If your ecommerce website shop was a brick-and-mortar shop

Recently we came across this video from the BBC, and while it made us laugh, it got us thinking about lessons your ecommerce website shop could take from the traditional retail user experience…

Think about it this way; have you ever walked into a ‘brick and mortar’ shop and been immediately put off by a disorganised floor layout or unfriendly sales associate? Well, the same principles of customer service and user experience also apply to your website – you wouldn’t organise a physical store like a garage sale, so why would you do that for your website? A poorly designed website or frustrating user experience can drive potential customers away from an e-commerce business. The Trillion Dollar UX Problem report by Amazon Web Services reveals that a whopping 88% of visitors are less likely to give your site a second chance after a bad user experience. Source: sellzone.com

We’re going to explore some key lessons that your e-commerce businesses can learn from traditional “brick and mortar” retail shops, how potentially overlooked issues and bad user experience can prevent customers from making a purchase, and how you can create a more positive user experience and increase sales and conversion rates for your online business.

Focus on creating a welcoming environment

Just like in a physical store, the first impression of an e-commerce website is crucial. You should be striving to create a welcoming environment that encourages your target audience to explore and browse. Focus on creating a website that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provides a sense of community and connection.

Avoid annoying your visitors with too many pop-ups or intrusive ads – the website equivalent of an over-eagre sales assistant following you around the shop! Instead of bombarding users with unnecessary distractions, focus on creating an easy and intuitive user experience for them.

One way to make a good first impression is by using high-quality product images. Only having one product image, very small, or low-quality images can put customers off. Consider the display of products in physical retail stores. Shop displays often feature more than just the items for sale, serving to enhance the presentation of the products. Do the same with your website. Ensure that all design elements, photos, galleries, detailed product descriptions, videos, etc, serve the purpose of presenting your products in the most favourable way. Since your customers can’t physically handle products, these features are crucial for successful online sales.

This may seem like old news in 2023 – but it’s worth repeating, ensure that your website is optimised for mobile devices. As the number of people shopping online via mobile phones continues to increase, it is important to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. Mobile e-commerce statistics from Data Reportal in 2020 suggest that 60.1% of all consumers use their smartphones for online shopping. It’s also more and more important for your SEO and Search Rankings to be mobile-optimised.

Make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for

Like a well-organised physical shop layout, an e-commerce website should be designed to help potential customers quickly and easily find what they’re looking for. In the real world, customers rely on clear and effective signage to navigate the store. In e-commerce sites, this translates to having easy-to-use navigation and an effective site search engine.

You’ve probably come across websites before that feature confusing navigation. Or even worse, poor sort or filter options, and online shops that don’t categorise their products so you can’t find what you’re looking for. This is one of the biggest mistakes you should avoid.

An effective online shopping search engine should provide users with the capability to search using keywords and filter results by categories. Additionally, users should be able to sort results based on standard criteria such as popularity, price, and date. The option of excluding items that do not fit within a certain category should also be available. Plan your categories and navigation before adding products to your catalogue. Ensure every category has products or group smaller ones together. Make it simple for customers to browse, checkout, and navigate your website.

Personalised recommendations

Just as sales associates in a traditional retail store might make personalised recommendations based on a customer’s needs and preferences, e-commerce sites can replicate this experience by including related products and product reviews to help customers make informed purchase decisions.

Sometimes customers aren’t ready to buy right away, so having a ‘wishlist’ built into your website gives them a chance to come back and buy at a time that’s right for them. This functionality also allows you to show customers products related to their wishlist.

More advanced websites with CRMs and Automation systems (such as we provide with XposureHUB) can use user data and analytics to provide personalised product recommendations and tailored marketing messages that can reach customers even after they have left your website.

Provide Good Customer Service

Customer service is just as important for e-commerce businesses as it is for traditional retail shops. Perhaps more so in some circumstances as there won’t physically be anyone to handle customer enquiries.

Make it easy for potential customers to reach out if they have any questions or concerns. Including your contact information in the header, top of the sidebar, or footer is recommended. Providing various means of contact, such as email, chat, phone, and mailing addresses, can increase transparency and build trust with customers. According to a B2B Web Usability Report taken in 2015, 98% of those surveyed said that having “No Contact Information / Phone Number” would lead them to not purchase from the website. Source: emavens.com

If you get a lot of enquiries, you might want to consider a ticketing system for customer service enquiries, especially if you don’t have a phone number available. Other tips include building a Frequently Asked Questions page that covers common questions customers have, like what your return policy is or what to do if they need to order parts or replacement items.

IMPORTANT – if you’re offering costly or more technical products, website visitors are more likely to want to contact you for clarification or reassurance.

A seamless checkout process

Just as a long line or confusing checkout process is a huge barrier for customers in a real shop, a complicated or time-consuming checkout process leads to a big increase in shopping cart abandonment in e-commerce. Unfortunately, it’s a common mistake we see regularly with new e-commerce websites.

We cover cart abandonment in greater detail in this article here: How to Avoid Cart Abandonment

Make sure your checkout process is as simple and straightforward as possible. Fewer steps between adding an item to the cart and paying for it, means fewer chances for customers to abandon their purchase. The optimal checkout process involves a single page where customers can review their order and input billing and shipping details, followed by a confirmation page prior to finalising their order.

Consider that different consumers have different preferences when it comes to making payments, so include multiple payment options (making them more likely to purchase from you) and don’t forget to display shipping rates clearly.

Offer Guest Checkout or no Compulsory account creation

This ties in directly to the previous item – and is parodied nicely in the BBC video!

Needing a compulsory account for customers to place an order can be another obstacle in their path to purchase, which can drive them away. While it’s important to capture email address leads for future contact, getting the sale and serving your customer now should be the priority.

Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. Provide your customers with the option to create an account after completing their order, rather than requiring it beforehand – incentivise this by telling them it will save their details for future orders or to track the status of their current order.

Many customers will opt to save their information, and you’ll still be able to capture their data while maintaining a positive user experience. Oh – and getting the sale!

Encourage customer loyalty

Just as traditional retail shops aim to build long-term relationships with customers, e-commerce websites should endeavour to encourage repeat business, and on building a loyal customer base.

After a customer makes a purchase, follow up with them to thank them for their business and offer personalised recommendations based on their purchases for the future. Consider offering customers incentives such as free shipping, discounts on future purchases, or exclusive promotions for repeat buyers. These small perks can go a long way in encouraging customers to return.

Use social media to stay engaged with your customers and offer exclusive content or promotions for followers. You’ll often have their contact details which will enable you to use targeted marketing campaigns, special offers, and personalised messaging. This can help keep your brand top of mind and encourage repeat business.

Most importantly providing excellent customer service can make all the difference in encouraging repeat business. Make sure to respond quickly to customer inquiries, provide clear and helpful information, and resolve any issues as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you get all this right, and build a loyal customer base you can leverage that loyalty through online reviews and referral marketing to find even more customers – there is still no beating positive word of mouth!

Lessons from Brick and Mortar shops

By taking these lessons from traditional brick-and-mortar retail shops and applying them to e-commerce websites, businesses can improve the customer experience and increase sales. Remember, a positive shopping experience is crucial to the success of any online business!