Best Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design
When you envision buyers moving through the e-commerce sites you build, you basically anticipate them to follow this journey:
• Step 1: Enter on the homepage or a classification page.
• Step 2: Use the navigational elements to orient themselves to the shop and absolutely no in on the specific things they're looking for.
• Step 3: Review the descriptions and other significant purchase information for the products that stimulate their interest.
• Step 4: Customize the product specifications (if possible), and after that include the products they want to their cart.
• Step 5: Check out.
There are variances they might take along the method (like checking out related items, perusing different classifications, and saving items to a wishlist for a rainy day). However, for the most 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 especially important for designers to no in on the interface elements that shoppers encounter along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you won't simply see a boost in unanticipated deviations from the course, but more bounces from the website, too.
That's what the following post is going to focus on: How to guarantee that the UI along the purchaser's journey is attractive, intuitive, engaging, and friction-free.
Let's examine 3 parts of the UI that consumers will come across from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be utilizing e-commerce sites constructed with Shopify to do this:
1. Produce A Multifaceted Navigation That Follows Shoppers Around #
There as soon as was a time when e-commerce sites had mega menus that consumers needed to arrange through to discover their desired product classifications, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you might still encounter them nowadays, the better option is a navigation that adapts to the buyer's journey.
THE MAIN MENU #
The first thing to do is to simplify the primary menu so that it has just one level below the primary category headers. This is how United By Blue does it:
The item categories under "Shop" are all nicely organized below 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 very same reason "Gifts" remains in a lighter blue font and "Sale" remains in a red font in the main menu. These are very prompt and pertinent classifications for United By Blue's consumers, so they deserve 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 site organized:
Instead of diminish down the desktop menu to one that buyers would need to pinch-and-zoom in on here, we see a menu that's adjusted to the mobile screen.
It needs a few more clicks than the desktop website, but buyers should not have a problem with that considering that the menu does not go too deep (once again, this is why we can't use mega menus anymore).
ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #
If you're developing an e-commerce website for a customer with a complicated inventory (i.e. lots of products and layers of categories), the item results page is going to need its own navigation system.
To help consumers limit the number of items they see at a time, you can include these 2 elements in the style of this page:
1. Filters to narrow down the results by product spec.
2. Arranging to order the products based on buyers' top priorities.
I've highlighted them on this product results page on the Horne website:
While you might save your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned design above the outcomes is a better choice.
This space-saving design enables you to reveal more items at the same time and is likewise a more mobile-friendly choice:
Bear in mind that consistency in UI style is important to buyers, especially as more of them take an omnichannel technique to shopping. By presenting the filters/sorting options consistently from device to gadget, you'll produce a more foreseeable and comfy experience for them in the process.
BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #
As consumers move deeper into an e-commerce website, they still may need navigational help. There are 2 UI navigation components that will assist them out.
The first is a breadcrumb trail in the top-left corner of the product pages, comparable to how tentree does:
This is best used on websites with classifications that have sub-categories upon sub-categories. The more and additional buyers move away from the product results page and the convenience of the filters and arranging, the more important breadcrumbs will be.
The search bar, on the other hand, is a navigation element that ought to constantly be available, no matter which point in the journey shoppers are at. This chooses stores of all sizes, too.
Now, a search bar will definitely assist shoppers who are short on time, can't discover what they need or just want a shortcut to a product they already know exists. An AI-powered search bar that can actively anticipate 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 ended up inputting their search expression, this search bar begins serving up tips. On the left are matching keywords and on the right are leading matching items. The ultimate goal is to speed up consumers' search and cut down on any tension, pressure or disappointment they might otherwise be feeling.
2. Program The Most Pertinent Details At Once On Product Pages #
Vitaly Friedman just recently shared this pointer on LinkedIn:
He's ideal. The more time visitors need to invest digging around for pertinent information about a product, the greater the possibility they'll simply give up and attempt another store.
Delivering alone is a huge sticking point for numerous shoppers and, regrettably, too many e-commerce sites wait till checkout to let them learn about shipping costs and hold-ups.
Since of this, 63% of digital consumers end up deserting their online carts because of shipping expenses and 36% do so due to the fact that of for how long it requires to get their orders.
Those aren't the only details digital buyers want to know about ahead of time. They also would like to know about:
• The returns and refund policy,
• The regards to usage and privacy policy,
• The payment choices readily available,
• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup alternatives available,
• 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 every information about an item above the fold. But the store ought to be able to offer the item with just what's in that area.
Bluebella, for instance, has a space-saving style that does not compromise on readability:
With the image gallery relegated to the left side of the page, the rest can be devoted to the item summary. Because of the varying size of the header fonts along with the hierarchical structure of the page, it's simple to follow.
