Do something for me today.
Log in to the first e-commerce site you can think of. And once you are there ask yourself if you trust the site. Would you buy from it now if you had a cash to spend?
Of course you don’t have to do it exactly right now now but do it. It is important. Repeat this exercise with few other shops you can think of. Or even better, google for e-commerce sites you haven’t seen before and test them that way.
In many cases your answer would be yes, with some you may not be so sure. You may even come across few shops where you will immediately say “no, I don’t think I trust them”.
And as you can imagine, the first impression you have may affect whether the shop gets the sale or not.
Is there a key to a perfect homepage then?
The first answer that came into my mind was “no, there isn’t”. And it is probably close to the truth although there are few things you should have in mind while working on your e-commerce homepage that can definitely help you.
A homepage should instantly inform the user whether he is likely to find what he is looking for in on your site as well as convince him to buy from your site.
How do you make sure that this happens?
There are many ways to do that. One is to simply ask yourself those 6 questions below when you work on your designs. But answer them from the potential visitors perspective. Or even better, run your artwork by someone and ask him to answer those.
1. Do I trust the site?
2. Do I believe in what they say?
3. Do they understand my needs?
4. What’s in it for me?
5. What do they want from me?
6. Is it worth it?
So what you should do to make sure that your site won’t get a “no”?
1. Build trust.
We discussed this already. The best way to build trust is to make a reassuring statement. This can be anything from how long your client has been in business and how much experience in the industry he has to how popular his products are and how much praise they received.
Testimonials are another great way to build initial trust. They simply say that someone else bought from your client and was happy with the outcome.
2. Show your hottest products.
Is your client going to be selling some hot products? Maybe he is known for a line of specific products? Show them on a home page. Make the user know straight away that they can find them there.
3. State your clients Unique Selling Proposal and Promise.
Every company has those, or at least every company should have them. USP and the Promise can help with converting your visitors to clients. So state them on the homepage, make sure they are easy to spot and written in an easy and understandable manner.
4. Build a clear and dead-easy to use navigation.
This refers not only to flicking through pages but also and the most importantly browsing products and their categories. The easier it is for the user to find out where they are and what they are looking for, the better.
5. Don’t forget about repeat customers.
Once someone purchased from the site there is a chance they will come back. Give those users ways to stay in touch. A newsletter or mailing list are a good idea, bookmark the site option is another.
What usually convinces you to buy from an online shop? What elements of the home page help you to build trust in the shop?