E-commerce in Singapore has seen tremendous growth over the last few years. In fact studies indicate that the e-commerce industry in Singapore is valued at S$7.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) by the year 2025. The rate of growth is slated to occur at 11% per year due to the investment of up to US$50 billion expected to be pumped into the commerce sector until 2025. If you have set your eyes on building an ecommerce website for your business, here is a quick list of the things you need to check before jumping into the design and development process:
Check if you want a single page or multi page website: if you have a single product to sell, a single page site will do; if you are a multi-product brand having thousands of products or even a single product having multiple pages or product variations, you need to go for a multi-page site design. This implies that you need to plan your site architecture in the beginning phase itself.
When it comes to every online store, the three key elements play a vital role: trustworthiness, transparency, simplicity and ease of use.
The most important digital assets for any ecommerce website are product images and videos. If you are an ecommerce store owner, you need to have a lot of high quality product images and screenshots or videos, in addition to product zoom option for increased conversions. Displaying products ‘in stock’ message is a good idea to compel users to buy or products. Upselling and Cross-selling are great ways to encourage product cross promotion and selling related products & accessories on the product detailed pages. Having a share button is important to spread the message about your product online via social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or simply mail so that they can make a purchase later.
A short description on the product listing page and the product detailed page just near the product image and ‘Add to cart’ button is a smart way to increase sales. A product detailed description right below the product image that opens up a ‘Read More’ link can be useful for careful shoppers. The individual product listing page should have the required images, videos, detailed descriptions and specifications. You may also include instructions, and other necessary documents like procedure, care, shipping and returns, etc.
The checkout process should spell ease of use and convenience. Once the product has been added to the cart, the user should be led to a single page having the billing and shipping information, a place to review the product order and a page that confirms before placing the final order. Long and lengthy checkout process may repel customers and many may well abandon the shopping cart.
Most online stores request new users to register an account with the website before placing any orders. However, it is recommended to request the new user to add the product to the shopping cart first, then register an account and enter the shipping information just before making the purchase.
The sales funnel should be simple with a home page, product listing pages, product detailed pages or individual product pages, and the checkout process. Also the shopper must not be led to an annoying labyrinth of passages before buying the product. Multiple product sites should have ‘add to cart’ or ‘buy now’ button on every individual product page and the call to action message should be as effective as possible, which is also prominently displayed.
Navigation options should include menus (top menu), footer links, search and filter options for more granular search. Quick view feature helps to view the products from search results pages or browse (generally in a modal window).
Selecting an ecommerce platform requires choosing the right coding platform; Web Host; Payment Gateway; Shipping/Delivery services; customizable ecommerce platform such as a CMS and technical support, either developer or community-based.
This article can serve as a primer to launch your ecommerce platform. However, it is important to partner with the right ecommerce website development firm to transform your ecommerce website into a sales powerhouse. Talk to us today for the right approaching towards building one today.
About The Author: Admin Abi-Tech
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