Features of a good online store

Features of a good online store
Suitable graphic design is one of the key elements of a
good online store.

Graphic design should be lucid and refer to the product
range of the shop, it is not recommended though to overdo
with graphics because the website should load smoothly.
It's particularly important that product thumbnails should
be separate, well-compressed files. A common mistake made
by online shops on their websites is that they create
thumbnails from big images by reducing their size in terms
of width and height parameters. Such practices slow down
considerably the loading speed of websites, which may
discourage a potential customer.

Navigation ought to be lucid and intuitive. Every sub site
should have visible links to the main sections in the shop.
Their location is also of great significance. Customers who
have done online shopping before are accustomed to some
standard arrangement of links to categories, shopping cart,
search engine, log in, etc. I definitely advise against
rearranging links in an innovative manner, as this may
confuse or misdirect the customers.

Elements which should be present on every site:

The logo of the firm and information about the products
offered - the upper-left corner of the site, by clicking
on the logo a visitor should go back to the home page of
the site.

All product categories - placed in the left sidebar or at
the top of the menu. I highly recommend the left sidebar,
most popular and intuitively recognized by customers.

1.Shopping Cart. On the top bar, most preferably on the
right.
2.Logging in/My Account. On the top bar next to Shopping
Cart.
3.Links to Terms of Use, Shipping and Payment Conditions,
Returns and Privacy Policy, Safe Shopping Guarantee and
How to Order step by step instruction.
4.Search Engine and Advanced Search link.
5.About Us information, Contact.
6.New Products and Current Promotions.

Most important navigation elements

It's advisable to include access path - information for
customers about their location on the site (eg: Main site
» Category » Subcategory » Product site).
Obviously, each access path element should be linked to a
respective e-shop segment. Site map can be also helpful.

Each online store needs an advanced search engine. The
customer should be able to search easily for products in
terms of categories (as well as subcategories), producers,
and given price ranges.

The category site should contain products of the same
category shown in alphabetical order. Moreover, it should
be possible to sort them according to price and name of the
product. Every item listed must include product name and a
short description, thumbnail image, price and Add to Cart
button, unless the product requires the choice of some
parameters (e.g. colour or size). After clicking on the
name or thumbnail image, the customer will be transferred
to the product site. The product site should contain most
detailed information on the product offered. It's necessary
to include a precise product description and all additional
information such as the use and application suggestions,
product handling guide and delivery time. The image of the
product should be of good quality, so the customer could
zoom it in. In the case of some products it is better to
provide several photos taken from different perspectives or
close-ups of important details. Of course, the price of the
product (including all taxes) must be given, so that the
customer knows exactly how much to pay. Add to Cart button
should be placed in a visible place and clearly marked.

At the bottom of the product site it's recommended to
provide suggestions for products in which customers might
be potentially interested - goods similar to the product
currently being watched or complementing the offer, these
could be other products from the same category or goods
purchased by buyers of a given product.

Features of a good product description

List of best-selling products in a given category is also
very useful. Such a list helps customers to choose the
product they need. Moreover, it happens quite frequently
that customers buy more than they had intended, because
they find something interesting among top-selling products.

Another efficient method for increasing sales is sending
emails to customers with the latest information on new
products and novelties. However, such information should be
sent only to clients who agreed to receive newsletters when
setting up their accounts!

Important security features - guarantee of security is a
matter of great significance to our customers. That is why
a separate site should be created which would inform
customers that their personal data is strictly confidential
and will be used only for the purpose of the transaction
and will not be disclosed to any third party. It's worth
describing in detail the personal data protection and
security system of the online shop or external companies
used while realizing transactions with customers. Once
again the confidentiality of personal data, coding of
communication between the customer and the server and all
other security features (eg transaction insurance,
additional protection of credit card payment) must be
emphasised. The use of a widely known payment system helps
to win the customers' trust.

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