6 Main Functionalities That Every Modern Online Store Should Have
If you want to start selling online or you think that your current online store is outdated and does not bring great sales results, you should consider the various functionalities that your modern online shop should have in order to satisfy your customers.
A professionally crafted online shop that is intuitive and easy-to-use can drastically increase your profits.
Here are some of the key features that your future online shop should have in order to be successful in sales:
1. CMS (Content Management System)
CMS is software built into a website that enables you to enter the content easily and saves your time and money. A CMS allows you to easily enter and manage website content without the knowledge of programming languages.
2. Simple and Convenient User Interface
If you want to attract and keep the customers in your online store, you need to have a simple interface through which customers can shop quickly and conveniently, without any hassle and complications.
An online store should have easy navigation through product categories that allows customers to easily return to the previous page without having to start from scratch. The customer must also be able to put as many products as she wants in the cart.
Another essential element of a successful online shop is enabling quick and easy shopping in as few clicks as possible. Choose an online shop platform that allows you to shop in as few steps as possible and easy registration.
3. Payment Gateways and Delivery Methods
Choosing an online store cart with multiple payment gateways will give customers more reasons to shop in your online store. With multiple payment gateways, customers will find it easier to make a purchase because they will have a large number of payment methods, such as several credit cards and a bank transfer.
It is also an advantage if you offer multiple delivery methods in addition to standard one.
4. Marketing Tools
If you want to build a relationship with your visitors and increase your customer base, you will need to work hard on your online presence.
The online shop platform should ideally be able to integrate with various marketing tools such as loyalty programs, social networks, various advertising methods, digital analytics tools that help analyze visitor behavior and increase web shop traffic, etc.
5. Effective Search Engine
Potential customers want to find the product they need quickly and easily. An effective search engine will enable them to find what they want by returning relevant results to the searched keywords. The search engine should be available on all pages of the online shop and should be placed in a visible place like the top of the page where no one will miss it.
If your online store will have a large number of products, the search engine should have the ability of advanced search by product name, size, i.e. number, weight, color, price and other product characteristics.
6. Online Store Optimized for Mobile Phones
More and more people are using mobile devices to surf the internet and shop online. More than 50% of online visits are made via mobile devices. In any case, your online store should be responsive, i.e. optimized for all devices, so that people who come to your online store via mobile phone or tablet can easily browse your products and make a purchase without a headache.
It is very likely that about half of your visitors will come via a mobile device. You can imagine how much of a loss it would be if we had a non-optimized online store that would drive away half of the potential customers and they would most likely never come back.
If you need advice on creating a quality online store, contact us!