Unlike regular online websites that are created specifically to showcase products or provide descriptions of a business, e-commerce websites serve a very particular purpose, and therefore have to be designed accordingly. Poorly designed e-commerce websites do not achieve their purpose well, and can sometimes be more of a drain on a businesss resources than the increase in revenue the website brings. Proper e-commerce web design must cater to the unique characteristics of e-commerce something that good web design Sydney firms know well.

The key purpose of an e-commerce website is to sell products, and this goes beyond simply advertising a product to a consumer, but it means allowing customers to browse, view and purchase products all on the same website, by means of an automated checkout process. This means that e-commerce websites require a certain level of technological sophistication to create, and this is mostly beyond the abilities of people who are not professional web designers or programmers.

Browsing

Consumers who are used to browsing in brick-and-mortar stores are sometimes reluctant to make the transition to purchasing products online, so it is important to make them feel as much as at home as possible. This means creating advanced browsing features and also interactive product viewing options. A good search function is absolutely essential to help customers find what they are looking for. For those customers who are undecided about what they want, well-defined product categories are often a good way to entice them to make a purchase.

At the very least, each product must come with a description and pictures. Some e-commerce websites choose to include videos of each product with an employee explaining the features of the product. Others choose to feature videos of models wearing or using a product. These are all additional features that will go a long way towards making customers more comfortable making online purchases.

Checkout

The software that allows customers to checkout and pay for their purchases is probably the most complicated part of an e-commerce website, as the checkout software needs to be safe and secure. Customers also need to believe that your checkout process is secure, as they have to input their credit card information. It is highly recommended that you have your website, and particularly your checkout process, certified by a firm specializing in payments, as this will help to increase customer confidence.

You will also need to approach the major credit cards so that you can offer customers a wide range of payment options. This is important because studies have shown that customers prefer purchasing from websites that provide a great variety of payment options. Besides credit cards, PayPal has also become a mainstay of online payments, and it should be included in your payment options if possible.

Professional Design

No matter how good you might be at web design, unless you have worked as a professional in the field before, you will likely lack the necessary skills to design and program a good e-commerce website. Instead, why not save yourself the time and effort and hire a good web design Sydney firm that knows the ins and outs of e-commerce web design. This way, you will be able to better concentrate on running your business and making the day-to-day decisions that are necessary to keep a business running smoothly.