A guide to designing an eCommerce website

There are many types of business websites. Creating a website for eCommerce require understanding of online payment systems and a host of design and development elements. While a static website can be designed and uploaded in just a few hours, an eCommerce website requires days of research and development. This article will help you understand how to design an eCommerce company website.

What is electronic commerce?

Electronic or eCommerce includes business activities over the internet. The internet does not necessarily mean a computer or a laptop; today, users buy and sell commodities and services using m-commerce (mobile commerce) and PDAs. Nevertheless, electronic data transmission is the defining factor of an electronic commerce business.

eCommerce models

An eCommerce company functions on either of the two given business models- business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). Websites like e Bay and Amazon are examples of a third type of model called the C2C (consumer-to-consumer). eCommerce design It is important to choose a user-friendly design for an eCommerce website. While selecting a design, you should keep in mind the taste of the target audience. For example, an online store design that would cater to women, should have colours and designs that women associate with. Likewise, an eCommerce website meant for bodybuilders should have masculine look to it.

Important components of an ecommerce website

There are eight main components of an online store- SEO pages, website analytics, multiple payment options, personalisation, cross selling and up selling, navigation, advanced image view, and product reviews. All these are important factors which you should not overlook. Safety Safety is another highly important aspect of an eCommerce website. As credit card scams are on the rise, you must use a secured shopping card or payment options for your eCommerce website. Proper categorisation and user-friendly navigation are important characteristics of an eCommerce website.

Designing an eCommerce website

Look out for eCommerce web designers. An eCommerce company such as SmartGreyCells (Smartgreycells.com) would help you design the best eCommerce website. Take reference from popular eCommerce stores, and analyse what makes them popular.
A final word
Pay attention to the navigation and other elements of the website. Some of the best websites allow the consumer to checkout in minimum mouse clicks, while other websites are slow to load, not organised properly and lack the feel-good factor.