Based on how this is developed, you can tell that the most crucial information are:
• Product name;
• Product rate;
• Product size selector;
• Add-to-bag and wishlist buttons;
• Delivery and returns information (which neatly appears on one line).
The rest 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 important details consumers may require to make up their minds-- like product reviews or a sizing guide-- build links into the above-the-fold that move them to the appropriate areas lower on the page.
Quick Note: This layout won't be possible on mobile for obvious factors. So, the item images will get prominence while the 30-second pitch appears just below the fold.
MAKE EXTRA UI ELEMENTS SMALL #
Even if you're able to concisely provide the product's description, extra sales and marketing components like pop-ups, chat widgets and more can become just as frustrating as lengthy item pages.
So, ensure you have them stored out of the method as Partake does:
The red useful link 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 really a pop-up that's styled like a chat widget. When opened, it welcomes buyers to join the loyalty program.
Both of these widgets open just when clicked.
Allbirds is another one that includes extra elements, 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 positions info about its current returns policy in a sticky bar at the top, maximizing the item pages to strictly concentrate on product information.
3. Make Product Variants As Easy To Select As Possible #
For some items, there is no decision that buyers have to make other than: "Do I wish to add this item to my cart or not?"
For other products, buyers need to define item variations before they can include an item to their cart. When that's the case, you want to make this procedure as pain-free as possible. There are a few things you can do to ensure this occurs.
Let's say the shop you develop offers females's underwears. In that case, you 'd have to use variations like color and size.
However you would not wish to simply develop a drop-down selector for each. Envision how tiresome that would get if you asked buyers to click on "Color" and they needed to arrange through a dozen or two choices. Likewise, if it's a basic drop-down selector, color examples might not appear in the list. Rather, the buyer would need to select a color name and await the product image to update in order to see what it looks like.
This is why your variants need to dictate how you design each.
Let's use this item page from Thinx as an example:
There are two versions offered on this page:
• The color variant shows a row of color swatches. When clicked, the name of the color appears and the item picture changes accordingly.
• The size alternative lists sizes from extra-extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large.
Notice how Size includes a link to "size chart". That's because, unlike something like color which is quite specific, sizing can change from store to shop as well as area to area. This chart offers clear assistance on how to choose a size.
Now, Thinx uses a square button for each of its variants. You can switch it up, though, if you 'd like to develop a distinction between the choices buyers need to make (and it's probably the better design choice, to be sincere).
Kirrin Finch, for instance, positions its sizes inside empty boxes and its color swatches inside filled circles:
It's a small difference, however it must be enough to assist buyers transition smoothly from choice to decision and not miss any of the needed fields.
Now, let's state that the shop you're building does not offer clothes. Instead, it offers something like beds, which obviously won't consist of options like color or size. A minimum of, not in the exact same way similar to clothes.
Unless you have popular abbreviations, signs or numbers you can utilize to represent each version, you ought to utilize another type of selector.
For example, this is an item page on the Leesa site. I've opened the "Pick your size" selector so you can see how these choices are displayed:
Why is this a drop-down list instead of boxes?
For beginners, the size names aren't the exact same length. So, box selectors would either be inconsistently sized or some of them would have a lots of white space in them. It really wouldn't look good.
Leesa wisely uses this little area to provide more information about each mattress size (i.e. the regular vs. sale price). So, not only is this the best design for this specific alternative selector, however it's likewise an excellent way to be effective with how you present a great deal 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, ensure you come up with a distinct style for out-of-stock versions.
Here's a more detailed look at the Kirrin Finch example again:
There's no mistaking which choices are available and which are not).
Some buyers might be annoyed when they realize the t-shirt color they like is only offered in a few sizes, envision how frustrated they 'd be if they didn't learn this up until after they picked all their variations?
If the item selection is the last action they take in the past clicking "add to cart", don't hide this information from them. All you'll do is get their hopes up for an item they made the effort to check out, take a look at, and fall in love with ... only to discover it's not offered in a size "16" until it's far too late.
Finishing up #
What is it they state? Good style is invisible?
That's what we require to bear in mind when designing these essential user interfaces for e-commerce websites. Of course, your client's store requires to be appealing and remarkable ... But the UI aspects that move consumers through the website ought to not provide stop briefly. So, simplicity and ease of usage need to be your top concern when designing the main journey for your customer's buyers.
If you're interested in putting these UI design viewpoints to work for brand-new clients, consider joining the Shopify Partner Program as a shop designer. There you'll have the ability to earn repeating profits by developing brand-new Shopify shops for customers or migrating stores from other commerce platforms to Shopify.