Finest Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design
When you imagine buyers moving through the e-commerce websites you construct, 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 store and absolutely no in on the specific things they're looking for.
• Step 3: Review the descriptions and other important purchase information for the products that stimulate their interest.
• Step 4: Customize the item requirements (if possible), and then add the items they want to their cart.
• Step 5: Check out.
There are discrepancies they may take along the way (like exploring associated items, perusing different categories, and saving products to a wishlist for a rainy day). However, for the many part, this is the top pathway you develop out and it's the one that will be most greatly traveled.
That being the case, it's particularly essential for designers to absolutely no in on the interface aspects that consumers experience along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you won't just see an increase in unforeseen variances from the path, but more bounces from the website, too.
So, that's what the following post is going to concentrate on: How to make sure that the UI along the buyer's journey is appealing, instinctive, interesting, and friction-free.
Let's examine 3 parts of the UI that shoppers will encounter from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be utilizing e-commerce sites constructed with Shopify to do this:
1. Create A Multifaceted Navigation That Follows Shoppers Around #
There as soon as was a time when e-commerce websites had mega menus that shoppers needed to sort through to find their preferred item classifications, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you might still face 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 beneath the main category headers. This is how United By Blue does it:
The product classifications under "Shop" are all neatly organized beneath headers like "Womens" and "Mens".
The only exceptions are the categories for "New Arrivals" and "Masks & Face Coverings" that are accompanied by images. It's the very same reason why "Gifts" is in a lighter blue font and "Sale" is in a red font style in the primary menu. These are very timely and appropriate categories for United By Blue's consumers, so they should have to be highlighted (without being too distracting).
Going back to the website, let's look at how the designer was able to keep the mobile website organized:
Rather than shrink down the desktop menu to one that shoppers would need to pinch-and-zoom in on here, we see a menu that's adjusted to the mobile screen.
It needs a couple of more clicks than the desktop site, but buyers should not have a problem with that considering that the menu doesn't go too deep (once again, this is why we can't utilize mega menus any longer).
ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #
If you're constructing an e-commerce site for a client with an intricate stock (i.e. great deals of products and layers of classifications), the product results page is going to need its own navigation system.
To assist consumers narrow down how many products they see at a time, you can include these two aspects in the style of this page:
1. Filters to narrow down the results by product spec.
2. Sorting to buy the products based upon buyers' top priorities.
I've highlighted them on this product results page on the Horne website:
While you can try here you could store your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned style above the results is a better option.
This space-saving design enables you to show more products at once and is also a more mobile-friendly option:
Consistency in UI design is crucial to buyers, particularly as more of them take an omnichannel method to shopping. By providing the filters/sorting options regularly from device to device, you'll create a more foreseeable and comfortable experience for them while doing so.
BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #
As consumers move deeper into an e-commerce site, they still might require navigational assistance. There are two UI navigation aspects that will help them out.
The very first is a breadcrumb path in the top-left corner of the product pages, similar to how tentree does:
This is best utilized on sites with categories that have sub-categories upon sub-categories. The more and more buyers move away from the item 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 aspect that must constantly be offered, no matter which point in the journey shoppers are at. This goes for stores of all sizes, too.
Now, a search bar will certainly help buyers who are short on time, can't find what they need or simply want a shortcut to an item they currently know exists. Nevertheless, an AI-powered search bar that can actively predict what the consumer is looking for is a smarter choice.
Here's how that deals with the Horne site:
Even if the consumer hasn't finished inputting their search expression, this search bar starts serving up recommendations. Left wing are matching keywords and on the right are leading matching items. The ultimate goal is to accelerate buyers' search and minimize any stress, pressure or frustration they may 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. The more time visitors have to invest digging around for pertinent details about a product, the greater the possibility they'll simply quit and attempt another store.
Shipping alone is a big sticking point for many shoppers and, regrettably, a lot of e-commerce websites wait up until checkout to let them know about shipping expenses and hold-ups.
Since of this, 63% of digital consumers wind up abandoning their online carts because of shipping costs and 36% do so due to the fact that of for how long it requires to receive their orders.
Those aren't the only details digital buyers want to know about ahead of time. They also want to know about:
• The returns and refund policy,
• The regards to usage and personal privacy policy,
• The payment choices offered,
• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup choices readily available,
• And so on.
How are you expected to fit this all in within the very 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 a product above the fold. The shop ought to be able to offer the item with just what's in that space.
Bluebella, for example, 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 dedicated to the product summary. Due to the fact that of the varying size of the header typefaces along with the hierarchical structure of the page, it's simple to follow.
