The Blueprint for Perfect Ecommerce Website Design

Your ecommerce website design is the first thing that your customer will notice after they land on their website. And obviously, it is not something that you should take lightly. 

As per a recent study, a customer takes about nearly 55 seconds to decide whether they want to explore further or not. Your website design should be such that you not only catch your user’s attention in those 55 seconds, but compel them to move forward.

So if you are looking to create a new store or planning to redesign a new one, this guide is for you. 

Let’s get started.

4 Important Features of a Great Ecommerce Website Design 

An amazing ecommerce website design is more than just about flashy visuals. It is about understanding that user experience is of utmost importance - from the first visit to post checkout. 

Below we will discover the four key elements that need to be kept in mind before starting with Shopify design. 

#1 The Art of Winning Customer Confidence

When you are relatively new in the industry and no one knows about your product, it becomes quite difficult to earn a customer’s trust. Offering attractive deals might earn you a bit of consideration, but making a conversion can be still pretty difficult for your business. 

Earning a customer’s trust is difficult when you don’t have any customers. So you can include the following indicators in the website during its designing stage:

Add Badges:

You can add the following types of badges to your Shopify store to gain more relevance and authenticity:

Security Badge: The SSL badge gives a customer the confidence that your site is protected against cyber attacks. You can acquire these badges from reputable authorities such as Norton, McAfee, and Verisigon. 

Payment Badge: These badges give the assurance that your store uses safe transaction methods. When you use PayPal or even Shopify payments, it instills a sense of assurance in your customer.

Policy Badge: You can also use these types of badges such as “Free Shipping” or “100% money back guarantee” to entice a purchase.

Add Contact Details:

Make sure that your contact information is clearly visible on your website. This includes a phone number, an email address, and possibly a mailing address too. In addition, including an about us page on your website gives users the feeling that they are buying from real people.

Must Include A Return Policy:

Having a return policy on your site not only lowers cart abandonment but also increases the overall conversion rate. 

According to recent data, approximately 92% of people buy products from an ecommerce website if they have an easy return policy. Moreover, having this policy gives users a sense of satisfaction that they can easily return a particular product if it does not match their expectations. 

Add Reviews And Testimonials:

Shopify offers various apps such as A2Reviews or Air Reviews that allows a merchant to directly import content into their website including customer photos and testimonials. 

All these signals to potential users that your brand is trustworthy and authentic.

#2 Creating A Visually Immersive Shopping Journey

First impressions matter and as an ecommerce store owner, you have milliseconds to create a spectacular one! 

Making a good impression rests largely on using good-quality images, consistent brand designing, and smart use of colors.

Here are some popular best practices that you can include in your store:

Use Product Photography As Your Silent Salesperson:

Think of product photography as your product’s online ambassador—it speaks for your brand before your text does. Capturing photos on a clean, plain background highlights your product’s features, while multiple angles give shoppers a comprehensive view.

Lifestyle photography adds another dimension, showing your product in action within a relatable environment. This approach not only showcases functionality but also reinforces your brand’s personality.

Strategic Placement of Colors:

Colour is a tool for influence as well as beauty. The appropriate colour scheme can enhance overall user experience, provoke feelings, and draw attention to significant elements of your website. 

Use subdued colours for a soothing effect or vivid hues to draw attention to calls to action. Moreover, thoughtful color choices ensure your website remains accessible to all users, making it inclusive and easy to navigate.

Typography:

Typography has two purposes on your ecommerce website: it conveys information and defines the mood. Don't use more than two typefaces for headers and body text to keep things clear. 

Establishing a clear hierarchy with font sizes and weights ensures that your messaging grabs attention where it matters most while remaining easy to read.

Visual Hierarchy And Psychology: 

Use the concepts of visual hierarchy and psychology to direct the path of your visitors. Place buttons, text, and images in strategic locations to guide the user's attention to conversion points. 

Use contrasting colors, varying text sizes, and whitespace to highlight essential areas and influence decision-making without overwhelming the user.

