According to Forrester analysts, every dollar spent on UX can generate 100 dollars, yielding an ROI of 9,900%. This succinctly explains why investing in eCommerce UX is crucial.
eCommerce UX vs. Visual Design
Companies understand the benefits of eCommerce UX, but lack the tools to evaluate its quality and the expertise to enhance it. Consequently, this creates fertile ground for their competitors.
We observe many companies focusing solely on site design, when in fact, attention should be paid to the user shopping experience, which is becoming increasingly complex. In addition to visual design, we recommend evaluating:
- Page load times
- Effective communication with visitors
- Optimization of the overall customer journey
- Site navigability and accessibility
- Customer service effectiveness
eCommerce UX: Signs something is wrong
When is the right time to analyze and optimize eCommerce UX? Assuming "now" is too obvious, there are signs that indicate when something is amiss.
As a primary KPI, we recommend monitoring the conversion rate, which might indicate an experiential problem if it is below market benchmarks. Also, pay attention to the percentage of abandoned carts and the bounce rate, as well as customer service requests. If these are too high, something is not working as it should. To discover what it is, simply analyze the content of these requests: it could be a too complex purchase path, cumbersome registration, unintuitive landing page, or flawed checkout process, and so on.
eCommerce UX: How to identify what to improve, in 5 steps
After understanding the importance of eCommerce UX analysis, two questions naturally arise:
- How to best execute it?
- What aspects to focus on to achieve the desired results?
1. Customer Journey Analysis
Often, the mistake is made of evaluating eCommerce UX starting from the homepage structure. In reality, many users (and potential customers) reach the site through other means, such as a well-ranked blog on Google SERP, or a landing page linked to a social ad.
Only by retracing the real user journey can significant issues be uncovered. For example, a landing page might have a flawed structure, or the blog and product purchase page might not be linked. Creating pages, elements, and content with the user's journey in mind improves overall experience and conversions.
2. Evaluate Copy Effectiveness
Copy is crucial for eCommerce sales, but determining its effectiveness is challenging. A/B testing and/or copy testing methods can help. The goal is to ensure the tone and style of the text align with the brand's voice and meet the target audience's needs. Ideally, use UX Writing techniques, employing clear, concise, action-oriented language to guide users within the website.
3. Optimize the Purchase Process
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To enhance eCommerce performance, evaluate and optimize the internal purchase process to make it smooth and fast. From our experience, many retailers focus on reducing checkout times, down to one-click as made famous by Amazon. However, pay attention to user registration forms: if they are too complex or detailed, they benefit competitors.
It's also very useful to communicate in a modern, multi-channel way with users, including social platforms and messaging services like WhatsApp. This way, users can monitor order fulfillment and delivery stages, and the company maintains contact and builds loyalty.
4. Speed, Search, and Localization
Site loading speed, ease of navigation, and the ability to quickly find what you’re looking for are other essential elements of an optimal user experience, which should not be compromised even during peak periods like Black Friday.
If the eCommerce is international, ensure pages load quickly in all geographical areas from which users come. Technically, using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) is ideal. Also, care for the linguistic (using native translators) and cultural adaptation of the eCommerce: localized experiences can be ensured with localization testing.
5. Accessibility, Compliance, and Mobile First Analysis
Site accessibility ensures users can navigate and complete purchases without friction or difficulty. Check that the site is compatible with popular browsers, optimized for all major mobile devices, and compliant with current regulations (e.g., Cookie banners, Privacy Policy).
In conclusion, the importance of excellent eCommerce UX should not be underestimated. Companies, through targeted testing, can address critical aspects and best meet user needs and expectations, leveraging UX as a powerful differentiator in a highly competitive market.