Customer shopping flow and Ecommerce UX design
UX design plays a pivotal role in the success of an ecommerce store and influences the customers’ buy or drop decision. Design features like fast feedback, intuitive navigation, and engaging product information play a decisive role in ecommerce sales.
Journey of a user on an ecommerce platform is called a shopping flow and it’s the steps users follow from discovering a product to getting their order confirmed. Creating an ecommerce UX design with the shopping flow in mind helps to increase conversions and reduce cart abandonment. Let’s see the six steps of a customer shopping flow.
1. The user discovers a new ecommerce platform
The first step is the discovery of the ecommerce platform. Here design has a significant role to play in positioning the platform well. Most users form an impression about the platform in milliseconds and in that short time span, the platform must impress users, convey information about their products and encourage users to browse the site. If users don’t get a clear picture in the discovery stage, they would most likely end their shopping journey then and there.
2. The user browses the platform
Impressed by a platform in the discovery stage, users start browsing. There are two types of buyers – planned buyers and impulsive buyers.
More than 60% of people buy with a plan – they go online with a clear idea about what they need. Good ecommerce UX design makes their journey smoother by integrating efficient filter UI design, on-site product search and sort. It helps them find what they want and move ahead with their shopping journey quickly
The other category of buyers are those who have no specific intent to purchase but will buy if they find interesting products. These are valuable visitors for an ecommerce platform and a compelling design can increase their conversion rate. To entice these types of buyers, a discovery/explore mode is useful. “What’s new” and “Most popular” sections attract this type of buyers.
3. The user finds an interesting product
From browsing, users move to the next step when they find a product that sparks their interest. At this stage, the design should prioritize guiding users towards completing the purchase.
The call to action button is of eminent importance here. An attention grabbing CTA that is easily accessible and clickable will increase the chances of conversion whereas an unclear CTA will confuse the users and lead to cart abandonment.
At this stage, it is also key to provide all the information users may potentially need. A well-organized product page with detailed product descriptions, good quality product images and positive user reviews will impress users and reinforce their purchasing decision. Care should be taken to ensure that the user is not overwhelmed with the product information. Instead, only essential information should be given to users in a concise format.
4. The user adds the product to cart
a keyboard button designed as add to cart
Satisfied with the product, the user proceeds to add it to the cart. The ecommerce UX design should focus on transparency at this stage. The cart details should be clear and easily understandable for the user. All information including order quantity, price, discounts, taxes, shipping and delivery charges should be explicitly mentioned. The design should provide easy and visible options to remove items from cart, edit cart and move to wishlist.
5. The user proceeds to checkout
A crucial stage in an ecommerce transaction, checkout should be designed keeping safety and speed in mind. Some things to consider in checkout design for best ecommerce user experience are:
Guest checkout:Asking users to create an account inorder to checkout increases the cart abandonment rate. Allow people to sign out as guests – give them an option to register but don’t make it mandatory.
Payment methods:Ideally, your platform should provide all popular payment methods. People have different preferences and may choose one method over another. Supporting a wide variety of payment options including credit/debit cards, online payment platforms(apple pay, google pay, paypal etc), direct debit through online banking accounts and cash on delivery will increase conversion rates.
Feedback:Visual feedback during the checkout process helps users navigate the checkout process without confusion. Some ways to implement this are through progress bars, success messages and confirmation popups.
6. The user receives a confirmation message
Checkout is the last user action on an ecommerce platform, but it’s not certainly the end of the shopping flow. For the flow to be complete, users must receive confirmation of their purchase. A confirmation message containing order details, delivery method, delivery date and tracking details must be given to the customers after checkout.
It is best to give the confirmation on websites/apps and through email or text messages. Keeping users notified with the order’s shipping status also is a good practice. Most ecommerce platforms today use push notifications to give real-time updates to customers.
Three aspects that influence the design of ecommerce platforms
an image showing laptop and cart to signify e-commerce shopping
There are three key aspects to consider when designing an ecommerce platform– Business requirements, UX aspect and UI aspect.
Business requirements
Every ecommerce venture has a business plan with specific commercial goals. The business goals take shape well before the design phase begins and can help to create an appropriate foundation for the design. A successful design must work in tandem with the business aspects and support various ways to achieve the goals using a well-defined UX strategy. Business aspects that influence the design include:
Product USP : USP or unique selling point is the factor that sets your product apart from the rest. It is the defining feature of the ecommerce platform around which the design must revolve.
Brand personality : The brand personality defines the identity you want your ecommerce platform to take. The style, voice, tone and attitude of a brand are determined by its personality. How this brand personality is brought to life is majorly dependent on the design. For example, a luxury brand will have an elegant, formal look and target a niche audience rather than appealing to the mass.
Target audience : A design is most effective when it is tailored for the specific audience. Knowing your target users and their needs and pain points will help to create a design that instantly connects.
Type of business : Depending on the sellers and end-users, a business can fall under different categories like B2B, B2C, C2C or B2G to name a few. The end users of each category are different and have varying expectations from sellers. The UX design of an ecommerce platform should understand the specific end-user and cater to their needs to get predictable results.
Marketing : Ideal business planning involves thinking about marketing from product conceptualization. Considering marketing in the early stage will ensure that the product presents a consistent outlook to customers at all times and on all platforms.
UX aspect
The UX aspect of ecommerce platforms focus on ways to increase user attraction, engagement and retention to grow sales and business profits. UX plays a major role in satisfying customers and improving their shopping journey. Key UX aspects to consider for ecommerce design are:
Accessibility : A good ecommerce platform accommodates all kinds of users. Designing for accessibility requires thinking about different end users, such as people with impaired vision, varying levels of tech literacy or color blindness and developing a design that is accessible for everyone and helps them achieve their goals.
Usability : A significant part of UX design, usability aims to make the customer journey clear. Transparent menus, effective feedback, and fast loading pages are some aspects that increase the usability of a design.
Navigation : Navigation is the backbone of good user experience. Clear and intuitive navigation increases the efficiency of ecommerce platforms as it allows users to move towards their goal naturally and take actions quickly.
Layout : How an item is presented in an ecommerce platform is a decisive factor that drives successful transactions. The key information must be placed at the right areas where users’ attention will go first. High priority items should stand out in the layout for creating the best impact.
Desirability : It focuses on creating an emotional connection that will attract users to an ecommerce platform and make them feel the desire to purchase. The goal here is to make the users feel belonged and encourage them to be associated with a platform.
UI aspect
The UI aspect deals with the visual appeal of ecommerce platforms and it brings to life the UX and business aspects. It is a crucial aspect as the right balance between UI vs. UX design is what creates an attractive and successful ecommerce site. The UI aspects to consider include:
Color : The choice of color must reflect your business type and brand image. From logos to web pages, product designs and marketing campaigns, the color should be maintained consistently at all touchpoints and should convey your message without words.
Visual hierarchy : Visual hierarchy guides the user’s eyes through the platform and determines how users will navigate it. It refers to how information is arranged in a design. Contrasting colors, different font sizes, images, etc. are some elements that are used to implement visual hierarchy on a site.
Typography : Like color, the font is another factor that plays a key role in brand image. The typefaces convey the tone of interaction, communication style and the personality of the platform. For example, an ecommerce platform selling fashion or beauty products may use calligraphy fonts but an electronic store would go for more formal looking typefaces.
Style : The nature of an ecommerce platform determines the style of the interface. The designs should embody the personality of the brand by adopting different styles. Throughout the platform, the style should be maintained consistently across all elements and screens.
