How to Build a Successful Online Store

By Roman Berezhnoi March 22, 2019 2.65K views

How to Build a Successful Online Store

E-commerce share of total global retail sales from 2015 to 2021
A statistic shows how E-commerce sales have seen exponential growth since 2015.

Today, thanks to the Internet and online businesses you can buy anything you want right from the house.  No need to waste time going to the store, looking for the product you want, and waiting in a long queue before you buy it. People want to save more time, and it’s mainly the first reason why E-commerce sales keep growing with time.

Now COVID-19 pandemic is impacting e-commerce and some trends have accelerated. As a web agency we notice the increasing interest in website development and corporate website development. Also we’ve noticed significant changes in ecommerce website development. Moving a business online is not only beneficial, but given the current economic and social crises, it may soon become inevitable. 

But many business owners have insufficient experience to do their business online. So it is risky way in this difficult time. That is why F5 Studio web specialists gathered information to share their experience.

Here is what to know before opening an online store

Creating a good ecommerce website is quite difficult. You can decide to take the burden on yourself and try your hand at Web Development, running the risk of making critical errors or entrust your ecommerce project to a Web agency that provides ecommerce website development service. Before you decide what to do with your ecommerce project, you should continue to read this article.

Example of online store

One way or the other, the success of the ecommerce site and consequently, of a business, depends on a number of factors.

Most of the online stores close in a year, unable to withstand competition. Why does this happen? Why are some E-commerce successful and resist the time test, while some just disappear after a short period of time?

Many aspiring entrepreneurs naively believe that it is very easy to build a website from scratch, filled it with goods and then create massive profits. The truth is that online businesses are as complex to manage as offline businesses and must be handled with care and consistency.

Now, let discuss the advantages and disadvantages of E-commerce.

Advantages and disadvantages of opening an online store in comparison with an offline store

Offline store

Benefits of a regular store (Offline)

  • The possibility to completely evaluate the product: see, check for quality, measure, smell, and so on;
  • Greater trust of potential buyers (follows from the first item).

Disadvantages of a regular store (Offline)

  • The high threshold of entry into the business requires large investments (repair of the premises, the purchase of commercial equipment);
  • Large monthly expenses due to the lease of retail space.
  • Coronavirus quarantine

Online store

Advantages of ecommerce sites

  • A relatively small threshold of entry into the business;
  • Greater efficiency in business management (mobility);
  • Fewer checks and administrative barriers from the state. organs;
  • A lower price of goods (as a competitive advantage) due to small monthly costs.

Disadvantages of ecommerce sites

  • Low level of confidence in newly opened online stores from potential buyers;
  • Loss of customers due to the impossibility to assess the products before purchasing them.

Zappos.com is successfully operating in the US market. When the company just entered the market, many said that the project would fail, because shoes need to be measured before purchase. However, today the revenue of this company hits a BILLION dollars! This of how hard work can lead to success.

Successful E-commerce or beautiful ones.

As already mentioned above, the success of an online store depends on a number of factors, which, conditionally, can be divided into two groups:

  1. The quality of the online store in terms of its compliance with technical and user requirements;
  2. Quality of the business, opportunities of the company itself, etc.

In this article, we will talk about the first paragraph, because the success of a business depends 70% on the quality of the site, and 30% on the entrepreneurs themselves.

What do the best ecommerce sites contain?

The high-quality and modern website of the online store consists of a huge number of elements, which directly influence the user’s purchase decision. Let’s discuss some of them:

The design of the store.

The first impression is very important. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer who enters and offline store they never bought a product from. Your purchase decision can easily be influenced by factors such as the atmosphere inside the store, the way the store is structured and organised, its cleanliness the decor and many other things. Based on these elements, you can form an opinion about that store and decide to purchase or go away.

In a similar way, visitors of online stores based their opinion on the look and the design. So the look or design of a website plays a crucial role in business success.

Before selecting the design of the future online store, to analyze potential visitors. The design must fully comply with the product that you will sell. If the store will sell products of general consumption, such as food, the site design should be universal. The design of the ecommerce website should appeal to both men and women of different ages.

You invest money in online business, that is why it is a good idea to order professional web design services. For new e-stores it is important to hire an experienced logo designer or a brand identity specialist.
Web agencies which are very good at their jobs offer complete services because all details affect a success of the online business. This comprehensive approach allows you to save money with the integrated and optimized process. Also, you avoid additional expenses, such us search engine optimization. Web services of the professional web agency include SEO services and digital marketing services. Because it is impossible to develop business website without the understanding of basic principles of online business promotion.

The Usability

As a rule, online stores contain a large number of pages. And if on the website usability is frankly lame, then it threatens the user with confusion, and the site owner end ups losing customers.

Store site must be intuitive and easy to use. Every Internet user has become accustomed to a particular navigation layout. They know that the contact section is often located in the upper right corner, and the site menu often starts in the upper left corner. Therefore, usability is very important for the site and, as a result, for the convenience of the visitor. He should be clear at first glance where they should click to find what they are interested in. In other cases, low usability dooms the online commerce site. So, it would better to get professional UI/UX design for you website

The Product Card

A good product card should display a title, a call to action, some subtitles(short description of the product.) and its design should emphasize on the product. All of these must be arranged in the correct way in order to attract more clicks.

Each component and functionality of an online store is essential to better user experience and can lead to more sales. Therefore, a successful online store should contain the following necessary components.

