Best Practices For E-Commerce UI Web Design
When you picture shoppers moving through the e-commerce websites you build, you more or less anticipate them to follow this journey:
• Step 1: Enter on the homepage or a classification page.
• Step 2: Use the navigational components 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 pertinent purchase information for the items that ignite their interest.
• Step 4: Customize the item requirements (if possible), and after that add the items they want to their cart.
• Step 5: Check out.
There are deviations they might bring the method (like exploring associated items, perusing various categories, and conserving items to a wishlist for a rainy day). For the most part, this is the leading pathway you build out and it's the one that will be most greatly traveled.
That being the case, it's specifically essential for designers to zero in on the user interface elements that buyers experience along this journey. If there's any friction within the UI, you won't just see a boost in unanticipated deviations from the course, but more bounces from the website, too.
So, that's what the following post is going to focus on: How to ensure that the UI along the buyer's journey is appealing, user-friendly, engaging, and friction-free.
Let's take a look at 3 parts of the UI that shoppers will come across from the point of entry to checkout. I'll be using e-commerce websites built with Shopify to do this:
1. Develop A Multifaceted Navigation That Follows Shoppers Around #
There when was a time when e-commerce sites had mega menus that shoppers needed to arrange through to find their preferred product classifications, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories. While you may still run into them nowadays, the much better option is a navigation that adapts to the consumer's journey.
THE MAIN MENU #
The first thing to do is to simplify the main menu so that it has only one level beneath the primary category headers. This is how United By Blue does it:
The item classifications under "Shop" are all nicely organized below headers like "Womens" and "Mens".
The only exceptions are important link the classifications for "New Arrivals" and "Masks & Face Coverings" that are accompanied by images. It's the exact same reason that "Gifts" remains in a lighter blue font style and "Sale" remains in a red font style in the primary menu. These are incredibly timely and appropriate classifications for United By Blue's consumers, so they should have to be highlighted (without being too distracting).
Returning to the website, let's take a look at how the designer had the ability to keep the mobile site arranged:
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 adapted to the mobile screen.
It needs a couple of more clicks than the desktop website, however buyers shouldn't have a problem with that given that the menu does not go too deep (again, this is why we can't utilize mega menus anymore).
ON THE PRODUCT RESULTS PAGE #
If you're building an e-commerce site for a client with a complicated stock (i.e. lots of products 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 include these two components in the style of this page:
1. Filters to narrow down the results by product requirements.
2. Sorting to order the products based on buyers' concerns.
I've highlighted them on this product results page on the Horne site:
While you might save your filters in a left sidebar, the horizontally-aligned design above the results is a better option.
This space-saving design allows you to reveal more items simultaneously and is likewise a more mobile-friendly choice:
Consistency in UI style is important to consumers, particularly as more of them take an omnichannel technique to shopping. By presenting the filters/sorting alternatives regularly from device to device, you'll produce a more predictable and comfy experience for them in the process.
BREADCRUMBS & SEARCH #
As consumers move deeper into an e-commerce website, they still might require navigational support. There are 2 UI navigation elements that will assist them out.
The very 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 further and more consumers move away from the product results page and the benefit of the filters and sorting, the more important breadcrumbs will be.
The search bar, on the other hand, is a navigation component that ought to always be readily available, despite which point in the journey buyers are at. This chooses stores of all sizes, too.
Now, a search bar will definitely assist consumers who are brief on time, can't discover what they need or simply desire a faster way to an item they already know exists. However, an AI-powered search bar that can actively anticipate what the shopper is trying to find is a smarter option.
Here's how that works on the Horne site:
Even if the consumer hasn't finished 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 ultimate objective is to accelerate shoppers' search and cut down on any tension, pressure or disappointment they may otherwise be feeling.
2. Program The Most Pertinent Details At Once On Product Pages #
Vitaly Friedman just recently shared this suggestion on LinkedIn:
He's ideal. The more time visitors need to invest digging around for relevant details about an item, the greater the opportunity they'll simply quit and try another store.
Shipping alone is a substantial sticking point for many consumers and, regrettably, a lot of e-commerce sites wait up until checkout to let them know about shipping costs and delays.
Because of this, 63% of digital consumers wind up deserting their online carts because of shipping expenses and 36% do so since of for how long it takes to get their orders.
Those aren't the only information digital shoppers wish to know about ahead of time. They also wish to know about:
• The returns and refund policy,
• The terms of usage and privacy policy,
• The payment alternatives offered,
• Omnichannel purchase-and-pickup choices offered,
• And so on.
