At Trilogi we know usability is fundamental for any online sales project. There are certain key aspects you should keep firmly in mind in your online store to avoid very common eCommerce usability mistakes. Below I briefly outline some of them, explaining why they matter with examples and real cases of websites developed by our company.
The advantage of the online sector is that nothing is static or fixed, which lets us keep reacting and improving to optimize the user experience and increase the conversion rate.
Any mistake is costly, as it can throw away all the money and staff effort previously invested in attracting quality traffic we can convert into sales.
1. Clear, readable text
It is very important to write simple, clear, easy-to-understand text. Large blocks of text make content unappealing to users and can lead them to leave the site. The key is to organize information clearly and intersperse text with images so reading is more enjoyable and encourages users to keep going.
Content should also be unique to help organic rankings.
2. Multi-device adaptation (responsive)
Today it is essential to have a website that adapts to every device. That requires a “responsive” design that meets these requirements and adapts perfectly to desktop, tablet and mobile browsing, reorganizing and adapting elements to optimize navigation in each format.
3. Website structure
The website’s structure or layout must be clear, simple and very easy for users to understand. To achieve this, you need to analyze every area to be included along with its content: header, menus with their levels and placement, sliders, general content, footer, sitemap, banners and so on. Information blocks must be clearly defined to make it easy for users to understand, find and access information.
4. Product categorization
This is a fundamental aspect that is often overlooked. Many companies organize their online product catalog the same way as their print catalogs and ERP system. In these cases they make serious mistakes, using technical jargon in category names and organizing information around the company rather than the end user.
The product catalog structure must be designed for users, always aiming for easy interpretation, navigation and access to information.
There are user-centered techniques for organizing categories, such as “card sorting”.
5. Buttons and calls to action
Call-to-action buttons must be designed effectively to increase our website’s conversion rate and usability. Many sites pay no attention to these elements and they go unnoticed within the layout. It has been shown that a small change in color, size, text, font or placement can substantially improve their effectiveness and, in turn, increase conversion and sales.
6. Search
Search adds more and more value to an online store. While its use often depends on the number of products or the depth of the catalog, it is clearly a tool users rely on increasingly to quickly find what they are looking for.
Search accuracy and real-time suggestions increase its effectiveness.
7. Add product filters
Adding filters to product category listings lets users narrow their selection to their preferences and needs, improving the shopping experience. Which filters to apply depends on the product’s characteristics or type. For example, in a fashion online store the most common filters relate to color and size. There are also generic filters such as category, brand and price.
Many websites with large product catalogs don’t allow filters to refine searches and show results matching users’ needs. In these cases, finding a product can become an impossible task, hurting sales.
Other elements to consider:
There are also other very common usability mistakes we should try to avoid.
- Avoid broken links
- Minimize loading times
- Display contact details at all times
- Detailed product pages with unique content and high-quality images
- Keyboard navigation
- Short, clear page titles
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Add ALT description tags to images
If you would like more information or have a specific question, feel free to contact us.
You can also complement this information by reading the following posts: Usability and user experience in eCommerce and Do you know if your website is usable?, which cover more important aspects of eCommerce web usability.
