Best Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design

When you picture buyers moving through the e-commerce websites you build, 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 zero in on the specific things they're searching for.

• Step 3: Review the descriptions and other relevant purchase details for the items that ignite their interest.

• Step 4: Customize the product requirements (if possible), and then include the products they want to their cart.

• Step 5: Check out.

There are deviations they may bring the method (like checking out related items, perusing various categories, and saving items to a wishlist for a rainy day). For the a lot of part, this is the leading path you construct out and it's the one that will be most greatly taken a trip.

That being the case, it's particularly important for designers to zero in on the interface elements that buyers experience along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you will not just see a boost in unforeseen discrepancies from the course, but more bounces from the site, too.

That's what the following post is going to focus on: How to guarantee that the UI along the buyer's journey is appealing, instinctive, appealing, and friction-free.

Let's examine three parts of the UI that buyers will come across from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be utilizing e-commerce websites constructed with Shopify to do this:

1. Develop A Multifaceted Navigation That Follows Shoppers Around #

There once was a time when e-commerce websites had mega menus that consumers needed to sort through to discover their desired product classifications, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you might still face them nowadays, the better choice 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 just one level beneath the main classification headers. This is how United By Blue does it:

The item classifications under "Shop" are all neatly organized beneath headers like "Womens" and "Mens".

The only exceptions are the classifications for "New Arrivals" and "Masks & Face Coverings" that are accompanied by images. It's the exact same reason why "Gifts" remains in a lighter blue font style and "Sale" is in a red typeface in the primary menu. These are incredibly prompt and appropriate classifications for United By Blue's shoppers, so they are worthy of to be highlighted (without being too disruptive).

Returning to the site, let's take a look at how the designer had the ability to keep the mobile site organized:

Instead of shrink down the desktop menu to one that shoppers would require to pinch-and-zoom in on here, we see a menu that's adjusted to the mobile screen.

It requires a few more clicks than the desktop site, but consumers shouldn't have an issue with that since the menu does not go too deep (once again, this is why we can't utilize mega menus anymore).

ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #

If you're building an e-commerce site for a customer with a complicated inventory (i.e. lots of products and layers of categories), the product results page is going to require its own navigation system.

To help consumers narrow down how many items they see at a time, you can consist of these two aspects in the design of this page:

1. Filters to limit the outcomes by product requirements.

2. Arranging to purchase the products based upon shoppers' priorities.

I've highlighted them on this item results page on the Horne website:

While you might keep your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned design above the outcomes is a better choice.

This space-saving design allows you to reveal more items simultaneously and is likewise a more mobile-friendly choice:

Consistency in UI style is important to consumers, specifically as more of them take an omnichannel method to shopping. By presenting the filters/sorting options consistently from gadget to gadget, you'll create a more foreseeable and comfy experience for them in the process.

BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #

As buyers move deeper into an e-commerce site, they still may require navigational help. There are 2 UI navigation elements that will help them out.

The first is a breadcrumb trail in the top-left corner of the item pages, comparable to how tentree does:

This is best used on sites with classifications that have sub-categories upon sub-categories. The more and more shoppers move away from the product results page and the convenience of the filters and sorting, the more crucial breadcrumbs will be.

The search bar, on the other hand, is a navigation element that need to constantly be available, no matter which point in the journey consumers are at. This goes for stores of all sizes, too.

Now, a search bar will definitely help consumers who are web site design brief on time, can't discover what they need or simply want a shortcut to a product they currently know exists. An AI-powered search bar that can actively anticipate what the buyer is looking for is a smarter option.

Here's how that deals with the Horne site:

Even if the buyer hasn't ended up inputting their search expression, this search bar begins serving up suggestions. On the left are matching keywords and on the right are top matching items. The ultimate objective is to speed up consumers' search and cut down on any stress, pressure or disappointment they might otherwise be feeling.

2. Program The Most Pertinent Details At Once On Product Pages #

Vitaly Friedman recently shared this idea on LinkedIn:

He's ideal. The more time visitors need to spend digging around for essential details about a product, the higher the chance they'll just give up and try another store.

Delivering alone is a big sticking point for many shoppers and, regrettably, too many e-commerce websites wait until checkout to let them know about shipping costs and delays.

Since of this, 63% of digital shoppers wind up deserting their online carts because of shipping expenses and 36% do so since of how long it requires to receive their orders.

Those aren't the only information digital consumers need to know about ahead of time. They also need to know about:

• The returns and refund policy,

• The regards to use and privacy policy,

• The payment options offered,

• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup alternatives offered,

• And so on.

How are you anticipated to fit this all in within the very first screenful?

PRESENT THE 30-SECOND PITCH ABOVE THE FOLD #

This is what Vitaly was discussing. You don't need to squeeze each and every single detail about an item above the fold. The shop should be able to offer the product with only what's in that area.

Bluebella, for instance, has a space-saving style that does not jeopardize on readability:

With the image gallery relegated to the left side of the page, the rest can be committed to the product summary. Due to the fact that of the varying size of the header typefaces as well as the hierarchical structure of the page, it's easy to follow.

Based upon how this is created, you can inform that the most essential details are:

• Product name;

• Product price;

• Product size selector;

• Add-to-bag and wishlist buttons;

• Delivery and returns information (which nicely appears on one line).

The remainder of the product details have the ability to fit above the fold thanks to the accordions utilized to collapse and broaden them.

If there are other essential information buyers may need to comprise their minds-- like item reviews or a sizing guide-- construct links into the above-the-fold that move them to the pertinent sections lower on the page.

Quick Note: This layout will not be possible on mobile for apparent factors. So, the item images will get top billing while the 30-second pitch appears simply below the fold.

MAKE EXTRA UI ELEMENTS SMALL #

Even if you're able to concisely provide the item's description, additional sales and marketing aspects like pop-ups, chat widgets and more can end up being simply as irritating as lengthy item pages.

Make sure you have them stored out of the method as Partake does:

The red sign you see in the bottom left allows consumers to control the availability features of the site. The "Rewards" button in the bottom-right is actually a pop-up that's styled like a chat widget. When opened, it welcomes shoppers to join the loyalty program.

Both of these widgets open just when clicked.

Allbirds is another one that includes extra components, however keeps them out of the way:

In this case, it consists of a self-service chat widget in the bottom-right that needs to be clicked in order to open. It also puts information about its present returns policy in a sticky bar at the top, freeing up the item pages to strictly focus on product details.

3. Make Product Variants As Easy To Select As Possible #

For some products, there is no decision that consumers have to make besides: "Do I wish to add this item to my cart or not?"

For other items, buyers need to define item variations before they can include an item to their cart. When that's the case, you wish to make this procedure