Best Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design
When you envision consumers moving through the e-commerce websites you develop, you basically expect them to follow this journey:
• Step 1: Enter on the homepage or a category page.
• Step 2: Use the navigational components to orient themselves to the shop and zero in on the particular things they're looking for.
• Step 3: Review the descriptions and other relevant purchase details for the items that ignite their interest.
• Step 4: Customize the product specifications (if possible), and after that add the items they want to their cart.
• Step 5: Check out.
There are deviations they may bring the method (like checking out related products, perusing different classifications, and conserving 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 heavily traveled.
That being the case, it's especially important for designers to no in on the interface components that shoppers come across along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you won't simply see a boost in unanticipated discrepancies from the course, however 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 buyer's journey is appealing, instinctive, engaging, and friction-free.
Let's take a look at 3 parts of the UI that buyers will come across from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be utilizing e-commerce websites built with Shopify to do this:
1. Develop 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 sort through to discover their wanted product categories, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you may still run into them nowadays, the much better option is a navigation that adjusts to the shopper's journey.
THE MAIN MENU #
The very first thing to do is to streamline the primary menu so that it has just one level underneath the main classification headers. For example, 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 classifications for "New Arrivals" and "Masks & Face Coverings" that are accompanied by images. It's the same reason "Gifts" remains in a lighter blue font and "Sale" remains in a red typeface in the primary menu. These are incredibly prompt and relevant categories for United By Blue's consumers, so they should have to be highlighted (without being too disruptive).
Going back to the site, let's take a look at how the designer had the ability to keep the mobile site organized:
Rather than diminish down the desktop menu to one that shoppers would need Recommended Site to pinch-and-zoom in on here, we see a menu that's adapted to the mobile screen.
It requires a couple of more clicks than the desktop website, but buyers should not have a problem with that because the menu doesn't go unfathomable (once again, this is why we can't use mega menus any longer).
ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #
If you're building an e-commerce site for a client with a complex inventory (i.e. great deals of items and layers of categories), the product results page is going to need its own navigation system.
To help shoppers limit how many items they see at a time, you can consist of these 2 components in the design of this page:
1. Filters to narrow down the outcomes by item specification.
2. Sorting to order the items based on buyers' priorities.
I've highlighted them on this product results page on the Horne website:
While you might store your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned style above the outcomes is a better choice.
This space-saving style enables you to show more items at once and is also a more mobile-friendly choice:
Consistency in UI style is crucial to consumers, specifically as more of them take an omnichannel technique to shopping. By presenting the filters/sorting options regularly from device to device, you'll develop a more predictable and comfy experience for them at the same time.
BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #
As consumers move deeper into an e-commerce site, they still may require navigational help. There are two UI navigation components that will help them out.
The very first is a breadcrumb path in the top-left corner of the item pages, comparable to how tentree does:
This is best utilized on sites with categories that have sub-categories upon sub-categories. The more and further consumers move away from the item 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 should constantly be available, no matter which point in the journey shoppers are at. This chooses shops of all sizes, too.
Now, a search bar will certainly help buyers who are brief on time, can't discover what they need or merely want a shortcut to an item they currently know exists. However, an AI-powered search bar that can actively anticipate what the shopper is searching for is a smarter choice.
Here's how that deals with the Horne website:
Even if the shopper hasn't ended up inputting their search phrase, this search bar begins dishing out recommendations. On the left are matching keywords and on the right are leading matching products. The supreme objective is to speed up shoppers' search and cut down on any stress, pressure or frustration they may otherwise be feeling.
2. Show The Most Pertinent Details At Once On Product Pages #
Vitaly Friedman recently shared this tip on LinkedIn:
He's. The more time visitors have to invest digging around for essential details about a product, the higher the chance they'll simply quit and attempt another store.
Delivering alone is a big sticking point for lots of buyers and, sadly, too many e-commerce sites wait till checkout to let them understand about shipping costs and delays.
Because of this, 63% of digital buyers wind up abandoning their online carts due to the fact that of shipping expenses and 36% do so since of how long it requires to get their orders.
Those aren't the only information digital consumers need to know about ahead of time. They also want to know about:
• The returns and refund policy,
• The terms of use and privacy policy,
• The payment alternatives offered,
• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup choices available,
• And so on.
But how are you expected to fit this all in within the first screenful?
PRESENT THE 30-SECOND PITCH ABOVE THE FOLD #
This is what Vitaly was speaking about. You don't have to squeeze each and every single detail about an item above the fold. However the shop should have the ability to sell the product 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 committed to the product summary. Due to the fact that of the differing size of the header font styles as well as the hierarchical structure of the page, it's easy to follow.