  1. The search function on the site by product name, product code, specific requests;
  2. Filters for searching for products by individual parameters;
  3. The function of online communication with a consultant;
  4. The function of comparing goods, adding a product to your favourites;
  5. Payment functions with binding reliable banking systems.

A good E-commerce website contains a large number of items that lead the visitor from the first click on the site to the completion of the purchase. It is very important to avoid mistakes that could lead to catastrophic consequences.

But features of ecommerce webiste depends on a platform. We recommend you to choose the right ecommerce solution for your e-store to avoid some troubles and a migration to another platform after a few months.

If you want to start selling cosmetic products online we recommend you to read How to start your own online cosmetics business?

Example of website usability and product cards

Example of some beautiful and functional E-commerce Websites

There are big stores on the Internet, selling hundreds of thousands of products, which serve very different purposes. We listed below some ideas taken from most those E-commerce sites to inspire you.

Creating an online store with one group of goods

Creating an online store that displays a group of goods is a good idea, even though it is not the best. Selling only on a specific group of products give you the option to describe in detail the characteristics of each product, and its competitive advantages. You can also upload many photos and videos about the product to stimulate your visitors’ desire to purchase.

Creating an online store with a small number of goods

Here are some examples of online stores that sell a limited amount of goods. As a rule, these are narrowly focused online stores that implement a certain group of products for a specific target audience.

Chickenart.com

This site is dedicated to the sale of souvenirs with the image of chickens and cockerels. The design of the site really delights. The concept of the site is being observed, the hand of a professional designer is visible because all the drawings were created by hand.

Each position is given maximum attention. On the main page, there is a catalogue with prices. Clicking on any product opens a full product card. There is everything that an eye-catching product card should contain.

Studio-amara.com

Studio-amara, is another example of an online store dedicated to the sale of dishes from elite wood.

When you get to the main page, there is absolutely no feeling that you are in the online store. Screensavers with full-length photos depicted products, more like the classic elements of the restaurant’s website. the site is made in a minimalist design. There is no standard navigation, the menu button is in the upper left corner. After the menu window pops up, go to the directory.

Example of ecommerce website

The catalogue, as well as the whole page, completely excludes any text. There are no descriptions and prices, and no calls to action. The site might look unusual to the user but it still sells expensive and exclusive products.

Sample product card

Jambooheadphones.com

And for dessert, this section is an example of an online store dedicated to the sale of mobile and electronic accessories from wood.

Sample product card

On the main page posted sales hits for a quick transition to the best-selling products. The very same product catalogue fits on one page, which is very convenient for viewing and searching. Also, there is nothing superfluous in the design. On a white background, attention is focused on the product itself. There is a technical description of the position, a block of recommended products, links to the choice of bank service for payment, as well as a call-to-action registration form. In total, the site is stylish, fashionable, and focuses on its target audience.

In some cases it is effective way to create a blog that will boost sales.

Examples of large ecommerce websites with amazing design and functionality

Let’s begin with one of the most popular and famous among women of the site – Victorias Secret.

This online store is a real benchmark. It is what a modern e-commerce site should be: bright, beautiful, stylish and, most importantly, convenient. A large number of beautiful photographs depicting models in the brand’s products, user-friendly navigation that is understandable at first glance, a magnificent design does not leave the slightest chance to close the site without buying any item with it.

Victoria's Secret online store

From the point of view of consumer experience, everything here is simplified to the maximum. On one card, you can immediately choose the size and colour, enlarge the model and examine it in more detail, and if you have questions, ask them in the online chat. From a technical point of view, this site is very complex and functional. And this gives the owner a head start over their competitors because this functionality that makes every visitor to the site feel as comfortable as possible.

The next site is Sofa.com

Sofa.com is dedicated to the sale of upholstered furniture from the manufacturer. It is spacious and comfortable. The site design gives the impression of lightness and home comfort, there are not too bright inserts, everything is served in soft colours as if hinting to us that we are choosing something special for ourselves. The functionality of the site fully satisfies the desires of the visitors.

Sofa online store

The product card clearly displays the product information. After reviewing the characteristics, there is not a single question about the quality or characteristics of the product, which I would like to ask the consultant. The Products card include selling items such as reviews, a call to subscribe, a call to visit the showroom, and also contains a functional pearl.

Also, All the information about the assortment is presented in a separate tab so you can choose by size, colour and type of material.

Indochino.com is an online shop selling men’s suits.
Fresh and modern design complements a large amount of content. But the main feature of the site is not the design, but its personalization features for each user.

This site allows the users to quickly and conveniently find the costumes they need. And this is done as follows: a potential client registers in his personal account undergoes a small questionnaire regarding their body size: shoulder width, chest size, arms and legs length, etc. And after the site automatically selects the options that are ideal for the client under his request.

Indochino online shop

Due to the wide functionality of the web site, the choice of products has been simplified several times. Instead of long viewing of product cards, a potential client gets exactly what they need. A great solution that competitors should look at.

So how to create the best design for the ecommerce site?

To create a good design for your online store, you must:

Do not forget that excellent web design is key to your company’s success. A successful ecommerce site is a combination of design, functionality, and customer services. Therefore, it is important to pay much attention to all these features while building your online store. Building a professional E-commerce site requires experience, time and money (by the way How to choose right budget for e-commerce site). If you have no experience, you’d better take advice from professionals developers before you engage. Otherwise, you can ask for assistance from well-renowned Web agencies and get help for reasonable costs.

P.S. If you a new in the online business let’s us to offer an online store at a fixed price. Click to get more information

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