E-commerce is the most profit-generating business stream, which is luring almost every entrepreneur and business owner. But, starting an e-commerce business is hard work and demands many steps and decisions that need to come together at the right time.
All websites are unique in their own way. Incorporating trends do not always guarantee conversion rates or robust user experiences. There are certain elements that every e-commerce site should have to stay relevant and competitive. E-commerce website features are providing users the convenience and ease of shopping and are a powerhouse that can improve your platform’s potential to serve users’ needs.
Let’s take a glimpse at some features your e-commerce website must-have. Or you may consult a professional company that specializes in e-commerce development and e-commerce SEO for detailed features.
Must-Have E-commerce Features to Increase Sales
Promotion and discount code feature
The infrastructure of this feature is complex, and it is dedicated to count discounts on every product discretely depending on buyers’ behavior. Infusing a robust promotion and discount mechanism is critical. Here are some aspects of these features that may help you understand the sole infrastructure.
- Generate and manage discount codes
- Infuse discount codes to products, brands, and other categories
- Shipping and delivery discounts
- Available codes both “active” and “inactive”
- Automatic applying discount code
- Discounts on product cart
- Setting limits on discounts
To handle each of these aspects, you need a strong system that can help you do everything right.
Automated email marketing feature
Email marketing is a significant facility in e-commerce websites that enables businesses to engage with customers and potential shoppers by personalizing their shopping experience. Using email marketing optimization for your e-commerce website, you can send emails to your customers about deals and discounts available over the products and brands. Altogether, email optimization is critical to send alerts about their order.
Advanced & multiple payment options
E-commerce websites are being infused with a number of payment options such as Credit & Debit cards, PayPal, and other online payment wallets, which enable customers to pay at ease. Moreover, you need to ensure that transactions on your e-commerce website are safe and abide by robust security measures.
To take security measures, you need to start from basic level for websites. Here, the role of SSL certificates comes into play. You can either go with free or paid SSL. Paid SSL comes at affordable price with useful features. A site owner can choose a low-price SSL solution either be it a cheap wildcard SSL or standard SSL or other type of SSL certificates.
Shopping cart and wish list
A shopping cart is one of the essential features of e-commerce websites, as it allows customers to see, add, and delete products in the shopping cart. Customers like to check the total billed amount and modify the shopping cart as per their convenience. Wish list shows all products that customer likes and discounts available over them. Moreover, this is the most loved feature of e-commerce websites that customers tend to use every time they visit the website. So, your site must have a shopping cart and wish list to meet the expectation of customers.
User-generated reviews
Shoppers read reviews. About 95% of them, in fact, and 57% of consumers, will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars. Having negative reviews can often be positive. It’s shown that products without negative reviews are seen as censored and, in turn, shoppers will assume the positive reviews are fake. Be a forward-thinking e-commerce owner and use reviews as user-generated content to drive social proof and build raving fans.
Related items
Product suggestions (upsell, cross-sell) are used to:
- Increase the average order value.
- Let buyers jump from one product to another.
With that being said, it’s extremely important to display additional products on your product pages in case your visitors just want to see something else. Otherwise, you may land unqualified visitors on your product pages without allowing them to discover other products that would fit their needs.
Voice search and image search
Nowadays people are making more voice-enabled voice searches. Altogether, uploading an image to find similar products over an e-commerce platform is also impacting user experience. As an e-commerce owner, you must think about infusing AI, AR, and VR technology on your website.
Option for no contact delivery
After the arrival of COVID 19, people have become very cautious and prevented any unwanted contact. Thus, the option for no contact delivery is being used greatly by shoppers, and they appreciate this facility. Having this feature on your e-commerce website, you can create trust among your customers by setting their safety as your primary priority.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Complex purchases require confidence with a seller and detailed information when buying products online. An additional information section details frequently asked information, which establishes credibility and builds confidence with the buyer. FAQ sections also provide a self-help area to address common customer problems. Buyers often ask about product support, returns, lost account passwords, etc.
Detailed shipping information
Unexpected shipping costs are the number one reason for shopping cart abandonment. E-commerce websites must include shipping information early in the checkout process, including a ZIP code calculator showing the cost. It’s also helpful to include delivery time and options for faster delivery. Sites should list countries that are outside normal shipping zones.
Final Thoughts
The enumerated features are greatly effective and can improve your sales by enabling you access to both the national and global marketplace. E-commerce sites have an incredible opportunity to use tried-and-true features blended with innovative new elements to create fantastic shopping experiences. Moreover, an experienced website development company can help you create a seamless digital experience for your customers!