14. March 2021.

Which Features Should a Successful Online Store Have?

Which Features Should a Successful Online Store Have?

If an online shopping platform wishes to attract buyers, it needs to be innovative and competitive. This is achieved by a set of pretty standard features that guarantee success in most cases. From high-quality visuals to advanced payment options, here are 6 features your online store should boast.

High-res visuals

Seeing a sweater, for example, in person and being able to touch it is one of the advantages brick-and-mortar stores will never lose over online shops. However, high-resolution photography can significantly narrow the gap by posting detailed images.

A mere decade ago, pictures of wares were still pixelated and there were two pictures per ad. Nowadays, shoppers can zoom in on high-res photos and even rotate them in different directions (a feature popular with car dealerships). Mind you, these professional photos have to load fast or you’ll lose the visitor’s interest.

Launching a mobile-friendly website

Speaking of technical requirements, you should launch a responsive website. This means that it should adapt to any device visitors might be using to access it. In nearly half the cases, this implies mobile-friendliness, as people are using their smartphones and tablets to shop online.

This form of shopping is convenient, so the trend isn’t going to go away any time soon. Entrepreneurs are basically obliged to create a mobile-friendly experience for their customers if they wish their online store to be a success.

Adding a wishlist

A good online store shouldn’t only offer products and services to customers but it should help customers decide what it is they really need. Wish lists were created for such a purpose and there are now several types of them (e.g. private and public ones).

A customer might see a product they like but for some reason, they will decide to buy it later. The ability to bookmark an item helps them remember their preferred choice, securing a sale. Therefore, any solid B2C solution has to incorporate the wishlist feature.

Genuine, user-generated reviews

There is probably nothing worse than faking user reviews on your website. Such malpractice will irreparably destroy your brand’s image. On the other side, accumulating testimonials that are 100% legit has the potential to skyrocket your sales.

When someone opens a product page on your website, they will want to read the reviews. However, if they suspect that reviews are paid for and aren’t genuine, this will instantly turn them away. Even if the reviews are slightly negative, you should still display them in a textual or even better, visual form.

Special offers banner

A huge “SALE, 50% OFF” sign in the shop window is enough to attract the attention of passersby. Online, however, you need innovative solutions to draw shoppers’ attention to special offers. In most cases, the header section is going to display the message that a seasonal sale is in progress.

These banners lure visitors into opening the special offers section, boosting sales in the process. Business owners need to make sure that these online promotions aren’t deceptive in any way or they’ll brand image will suffer.

More than one payment option

Today, there are several ways to pay for an item you ordered online. Apart from credit/debit cards, there are now online payment systems such as PayPal and Payoneer, as well as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

In 2017, Amazon launched one-click shopping which allows customers to pay with a single click of a mouse. It’s essential you incorporate advanced payment options in your e-commerce platform to enable tech-savvy customers to pay using a method of their preference.

There are many more features an online store can have but the 6 we have listed above are the most basic ones. In the world of online commerce, staying up to date with the latest tech solutions is the surest road to success.

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