Improving Web Shop Today – 27 Tips for e-Commerce Website Design

More than good looks are required to create a successful web shop – a frictionless user experience that converts. Every minor design decision can influence how users navigate your store, find products, and buy. In this blog post, we will discuss 27 tips for e-commerce website design that can enhance usability and make your e-commerce website more effective at engaging and selling.

Use Button-Based Size Selection Instead of Dropdowns

Selecting a product size should be simple. Dropdowns hinder clicks and delay the decision process, especially on mobile. Rather, use button-style options to provide a more natural, touch-friendly experience.

Display size options (S, M, L, XL) as individual buttons. This maximizes visibility, makes selection easy, and reduces friction.

Show Discounts Clearly and Intuitively

Discounts drive conversions, as long as they’re honest. If customers have to hunt for discounts, they might abandon their cart. The discount display needs to be instant and obvious.

Show the original price struck through and place the discounted price in bold next to it. Adding a “You save: $XX” message enhances clarity and urgency.

Apply Discounts and Promo Codes Automatically

Forcing customers to type promo codes manually adds additional friction. A good UX either applies discounts automatically or provides a one-click solution.
If there is a promo code, auto-apply it at checkout and display a notice: “Your discount has been applied!”

High-Quality Images

Since online shoppers can’t touch products, high-quality images are essential in building trust and reducing hesitation. A blurry or low-resolution image can quickly kill a sale.

Offer several photos from various perspectives, such as close-ups of significant details.
Utilize 360-degree rotating photos or videos to display the product from every angle.
Read more about Custom Photography here:
Custom Photography

Emphasize “Low Stock” or “High Demand”

Scarcity generates urgency and prompts faster buying behavior. If consumers know an item is out of stock or in demand, they’re likely to buy immediately.

Use live stock notifications like: “Last in stock – order soon!”

Frequently bought together

It’s a well-established fact that presenting “Frequently Bought Together” Bundles causes consumers to make impulse buys, which ultimately boosts the bottom line.

Show User Reviews

For the internet shopper, reviews and testimonials are among the most potent influences on customer purchasing decisions. Reviews serve as social proof, build trust, and allow consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions. Yet, most webshops either neglect reviews, silence adverse opinions, or poorly present them, losing customers and frustrating consumers in the process.If you’re running an eCommerce store, showcasing user reviews properly can dramatically improve conversions, reduce returns, and increase customer engagement.

When customers see real experiences from other buyers, they feel more confident about purchasing. No matter how good your product descriptions are, potential buyers will always trust other customers more than your marketing team.

Upsell and cross-sell items

When personalizing your product pages, always consider the products you sell that can be bundled.

Upselling higher-cost products or cross-selling complementary, supplementary products greatly increases sales and average order value.

Implement autocomplete search suggestions

Autocomplete suggestions in search help not only users find exactly what they are looking for but also help people find ideas about what they may be interested in that they may not even have considered yet!

One way to do that is to use in-site search engines to help users navigate the buying process.

Add a wishlist feature

Sometimes, customers have a genuine reason to wait some time before they actually buy. It is a great idea to give such customers a wish list facility.
This is an excellent method to keep customers interested in your products for a long time.
You can read more on how to improve your results here:
Discover 10 Small E-commerce Tips To Improve Your Results

Use breadcrumbs for easy navigation

Breadcrumb navigation shows your site visitors’ path to the page they are currently viewing, making it easy for them to return to previous pages without having to utilize the browser’s back button.

Breadcrumb navigation improves the user experience and makes your SEO category pages more robust in structure, clearly defining your website hierarchy.

Product Variations

Certain products have variations, such as color (for example, the colors of consumer electronics and clothes products and exterior finishes for home appliances like refrigerators), which customers should be informed of when browsing product lists. These variations offer alternatives that increase the probability of the user finding something.

Shoe color variations make it easy to evaluate within the product list.

Building Trust

Your webshop must also convey trust and security to customers. No matter how well it is designed or how good-looking it is, the customers will not buy unless they feel safe. Customers generally respect their privacy and expect the site to keep their information private and provide a secure payment process.

Loading Speed Optimization

In today’s fast-paced online world, a slow-loading webshop can cost you business and sales. That’s why loading speed optimization is essential to the success of your webshop.

