details about a product, the higher the opportunity they'll simply quit and try another store.
Delivering alone is a huge sticking point for lots of buyers and, regrettably, too many e-commerce sites wait till checkout to let them learn about shipping costs and hold-ups.
Because of this, 63% of digital buyers wind up abandoning their online carts because of shipping costs and 36% do so since of for how long it requires to receive their orders.
Those aren't the only information digital shoppers would like to know about ahead of time. They likewise wish to know about:
• The returns and refund policy,
• The terms of use and privacy policy,
• The payment options available,
• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup options available,
• And so on.
But how are you anticipated to fit this all in within the first screenful?
PRESENT THE 30-SECOND PITCH ABOVE THE FOLD #
This is what Vitaly was talking about. You do not need to squeeze every single information about an item above the fold. However the store must be able to sell the item with only what's in that space.
Bluebella, for instance, has a space-saving style that doesn't jeopardize on readability:
With the image gallery relegated to the left side of the page, the rest can be dedicated to the product summary. Because of the differing size of the header typefaces in addition to the hierarchical structure of the page, it's simple to follow.
Based on how this is designed, you can tell that the most important information are:
• Product name;
• Product cost;
• Product size selector;
• Add-to-bag and wishlist buttons;
• Delivery and returns info (which nicely appears on one line).
The rest of the product information are able to fit above the fold thanks to the accordions utilized to collapse and broaden them.
If there are other essential information consumers might require to make up their minds-- like product evaluations or a sizing guide-- construct links into the above-the-fold that move them to the relevant sections lower on the page.
Quick Note: This layout will not be possible on mobile for apparent reasons. So, the item images will get prominence while the 30-second pitch appears simply listed below the fold.
MAKE EXTRA UI ELEMENTS SMALL #
Even if you're able to concisely deliver the item's description, additional sales and marketing elements like pop-ups, chat widgets and more can end up being just as frustrating as lengthy item pages.
So, make certain you have them kept out of the method as Partake does:
The red symbol you see in the bottom left allows consumers to control the availability features of the site. The "Rewards" button in the bottom-right is in fact a pop-up that's styled like a chat widget. When opened, it welcomes consumers to join the loyalty program.
Both of these widgets open only when clicked.
Allbirds is another one that consists of additional aspects, however keeps them out of the method:
In this case, it includes a self-service chat widget in the bottom-right that has to be clicked in order to open. It likewise puts information about its existing returns policy in a sticky bar at the top, maximizing the item pages to strictly concentrate on item information.
3. Make Product Variants As Easy To Select As Possible #
For some products, there is no choice that shoppers have to make besides: "Do I want to add this product to my cart or not?"
For other items, shoppers have to specify product variants prior to they can include a product to their cart. When that's the case, you wish to make this procedure as pain-free as possible. There are a few things you can do to guarantee this takes place.
Let's state the store you develop sells females's undergarments. Because case, you 'd need to provide variations like color and size.
You wouldn't want to just develop a drop-down selector for each. Think of how laborious that would get if you asked consumers to click on "Color" and they had to arrange through a dozen or two choices. Likewise, if it's a basic drop-down selector, color swatches might not appear in the list. Rather, the consumer would have to choose a color name and wait for the item image to upgrade in order to see what it looks like.
This is why your versions ought to dictate how you develop each.
Let's utilize this product page from Thinx as an example:
There are 2 variations readily available on this page:
• The color variant shows a row of color examples. When clicked, the name of the color appears and the product picture changes appropriately.
• The size variant lists sizes from extra-extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large.
Notification how Size features a link to "size chart". That's because, unlike something like color which is pretty clear-cut, sizing can change from store to shop as well as region to region. This chart offers clear assistance on how to select a size.
Now, Thinx utilizes a square button for each of its versions. You can switch it up, however, if you 'd like to develop a difference between the options consumers need to make (and it's probably the much better design choice, to be truthful).
Kirrin Finch, for instance, puts its sizes inside empty boxes and its color examples inside filled circles:
It's a little difference, but it should be enough to help buyers shift smoothly from decision to decision and not miss any of the required fields.
Now, let's say that the store you're developing doesn't sell clothing. Instead, it offers something like beds, which undoubtedly won't include choices like color or size. At least, not in the same way similar to clothes.
Unless you have well-known abbreviations, signs or numbers you can utilize to represent each variant, you need to use another type of selector.
This is an item page on the Leesa website. I've opened the "Pick your size" selector so you can see how these alternatives are shown:
Why is this a drop-down list as opposed to boxes?
For starters, the size names aren't the very same length. So, box selectors would either be inconsistently sized or some of them would have a lots of white area in them. It truly wouldn't look good.
Leesa wisely uses this little area to supply more info about each mattress size (i.e. the normal vs. sale cost). Not just is this the finest style for this specific variant selector, but it's likewise a terrific way to be effective with how you present a lot of information on the product page.
A NOTE ABOUT OUT-OF-STOCK VARIANTS #
If you want to eliminate all friction from this part of the online shopping process, make sure you come up with a distinct style for out-of-stock variants.
Here's a better look at the Kirrin Finch example once again:
There's no mistaking which options are readily available and which are not).
Although some buyers might be annoyed when they recognize the shirt color they like is only offered in a couple of sizes, imagine how upset they 'd be if they didn't discover this up until after they picked all their variants?
If the product selection is the last action they take in the past clicking "add to haul", do not hide this information from them. All you'll do is get their hopes up for a product they made the effort to read about, take a look at, and fall for ... just to find it's not available in a size "16" until it's too late.
Wrapping Up #
What is it they say? Excellent style is undetectable?
That's what we require to remember when developing these essential user interfaces for e-commerce websites. Of course, your customer's shop needs to be attractive and remarkable ... But the UI elements that move buyers through the site need to not give them stop briefly. Simplicity and ease of use require to be your top priority when creating the primary journey for your client's shoppers.
If you're interested in putting these UI design approaches to work for brand-new clients, think about joining the Shopify Partner Program as a store designer. There you'll have the ability to earn recurring earnings by building brand-new Shopify shops for clients or migrating shops from other commerce platforms to Shopify.