Several online research studies have tried to pin down how long the attention span of an online consumer could be before they decide to exit a page, which could be as short as half a second. This is why the design of the page’s main messages and usability are critical for successful online sales.
Below are a few factors that consumers look for on a page before they head out the door.
1. Trust
Imagine walking into a retail store in a mall and finding a mess of clothes, no real structure, no neat placements, and no one to greet you. Usually, you would be walking out pretty quickly.
When online consumers visit a website, many of them also have no idea what to expect, and they are usually looking for structure and trustworthiness before they can continue a purchase. Three main indicators of consumer trust on a page are:
- Reachability – Clear and concise contact information
- Well-documented and easy-to-reach terms and conditions and refund policy
- Certificates and badges such as PCI compliance or SSL certificates.
2. Payment Methods
According to the Beymard Institute, almost 70% of consumers abandon the cart at the payment page, this is mainly due to either the lack of trust at that critical moment or the lack of adequate payment options convenient for the consumer, for example, if its only cash on delivery option available. Make sure the common payment methods (Visa, MasterCard, Mada for Saudi, etc) that are relative to your customers are added to the checkout page to increase the chance of a complete transaction at that crucial stage.
3. Item display
The overall design of the website and the consequent flow especially for eCommerce websites provide the required structure to lead an online customer towards adding items to the cart and eventual checkout. Clear images for example are one of the main drivers for online visitors to be driven to purchase since they are not able to physically touch and try it out. Similarly, item descriptions and commonly asked questions about an item be explained to increase the comfort at the customer level that the purchased item is indeed
4. Website Flow
Scrolling through the website and the different sections should be intuitive to online shoppers, especially since it’s easy to click around and go away from the item intended for purchase. Good website flow and structure also help increase the site’s Google ranking which in today’s online advertising industry accounts for free marketing.
Sections and categories are especially important for larger websites or eCommerce sites with many items. The grouping of items and ease of finding a specific product could mean a difference between a frustrated client and a quick purchase.
Some additional things to keep in mind:
- Clear message on the homepage, don’t keep consumers guessing what you do
- Add a way for visitors to easily reach someone (chat or call) in case they have questions
- Flexible return policies should be well mentioned, it is an advantage
- Placing attractive deals and offers first on the homepage or top of categories
5. Mobile Responsive Design
This is especially critical in the Middle East, where almost 70% of all e-commerce transactions take place through mobile. With such a high number of mobile-first visitors, all sites should be tested for mobile responsiveness and loading times before launching to increase the chance of checkout on the eCommerce page.
Paymennt works with merchants to make all the above elements available on the website through the launch of Paymennt Shops, a mobile-optimized and free e-commerce website specifically designed for small and starting businesses with online sales ambition. Merchants can customize the logo, domain name, shipping details, etc., and the Shops come already complete with a payment gateway integration.
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