User experience is by far the most noticeable differentiation that you can create for your brand, once everything else is in place. Everything else includes your product, operations, and customer support.
Many of us are regular customers of Amazon and Flipkart of the world. In most cases, the products that we buy from these marketplaces are also available on brands’ eCommerce stores. If we look carefully, some of the brands have lower prices on their homesite compared to marketplaces. Have you ever thought what could be the reason that we, despite being the “price-conscious” customer, still buy from marketplaces? The answer is the User Experience that marketplaces have been able to create is phenomenal, and the user is now accustomed to their overall layout and interface.
Sharing some of the things that every eCommerce player can use to improve the user experience on their estores.
1. Minimize the number of Clicks
Clicking anywhere on your site is a task and takes effort from the user. Everything flows through the path of minimum resistance, and those extra clicks are creating the resistance. Reduce as many clicks as possible. Even reducing a single click might increase your conversion rates.
Example: If you have just 2-3 options to select for a particular field than use a radio button instead of a drop-down list
2. Save user details
We ask users to fill forms all the time, but most of them are frustrating for users to fill, we need to agree that forms are a significant resistance. Never ask the user the same information twice
- Give an option to tick if billing address and shipping address is same
- Save the billing address, shipping address, last payment method used
- Details required to facilitate payments
3. Give real-time feedback in the form
User will still have to fill the form sometime in his journey, for every form give real-time feedback i.e., inline validation. Show a small green tick against every field the movement they move to the next field.
Your form should not tell the user that they have made an error when they submit the form.
4. Add one tap signup with Google / Facebook / LinkedIn
We all want returning customers, but many of us make it so difficult for users to sign up that they just don’t. The first thing is that you should allow them to sign up with multiple social profiles, let them chose between Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Even if you want them to sign up via email, just ask them their email and maybe auto-generate their passwords and send them to their mail ids.
5. Use correct keypads
Users shop on mobile, and the mobile keyboard is not like your computer keyboard, it comes with options. Use a numeric keypad for fields like phone number, Pincode, etc. and alphanumeric for rest.
This may sound like a small thing but goes a long way in creating an impression in users’ minds that you care about them.
6. Use progress bar/steps
How frustrating it is when you are on a page, you fill all the details, and when you reach the bottom of the page, you see a “Next” button instead of “Submit.” If you need to keep the process so long, then let the customer know beforehand that it is going to take a while. Inform them about the total number of steps and the steps that they have already completed. It will improve the user experience and make them complete the journey.
Please let me know in the comments if you found these tips helpful, and if you would be implementing some of these.
Also do add any other tips that you might have to improve user experience