However 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 do not need to squeeze every information about an item above the fold. However the shop ought to have the ability to offer the item with only what's in that space.
Bluebella, for example, has a space-saving design that doesn't compromise on readability:
With the image gallery relegated to the left side of the page, the rest can be dedicated to the item summary. Since of the differing size of the header typefaces in addition to the hierarchical structure of the page, it's simple to follow.
Based on how this is designed, 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 remainder of the item information have the ability to fit above the fold thanks to the accordions used to collapse and expand them.
If there are other important details consumers might require to make up their minds-- like product 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 won't be possible on mobile for apparent factors. 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 deliver the product's description, extra sales and marketing elements 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 enables buyers to manage the availability features of the site. The "Rewards" button in the bottom-right is in fact a pop-up that's styled like a chat widget. When opened, it invites shoppers to sign up with the commitment program.
Both of these widgets open only when clicked.
Allbirds is another one that includes extra components, 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 likewise places info about its present 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 shoppers need to make aside from: "Do I wish to add this item to my cart or not?"
For other products, consumers have to define product versions prior to 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 couple of things you can do to ensure this takes place.
Let's say the store you create sells females's underwears. Because case, you 'd have to provide variations like color and size.
You wouldn't want to simply develop a drop-down selector for each. Think of how laborious that would get if you asked consumers to click "Color" and they needed to sort through a dozen or two alternatives. Also, if it's a standard drop-down selector, color swatches may not appear in the list. Rather, the shopper would need to choose a color name and await the product image to update in order to see what it appears like.
This is why your variations ought to determine how you develop each.
Let's use this product page from Thinx as an example:
There are 2 versions readily available on this page:
• The color version reveals a row of color examples. When clicked, the name of the color appears and the item photo changes accordingly.
• The size alternative lists sizes from extra-extra-small to extra-extra-extra-large.
Notice how Size comes with a link to "size chart". That's because, unlike something like color which is pretty specific, sizing can alter from store to store as well as region to region. This chart provides clear assistance on how to pick a size.
Now, Thinx utilizes a square button for each of its versions. You can change it up, however, if you 'd like to produce a difference in between the choices shoppers need to make (and it's probably the much better design choice, to be honest).
Kirrin Finch, for example, positions its sizes inside empty boxes and its color swatches inside filled circles:
It's a small difference, however it needs to suffice to assist shoppers shift smoothly from choice to decision and not miss out on any of the required fields.
Now, let's state that the shop you're constructing doesn't offer clothing. Instead, it offers something like beds, which undoubtedly will not include choices like color or size. At least, not in the same method similar to clothing.
Unless you have popular abbreviations, signs or numbers you can use to represent each variant, you should utilize another kind of selector.
This is an item page on the Leesa site. I've opened the "Pick your size" selector so you can see how these alternatives are displayed:
Why is this a drop-down list as opposed to boxes?
For beginners, the size names aren't the exact same length. 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 great.
Leesa wisely utilizes this little area to offer more info about each mattress size (i.e. the typical vs. sale price). So, not just is this the best style for this specific variant selector, but it's likewise a terrific method to be efficient with how you provide a lot of info on the product page.
A NOTE ABOUT OUT-OF-STOCK VARIANTS #
If you wish to eliminate all friction from this part of the online shopping process, ensure you come up with an unique style for out-of-stock variants.
Here's a closer take a look at the Kirrin Finch example again:
There's no mistaking which alternatives are available and which are not).
Although some consumers might be frustrated when they realize the shirt color they like is only readily available in a few sizes, picture how upset they 'd be if they didn't discover this up until after they picked all their variants?
If the product selection is the last step they take before clicking "add to haul", do not conceal this details from them. All you'll do is get their hopes up for an item they put in the time to read about, look at, and fall for ... only to discover it's not readily available in a size "16" up until it's far too late.
Wrapping Up #
What is it they say? Good design is invisible?
That's what we need to bear in mind when creating these key interface for e-commerce sites. Naturally, your customer's store requires to be attractive and memorable ... But the UI aspects that move consumers through the site should not give them stop briefly. Simpleness and ease of use require to be your leading priority when designing the main journey for your customer's consumers.
If you're interested in putting these UI design philosophies to work for brand-new consumers, think about joining the Shopify Partner Program as a store designer. There you'll have the ability to earn repeating revenue by developing brand-new Shopify stores for clients or moving stores from other commerce platforms to Shopify.