A fast website enhances user experience, increases conversions, and even improves your search engine rankings.

Consistent Iconography

Icons are an important part of your webshop’s navigation. They offer instant visual information, making it easy to navigate and improving the overall shopping experience.

Highlight Gifting Features on the Product Page

If users are unsure about the gifting features offered for a product, they might not include it in the cart or browse the site to find out if gifts can be delivered and what the associated features are. Simplify it for them by presenting gifting options first, allowing users to give an item as a gift and include a special message in the context of their purchase.

Use Visual Filters for Products with Differentiable Appearance

For products varying by visible properties, integrating text labels and thumbnail pictures enhances clarity and usability.

Visual characteristics are influential in buying choices, especially for furniture and home decoration sites.

Order Confirmation Page

A consumer has filled out several form fields and parted with their cash – posting a simple order confirmation (“Thanks for your purchase – goodbye”) is a missed opportunity. Instead, use the opportunity to engage further.

1. Cross-Selling

Including cross-sell transactions in the order confirmation page allows users to add other products without interrupting their purchase process. A simple “Add to Order” button does the trick, as they will not need to re-enter payment details.

2. Newsletter Sign-Up

Rather than interrupt users during checkout, ask them to sign up for your newsletter after completing their purchase.

3. Account Creation

Like newsletter sign-ups, the order confirmation page also has space to highlight the benefits of being an account holder.

4. Customer Feedback Surveys

Buying moments are perfect to get valuable feedback – why not get users’ views while the experience is still a new memory?

Live Chat

If implemented correctly, it can be very useful and comforting to users. It’s just a matter of making it available without being too intrusive.

Mobile-First Design

As the majority of online shopping now takes place on mobile devices, it’s essential to employ a mobile-first design strategy. A mobile-friendly webshop ensures faster loading, easier navigation, and more pleasant shopping on smaller screens. It keeps it simple and prefers touch-friendly interactions, reducing frustration and abandonment. Design for mobile first, then scale up for desktop – not the other way around.

Colors

Color plays a big role in engaging emotion, steering attention, and influencing buying behavior. Proper color use can steer attention toward CTAs and urgency (for example, a red sale) and convey your brand’s personality. Reserve high contrast for ease of reading and accessibility, and use a repeated color scheme within the site to facilitate trust and visual consistency.

Clear Intuitive Navigation

A clear and well-structured navigation system helps visitors quickly locate what they are searching for, reducing bounce and conversion rates. To ensure site exploration is easy, include features like search bars, breadcrumb trails, and very visible category filters. The faster it is to find products, the faster users will progress to buy.

Use “Delivery Date” Instead of “Shipping Speed”

Display an estimated “Delivery Date” for each shipping option rather than vague shipping speed estimates to give customers a clearer sense of when their order will arrive.

Offer Multiple Payment Options

It is crucial to stay in touch with the latest payment trends – having multiple popular payment methods available can have a big influence. In addition to standard payment methods like credit and debit cards, options like PayPal have become more widespread and the standard for consumers.

Save Potentially Lost Sales

Giving consumers a glimpse into their shopping history can win back sales that would otherwise remain unrealized. Customers sometimes leave because they can‘t find that great product they spotted the last time they shopped. By making it easy to go back and look at previous items, you bring them closer to actually making a purchase.

Know Your Visitors

The more tailored your product recommendations, the more effective they’ll be. Start by segmenting your audience not just by demographics but also by psychographics—i.e., their interests, lifestyle, and pain points. This allows you to make recommendations that speak to their needs or pain points, making the shopping experience more relevant and engaging.

Never Stop A/B Testing

Your product recommendation engine is not something you configure and forget. Add it to your regular A/B testing routine to keep on optimizing conversions. The more you test, hone, and track, the more effective your results will be in the long run.

Conclusion

Creating a fantastic webshop is not just about appearance – crafting a frictionless user experience that drives conversions. Even minor design choices, from straightforward size selection and clear display of promotions to trust signals and fast loads, can make a real difference to engagement and top-line revenue.
Implementing these crucial UX/UI elements can enhance usability, boost customer satisfaction, and eventually increase profits. A perfectly constructed webshop doesn’t just attract visitors – it turns them into returning customers.