Based on how this is designed, you can tell that the most crucial details 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 used to collapse and expand them.
If there are other important information consumers might require to make up their minds-- like item evaluations 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. The item images will get top billing while the 30-second pitch appears just listed below the fold.
MAKE EXTRA UI ELEMENTS SMALL #
Even if you're able to concisely provide the item's description, additional sales and marketing components like pop-ups, chat widgets and more can become simply as irritating as lengthy product pages.
Make sure you have them stored out of the way as Partake does:
The red sign you see in the bottom left makes it possible for buyers to control the ease of access functions of the website. The "Rewards" button in the bottom-right is actually a pop-up that's styled like a chat widget. When opened, it welcomes consumers to sign up with the commitment program.
Both of these widgets open only when clicked.
Allbirds is another one that consists of extra aspects, but 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 positions details about its current returns policy in a sticky bar at the top, freeing up the product pages to strictly concentrate on product details.
3. Make Product Variants As Easy To Select As Possible #
For some items, there is no decision that consumers need to make aside from: "Do I want to include this item to my cart or not?"
For other items, shoppers have to specify item variants before they can include an item to their cart. When that's the case, you want to make this process 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 undergarments. Because case, you 'd have to offer variations like color and size.
You wouldn't desire to just develop a drop-down selector for each. Imagine how tiresome that would get if you asked buyers to click on "Color" and they had to arrange through a dozen or so alternatives. If it's a standard drop-down selector, color examples might not appear in the list. Instead, the shopper would have to pick a color name and await the product photo to update in order to see what it appears like.
This is why your variants must dictate how you develop each.
Let's utilize this product page from Thinx as an example:
There are 2 versions available on this page:
• The color version shows a row of color swatches. When clicked, the name of the color appears and the item photo adjusts appropriately.
• The size alternative lists sizes from extra-extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large.
Notification how Size comes with a link to "size chart". That's because, unlike something like color which is quite precise, sizing can change from store to shop in addition to area to region. This chart offers clear assistance on how to select a size.
Now, Thinx uses a square button for each of its versions. You can change it up, though, if you 'd like to produce a difference between the choices shoppers need to make (and it's most likely the much better design option, to be honest).
Kirrin Finch, for instance, puts its sizes inside empty boxes and its color examples inside filled circles:
It's a little difference, however it needs to suffice to assist consumers shift efficiently from choice to choice and not miss out on any of the needed fields.
Now, let's say that the shop you're constructing does not offer clothing. Instead, it offers something like beds, which undoubtedly will not consist of choices like color or size. At least, not in the same method as with clothes.
Unless you have widely known abbreviations, symbols or numbers you can use to represent each variant, you must utilize another kind of selector.
For instance, this is an item page on the Leesa website. 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 starters, the size names aren't the exact same length. So, box selectors would either be inconsistently sized or some of them would have a ton of white area in them. It really wouldn't look good.
Also, Leesa carefully uses this little space to offer more information about each mattress size (i.e. the regular vs. price). Not only is this the finest design for this specific variant selector, but it's also a fantastic method to be effective with how you provide a lot of information on the item page.
A NOTE ABOUT OUT-OF-STOCK VARIANTS #
If you want to remove all friction from this part of the online shopping procedure, make sure you come up with a distinct design for out-of-stock variants.
Here's a better look at the Kirrin Finch example again:
There's no mistaking which options are available and which are not).
Although some consumers might be frustrated when they understand the t-shirt color they like is just available in a few sizes, imagine how frustrated they 'd be if they didn't learn this up until after they chose all their variations?
If the product selection is the last step they take before clicking "add to cart", don't conceal this information from them. All you'll do is get their hopes up for an item they took the time to read about, take a look at, and fall for ... just to discover it's not readily available in a size "16" until it's far too late.
Finishing up #
What is it they say? Good style is undetectable?
That's what we require to bear in mind when creating these key user interfaces for e-commerce websites. Naturally, your customer's shop needs to be attractive and memorable ... But the UI elements that move buyers through the site should not provide stop briefly. Simpleness and ease of use need to be your top priority when developing the primary journey for your customer's buyers.
If you're interested in putting these UI style viewpoints to work for new consumers, consider joining the Shopify Partner Program as a shop designer. There you'll have the ability to earn recurring revenue by developing new Shopify stores for clients or moving shops from other commerce platforms to Shopify.