No matter your industry, you undoubtedly contend with a lot of competition. Especially over the past year, we’ve all had to try extra hard to vie for consumer attention. Thanks to the pandemic, it has been vital for business owners to find ways to stand out from their competitors. Having a very user-friendly website is one surefire way to lure customers away from other brands.
How inviting is your company site? Needless to say, online shopping only continues to grow in popularity. But you can’t take that for granted. It’s important to find ways to make your online shop more user-friendly. So how do you do that?
Make navigation simple.
Just how easy or hard is it for your website’s visitors to find exactly what they’re looking for? Do you have a search bar at the top of your homepage? Are there visible links to your product pages? Try not to get so caught up in creating a unique and eye-catching design that you make it confusing for your online visitors. Quite often, in the world of e-commerce, keeping things simple is the best bet.
“Your users need to be able to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible,” stresses Katie Dean points out on TheSelfEmployed.com, “Include categories and simple menus. You should also include a search function that allows users to search for items they are interested in. Users are likely to get frustrated and give up if it’s difficult for them to find the items they’re searching for.”
Allow for an easy sign in process.
Don’t make it mandatory for your online shoppers to become “members” of your e-commerce store. However, it’s a good idea to display a super simple sign up option. With a quick and easy-to-do sign in process, online customers won’t just be encouraged to make purchases. They’ll also want to keep coming back. On Semrush.com, Jennifer Landry suggests a little trial and error process when creating your sign up forms.
“Test those forms with actual users before putting them on your e-commerce site,” she advises, “One thing you definitely don’t want to happen is for a new customer to abandon a purchase because your sign-up process is confusing.”
Have flexible options for payments.
Most people will quickly punch in their credit card numbers in order to complete their purchases. Although credit cards are the most popular choice, are they your only payment option? Do you offer gift cards as well? How else can your customers pay? Make your checkout process easy. Not only should it be click-of-a-button quick, but it should clearly display the various payment options you have available.
As Dean notes, some people prefer to make payments through PayPal or Bitcoin. “It’s important to provide your customers with flexible options for making payments on your website,” she affirms.
Is your company website in need of a safe and secure e-commerce solution? Unity Payments can help you take advantage of this ever-growing trend. We’ve made selling online easier than ever! Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more.
