There’s a wealth of information online and today’s Singapore consumer takes advantage of every bit of it. Before making their final purchases, they do a tremendous amount of research. They take time to read through reviews and recommendations. They also compare similar products on the market. What this means is that Singapore businesses need to make providing a great customer experience their top priority, meaning mistakes cannot be afforded when it comes to their eCommerce Website Design.
This is especially the case when it comes to e-commerce businesses. As technology improves and people spend more and more of their time online, consumers are starting to make more of their purchases there as well as. Not only is this type of shopping more convenient and comfortable for the consumer, but it also allows them to gather more information about the online store which means they can make an informed decision.
A fundamental part of attracting new e-commerce customers and building loyalty for your online store is making sure that your Website Design creates a great customer experience. Customers who have a pleasant experience will come back, not only that but they will bring friends. Let’s discuss a few common mistakes e-commerce businesses tend to make with their design and how you can go about avoiding them.
Mistake #1: Poor Image Quality
There are a lot of e-commerce stores that completely ruin their design by including images that feature poor quality. In many cases, the image is very large and pixelated or too small. And this is unfortunate when you consider how big of a part images play in e-commerce. Unlike brick and mortar stores, shoppers are not able to see the product in person. So they must rely on the images on your website in order to make their decision. If your image is of poor quality, then the customer can assume that the product is of poor quality as well.
How to avoid this: If you want to ensure that your image is of the highest quality, then you need to think about how brick and mortar stores do business. They are often focused on providing great lighting so that the products catch the consumer’s attention. So hire a professional photographer to take photos of your products. They know how to manipulate the lighting. Make sure that your images are large enough for your customers to view in detail. You should also make sure that the resolution is high. If possible, have images taken by professionals with a good camera and great lighting so that people enjoy looking at them.
Mistake #2: Weak Product Descriptions
There are many Singapore e-commerce stores that offer great products. The only problem is the description of these products are often too short or confusing. In some cases, they are extremely vague. At best, these websites use a generic description that they have located on a manufacturer’s website. The consumer doesn’t know much about it, so they can’t make an informed buying decision. And this means that they won’t buy.
How to avoid this: What these sites don’t realise is that your product descriptions can be the thing that helps set you apart from the rest of your competition. While every other company is using generic descriptions, you can take this time to brand your site. You can also include using some of your keywords to attract a larger audience.
Make your descriptions simple and engaging. Your customer should feel as if they are viewing the product in person. Talk about the benefits of their using the product. Just don’t overload your consumer with too much information as this could have the opposite effect.
Mistake #3: Complicated Checkout
E-commerce stores can offer great images and amazing product descriptions. However, some come up short when it comes to their checkout process. It may be too long or the customer may find it too difficult to navigate.
There is nothing more frustrating for a Singapore consumer than taking the time to choose all of the items they want, only to find out that the checkout process is too long or complicated. In fact, according to research, a poor checkout experience is what often leads to customers abandoning their carts. And this has a huge effect on your conversion rates.
How to avoid this: You need to make sure that your checkout process is simple and straightforward. The best way to do this is to design your site so that consumers can complete their purchase within just a few steps. You should also make sure that consumers are aware of all of the shipping costs and taxes before they get to the last page.
Mistake #4: No Customer Support Information
Some Singapore e-commerce sites lack customer support information. This means that if customers are in the middle of checkout and have some questions about their products or the return or exchange policy, they are not able to ask anyone. And this is another factor that could lead to cart abandonment.
How to avoid this: If you want to be able to reassure your customers about their buying decisions and offer customer support, then you need to make sure that your contact information is visible. Place this information in a prominent location at the top and/or bottom of your page. This is a great way to increase your conversion rates and build credibility with your customers.
Mistake #5: Not Being Mobile-Friendly
Another web design flaw is the site not being mobile-friendly. Some e-commerce websites offer a great desktop experience, but when it comes to mobile, it can be unresponsive. And this causes an inconvenience for shoppers. Most consumers will leave a website if it does not cater to their device.
How to avoid this: Make sure that your customer’s experience is a friendly, no matter what device that is viewing your website on. Keep in mind that most Singapore consumers are browsing on their phones. So your e-commerce website should be mobile-friendly. Use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test in order to figure out how well your site performs.
Mistake #6: Slow Loading Time
In some cases, the commerce website may load too slowly. And this means that customers will hit the back button. This has an effect on both your conversions and bounce rates.
How to avoid it: The average Singapore consumer expects your website to load in less than 3 seconds. In fact, studies show that even if loading time is delayed by just one second, it can reduce your conversion rate by 7%. So you need to work to make sure that your site is fully optimised to load within this time. It can be helpful to perform a professional SEO audit to find and solve any issues that may be slowing your site down. Google PageSpeed Insights is an excellent tool for identifying this issues.
Takeaway
While there are many e-commerce websites, not all are focused on creating a user-friendly design. If you want to get ahead of the competition, then you should work to avoid the most common mistakes made by Singapore business owners. Ultimately, you need to ensure that your customers are provided with excellent images of your products, engaging product descriptions, a simple checkout process, visible customer support information, a responsive design, as well as a fast loading site.