Based upon how this is created, you can inform that the most essential information are:
• Product name;
• Product price;
• Product size selector;
• Add-to-bag and wishlist buttons;
• Delivery and returns info (which nicely appears on one line).
The rest of the item details have the ability to fit above the fold thanks to the accordions utilized to collapse and expand them.
If there are other essential details buyers might require to comprise their minds-- like product evaluations or a sizing guide-- construct links into the above-the-fold that move them to the pertinent areas lower on the page.
Quick Note: This design won't be possible on mobile for apparent reasons. So, the product 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, extra sales and marketing elements like pop-ups, chat widgets and more can end up being just as frustrating as prolonged item pages.
So, ensure you have them kept out of the method as Partake does:
The red symbol you see in the bottom left allows buyers to manage the availability 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 loyalty program.
Both of these widgets open only when clicked.
Allbirds is another one that consists of additional components, however keeps them out of the way:
In this case, it includes a self-service chat widget in the bottom-right that has to be clicked in order to open. It also puts information about its existing returns policy in a sticky bar at the top, maximizing the item pages to strictly concentrate on item information.
3. Make Product Variants As Easy To Select As Possible #
For some products, there is no decision that shoppers have to make aside from: "Do I wish to include this product to my cart or not?"
For other products, shoppers need to define product variants before they can add an item to their cart. When that's the case, you want to make this process as pain-free as possible. There are a couple of things you can do to guarantee this takes place.
Let's state the shop you create offers females's undergarments. In that case, you 'd have to offer variations like color and size.
But you would not wish to just produce a drop-down selector for each. Imagine how tiresome that would get if you asked shoppers to click "Color" and they had to arrange through a dozen approximately alternatives. If it's a basic drop-down selector, color swatches may not appear in the list. Instead, the buyer would need to pick a color name and wait on the product photo to upgrade in order to see what it looks like.
This is why your variations need to dictate how you develop each.
Let's use this item page from Thinx as an example:
There are two variants offered on this page:
• The color variant reveals a row of color examples. When clicked, the name of the color appears and the item image changes accordingly.
• The size variant lists sizes from extra-extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large.
Notice how Size features a link to "size chart". That's because, unlike something like color which is pretty specific, sizing can alter from store to shop as well as area to area. This chart supplies clear assistance on how to select a size.
Now, Thinx utilizes a square button for each of its variants. You can switch it up, though, if you 'd like to create a distinction in between the choices consumers need to make (and it's most likely the better design choice, to be sincere).
Kirrin Finch, for example, puts its sizes inside empty boxes and its color swatches inside filled circles:
It's a small difference, but it must be enough to help consumers shift efficiently from decision to decision and not miss any of the needed fields.
Now, let's say that the shop you're building does not sell clothes. Rather, it sells something like beds, which obviously will not consist of options like color or size. At least, not in the very same way just like clothing.
Unless you have popular abbreviations, symbols or numbers you can use to represent each variation, you must use another type of selector.
This is a product page on the Leesa website. I've opened the "Pick your size" selector so you can see how these choices are shown:
Why is this a drop-down list as opposed to boxes?
For beginners, the size names aren't the same length. Box selectors would either be inconsistently sized or some of them would have a load of white space in them. It actually wouldn't look excellent.
Also, Leesa carefully utilizes this little space to provide more details about each mattress size (i.e. the normal vs. price). So, not only is this the best style for this specific variant selector, but it's also a terrific way to be efficient with how you present a great deal of info on the product page.
A NOTE ABOUT OUT-OF-STOCK VARIANTS #
If you wish to get rid of all friction from this part of the online shopping process, make certain you create an unique style for out-of-stock variants.
Here's a more detailed look at the Kirrin Finch example again:
There's no mistaking which alternatives are readily available and which are not).
Some buyers might be irritated when they realize the shirt color they like is just readily available in a couple of sizes, imagine how upset they 'd be if they didn't discover this till after they selected all their versions?
If the product choice is the last action they take before clicking "add to cart", don't hide this info from them. All you'll do is get their hopes up for an item they took the time to check out, look at, and fall for ... only to find it's not readily available in a size "16" until it's far too late.
Wrapping Up #
What is it they say? Good design is undetectable?
That's what we require to remember when designing these essential interface for e-commerce websites. Of course, your client's shop requires to be attractive and memorable ... But the UI components that move shoppers through the site should not give them pause. Simpleness and ease of usage need to be your top priority when creating the primary journey for your customer's buyers.
If you're interested in putting these UI style approaches to work for new consumers, consider signing up with the Shopify Partner Program as a shop designer. There you'll be able to earn repeating revenue by developing new Shopify shops for clients or moving stores from other commerce platforms to Shopify.