#3 The Design Should Work Properly On All Devices 

As per the data, an average US citizen spends 4 hours 37 minutes on a mobile device. 

However, you are lucky if you are building your store on Shopify platform. This means that Shopify platform offers user-friendly design across all devices including mobile phones, tablets, or desktop. 

When choosing a Shopify theme based on mobile functionality, make sure that you are satisfied with the transactional flow. If you are not happy with it, there are high chances that your customers won’t be either. 

#4 Easy To Use Navigation

The navigation of your website should be such that it is for your customer to find anything. 

Here are some simple rules to keep in mind during ecommerce website designing:

Keep It Simple and Intuitive
Avoid overcomplicating menus. Use clear, descriptive labels like "Shop Men," "Shop Women," or "New Arrivals" instead of vague terms. Simplicity ensures customers can quickly find what they need.

Use a Logical Structure
Organize categories and subcategories in a way that reflects the natural shopping flow. For example, group similar products together and arrange them in a predictable order, such as by type, size, or use.

Add a Search Bar
Incorporate a prominently placed search bar with autocomplete functionality. This allows users to quickly find specific products without browsing through multiple pages.

Make Navigation Sticky
Use a sticky navigation bar that remains visible as users scroll down the page. This ensures they always have access to essential links without having to scroll back up.

Use Mega Menus for Large Inventories
If your store offers a wide range of products, consider implementing mega menus. These expandable dropdowns allow you to display multiple categories and subcategories in an organized way.

Limit the Number of Menu Items
Avoid overwhelming users with too many options. Aim for 5-7 main menu items to keep the navigation streamlined and user-friendly.

Ensure Mobile-Friendly Navigation
Use collapsible menus or hamburger icons for mobile devices to save screen space. Ensure that navigation elements are easy to tap with a finger.

Highlight Popular Categories or Promotions
Feature bestsellers, new arrivals, or ongoing sales in your main navigation to grab attention and guide customers to high-value areas.

Top 5 Practical Tips For A Perfect Ecommerce Website Design 

Below we will discuss 5 important strategies to turn those potential customers into loyal users.

#1 Prioritize Simplicity 

A clean layout is essential for a flawless shopping experience. Excessive popups, vibrant banner adverts, or colours can overwhelm visitors and discourage them from making a purchase. 

Rather, aim for a simple design that allows customers to navigate your store with ease. Platforms like Shopify offer various clean and minimalistic templates to simplify this process.

#2 Showcase Your Brand Identity

The distinct personality of your brand should be reflected on your ecommerce website. Customers want to buy from companies they trust and relate to, whether you're a dropshipper, beauty entrepreneur, or photographer.

Identify what sets you apart from competitors and infuse those elements into your design. This might include your brand’s logo, color palette, tone of voice, or storytelling approach.

#3 Understand The Needs of Your Customer

Step into your customer’s shoes and then judge the design from every aspect. 

Is the checkout process easy? Does the website feel welcoming and easy to use? A design that is made keeping the target customer in mind will more likely drive in more conversion than usual. 

Pay attention to usability, accessibility, and overall customer satisfaction when building your site.

#4 Maintain A Professional Look 

The look of a website heavily influences the trust of a customer. Make sure that you maintain a professional look of the website including all the security badges and testimonials. 

#5 Simplify The Checkout Process

A beautiful website is meaningless if your checkout process frustrates users. Many abandoned carts are a direct result of complicated or lengthy checkout steps. Keep it straightforward and fast by offering multiple payment options such as PayPal, Stripe, Shop Pay, or Amazon Pay. 

Providing a hassle-free checkout experience can significantly boost conversions and reduce cart abandonment.

Bringing It All Together

A perfect ecommerce website is a blend of trust, visual appeal, usability, and functionality. By following these guidelines, you can create a website that not only looks great but drives results.

Author

Gopi Radadiya

Gopi is a vital part of our Shopify marketing team, always ready to create ecommerce solutions for our clients. When she’s not busy solving Shopify puzzles, you’ll find her exploring new tech trends and sharing her knowledge with the community.