Online Stores in 2021: Increasing Demand with UX Tips

For online sales, the years 2020–21 turned out to be successful, as the pandemic created a growing demand for purchasing goods online. Stores successfully adapted to the new environment, worked on content, and developed new ideas for attracting customers. Creating a user-friendly interface is a very important part of any project.

In this article, we would like to explain which UX design practices can help you increase conversion rates and establish a steady flow of sales, as well as help identify the weaknesses and highlight the strengths of your website.

Automate Customer Service

The use of chatbots has become an integral part of any progressive business. It significantly reduces response times for users and makes customer support available 24/7. It also helps reduce company expenses and allows employees to focus on more important tasks by delegating most common customer inquiries to a chatbot. In addition, chatbots make it easier to offer discounts, distribute useful content, and collect customer feedback.

UI/UX. Website Optimization for Mobile Devices

It may sound obvious, but you should make sure that your mobile version works just as well as the desktop version. Users are increasingly placing orders from their smartphones, which makes responsive design extremely important. Without intrusive pop-ups, excessive text, and unnecessary images, content becomes concise and informative, while navigation and the path toward the main goal — completing a purchase — become much simpler.

We also recommend allowing customers to place orders as guests. According to statistics, many users who are forced to register or log into an account are more likely to abandon their shopping carts and choose a more convenient purchasing option elsewhere.

Trust

The most common reason people hesitate to place an order on a website is a lack of trust in the brand and the website itself. Customers worry about being deceived, having their personal information or payment details stolen, or receiving products that are damaged or not as described. You need to demonstrate that your website can be trusted.

To achieve this, add all relevant certifications and, most importantly, customer reviews. This is probably the most important factor because even the most desirable product can be ignored without reviews and ratings. Be sure to publish genuine reviews, and if there are negative ones, do not remove them. Instead, demonstrate your willingness to resolve the issue. Paradoxically, this can increase customer trust.

We would also like to point out that many users initially search for a product name together with the word “review.” This is often the moment when conversion potential appears. As a result, sales can increase regardless of ratings and traffic levels.

Hidden Charges

You may say that all costs are clearly listed on your website and that there is no deception involved. However, many customers simply do not take into account bank transfer fees or shipping costs. It is important to display all additional charges so that customers can see the final amount they will pay for a product. Transparent pricing is one of the best examples of customer-focused service and a strong guarantee that customers will return in the future.

To summarize, these are some of the key user experience improvements that can help optimize your website, earn customer trust, increase conversion rates, and boost sales.