Premium E-Commerce Website HTML Template

The Basic Features of an eCommerce Website in 2022

A functional eCommerce website typically has a Homepage, a Products page, a Blog, and an About Us page. But in 2022, eCommerce owners need to think beyond the basics to meet the ever-changing technological landscape and developing needs of their customers. Here are some of the essential elements every eCommerce website should include in 2022.

1. Responsive Website Design

In this day and age, consumers are using their mobile phones more and more to shop and interact with brands online. In just a few scrolls and clicks, consumers can purchase products right from the comfort of their screen – which is why it’s super important to ensure your website is mobile friendly and responsive for all devices.

Recent reports show that 79% of smartphone users purchased products online with their mobile devices within the last six months, and due to the global pandemic, many B2B brands have adopted mobile websites – with 80% of B2B buyers are now using a mobile device to make purchases. The development of custom-branded apps has also increased in recent years, which has paved the way for optimizing the online customer journey.

How can you make your website mobile-ready? Ensure that it has a responsive design which is adaptable to different screen sizes, layouts and resolutions, and do a mobile friendly test to ensure it looks great across all devices. You can also use drag-and-drop website builders such as Elemento and even  to make your website more responsive.

• Thebell - Multipurpose Responsive Prestashop Theme

  by Plaza-Themes in PrestaShop

  Get

• MooBoo - Fashion OpenCart Theme

  by Plaza-Themes in OpenCart

  Get

2. User-Friendly Navigation

Upon visiting a new website, most visitors go straight for the website navigation. According to the 2021 Digital Experience Benchmark Report, the average time on a page across all industries is just 54 seconds. After that, the attention span declines.

To help your visitors get where they need to go easily and efficiently—may it be purchasing, looking for additional information, or even getting in touch with customer service—it’s important to make your navigation as user-friendly as possible.

Eye-tracking research shows people spend 80% of their viewing time on the left portion of your website and only 20% on the right side, so to maximize the attention of your audience, pay the most attention to the left-side portion of your site.

Another tip for optimizing your eCommerce website is to make your menu vertical. This makes it easier to shift your navigation to a mobile-responsive design, and can make your website easier to navigate for both new and returning visitors.

Amazon is a great example of an optimized website with a both a vertical and user-friendly navigation interface. Other navigation best practices include:

• List the most important features at the top
• Choose SEO-optimized terms for your menu 
• Include a search bar
• Label important pages and cluster them accordingly

• Zenex - Multipurpose E-commerce Shopify Template

  by eptheme in Shopify

3. Multiple Security Features

As technology continues to develop, the risk of hacking and security breaches rise. That’s why another must-have for your eCommerce website is security features. One of the best methods to secure data and information online is to use VPN (a virtual private network). This is usually your website’s first line of defense against malicious malware and other cyberattacks, many times, without you even knowing. With your consumer’s data and profits at high risk, businesses are encouraged to use a professional type of VPN service from GoodAccess. This is especially useful when you have medium to large teams from different parts of the world accessing your precious data.

According to a Verizon report, 2021 saw the highest average cost of data breaches in 17 years, amounting to US$4.24 million. It echoes the results of the year before, in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Center (IC3) received a record-breaking 791,790 cybercrime complaints, responsible for US$4.2 billion in victim losses.

To keep your website – and your customers’ information – secure and protected – it can pay to enhance your website with the following security features:

Install an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate

This ensures that all data passed between the webs server and browser remains private.

Set up multi-factor authentication

You never know when and where your passwords might get compromised. That’s why setting up a second authentication factor to verify a log-in attempt is essential for maintaining the integrity of your accounts. Likewise, changing your passwords regularly can also boost security.

Choose plug-ins carefully

• WP Ultimate Firewall - Performance & Security

  by divcoderPlugins in Plugins

  Get

• Blocker Firewall - WordPress Security

  by divcoderPlugins in Plugins

  Get

4. Shopping Cart and Checkout Buttons

An eCommerce website’s primary goal is to gain revenue, and an optimized shopping cart feature will only help you maximize this. When it comes to optimizing your shopping cart, customers expect features such as fast service, seamless checkout, trustworthy payment options, and even the option to preview their orders before completing a purchase. 

5. Offer Multiple Payment Options

Your eCommerce website should also be flexible in terms of payment options and methods. While you should know what specific payment method your target audience prefers, having other options available can enhance the customer experience. 

Mobile payments such as Venmo, cryptocurrencies, and digital wallets are among the emerging preferred alternative payment methods. In fact, a Fiserve 2021 consumer research reports that 6 out of 10 Gen Z and millennial consumers want their bank to hold cryptocurrencies. While you can still offer traditional payment methods such as a bank transfer and credit card, the appeal of these new methods often stem from the customer wanting to protect their data. 

For a higher chance of customer retention and customer loyalty growth, here are some best practices you can apply to your eCommerce website this 2022. 

Offer various payment methods

You will never know when a payment channel may be down, so it pays to have other options available. Doing so will make your website more flexible, and perhaps be the difference between an abandoned cart and a sale.

Display your payment options prominently before checkout

One way to build trust with your clients is to reassure them they have plenty of options to complete their purchase. Check out how eBay displays multiple payment options, detailing the information needed to complete the purchase. Clients can even switch currencies for their payment.