Reputed companies understand the need to regularly update and improve an e-commerce website.  Consumers want a hassle-free shopping experience and regular updates help businesses determine the elements of their e-commerce site that need improvement.  The best way to identify weak elements within an e-commerce website is through A/B testing.

Many e-commerce website owners mistakenly believe that an attractive web design is enough to draw potential consumers.  While it may help other types of websites succeed, attractive web design is hardly the main element that consumers look for in an e-commerce website.  Above all else, usability will determine the fate of your e-commerce web design.

First and foremost, consumers want shopping convenience.  Aesthetic beauty is farther down the priority list of web design elements.  Focus on the more important elements of your e-commerce web design such as shopping cart solutions and search options. Also, be sure to test your website once a month to evaluate its performance.

A/B Testing – Elements to Check

Keep in mind that it is always best to test your entire site rather than only a few elements.  Note that test results help e-commerce website owners increase future conversion rates.  To get you started, here is a list of the top elements you should check during A/B testing.

• Product Descriptions. Great product descriptions encourage consumers to click that magical “add to cart’ button.  Remember that product descriptions are your golden opportunity to convince potential consumers to make a purchase.  An easy way to stay on top of product descriptions is to take note of your lesser selling products.  Read these product descriptions carefully and look for ways to improve them.  Rinse and repeat after each monthly testing phase until all of your product descriptions are up to par.

• Sign Up Page Headline.  Chances are you have some great products to offer but you still need a great sign up page headline to get potential consumers to open the door.  The problem is that web users simply hate to fill out sign-up forms.  Avoid vague sign-up page headlines and instead opt for one that gives potential consumers a valuable reason to subscribe.  You can also state that the sign-up process is simple, so long as it is the truth.

• Purchase Button.  E-commerce website owners tend to underestimate the significance of the purchase button.  Interestingly enough, it is actually among the most essential elements of e-commerce web design.  You should be testing the color, size and text of the purchase button regularly.  You also need to position the purchase button in an area that grabs user attention.  Above the fold area is the recommended position for an e-commerce purchase button.  Also, make your purchase button large enough for visitors to spot immediately (roughly 230 pixels by 45 pixels).  The call-to-action is another essential element to e-commerce web design, which you should modify according to target customers.

• Pricing Strategies.  All great businesses adopt a powerful pricing strategy.  You need to motivate customers to purchase products from your e-commerce website and the best way to do so is with a solid pricing strategy.  The key to success is to understand your customer’s psychology and then build a strategy accordingly.  You are probably already familiar with one of the most widely used pricing strategies among businesses – making the product look cheaper to the buyer.  A business can achieve this by selling a $200 item for $199.99.  The price of the product remains almost the same for the business but looks a lot better to the consumer.  This is the type of pricing strategy that can easily lead to increased sales.

• Product Display and Search Results.  The order of search results and product display can significantly impact the overall consumer experience.  Decide how many products you want to show on the homepage, keeping in mind that too many products on one page can confuse the customer.  A good strategy is to show only the most popular products on the homepage.  Product display is also critical to user experience.  Be sure to sort search results into categories, preferably by popularity, price and discounted items.

The goal of A/B testing is to help you identify and improve the shortcomings in your e-commerce web design.  If your e-commerce web design presents major problems that you are unable to correct, consider hiring a professional web design company to build a custom e-commerce website.  With the help of these tips, you can be well on your way to creating a successful online business.

Akesh Gupta is President of Light Speed Solutions.  Akesh and his team strive to deliver quality web design services on time and on budget.

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