Increasing sales is a general concern of all companies, especially those relying on online sales. A number of strategies are employed for this purpose, but there is one that remains less explored: UX for eCommerce.
Did you know that websites that load slowly represent a loss of $2.6 billion USD each year? That 75% of people judge a website’s credibility based on its aesthetic appearance? And that 94% of the first impressions of a website (namely positive or negative) are the result of its design? And did you know that all of these issues are related to UX?
UX, or User Experience, is an area of applied study that aims to understand how users use technology-based interfaces. In the case of UX for eCommerce, the idea is to manage to map out how potential buyers see, understand, feel, and act when interacting with the platform. And, as a result, it is possible to identify and reduce problems in order to facilitate the purchase process.
Taking a deeper look: what is UX?
UX is an acronym for User Experience. According to Johannes Ippen, one should not think about user experience, but rather about the human experience. Watch the TED talk in which this leading UX designer talks about the need to change this mindset:
A person working with UX must of course keep the interface in mind, but they must also not forget the importance of interacting with other departments that are also related to the customer experience, such as marketing, support, and the sales team. When UX humanizes the experience in a more comprehensive way, the ideal scenario is achieved, the one Ippen refers to in his talk.
Thus, the concept of UX should take into account not only the way the customer interacts directly with your website but also how the website’s design promotes their interaction with other areas of the company that are necessary from the moment that they enter your site until the purchase is finalized.
The following should be taken into consideration, among other aspects:
Design;
Menu placement;
Images;
Resources for solving problems;
According to Google, the 3 main pillars of the usability of a healthy website are:
Loading performance: loading speed of the largest element of the page;
Interactivity: amount of time between when the person clicks and the result of the click;
Visual stability: the perceptibility of whether or not there are many unexpected changes in the layout of the visual items on a page, such as images that “skip”.
According to Econsultancy, more than 75% of people who buy online end up leaving a website and visiting a competitor’s when the interactivity interval is too long. Similarly, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience.
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Benefits of UX for eCommerce
It is clear that implementing UX for eCommerce will be favourable to your company. Research commissioned by Google and carried out by 55 and Deloitte indicates that:
Faster websites get more people to complete their purchases;
Faster websites keep people on their pages longer, who end up buying more things;
Faster websites have lower bounce rates.
Another highlight of the survey is that reducing the loading time by 0.1 seconds can have an enormously positive impact on the sales of a company. This small improvement brings an average increase of 8.4% in conversion rates for a retail eCommerce, and the average ticket for orders increases by 9.2%.
Even on sites selling luxury goods using UX techniques, eCommerce increases the number of pages viewed per session by 8%.
In addition to the effective increase in sales, using UX for eCommerce can also have an effect on many other aspects, which in the end also result in better sales results.
Integrating sectors with UX for eCommerce
UX studies help companies to know their customers and potential customers very well, and this opens the possibility for their teams to act in a more integrated and proactive way, thus anticipating issues and increasing the security of the transactions.
The marketing, commercial, service, and support teams can work with UX, and all can benefit from what they discover. Alignment between teams is as positive for the company as it is for customers, since they receive an excellent purchase experience.
Generate added value for your product
When your eCommerce business uses strategies that were generated from UX, usability and navigability improve and everything leads the user to have a more pleasant, efficient, and fast experience while shopping on your website.
This gives your customer the impression that the cost/benefit of your product is higher. This means that you generate added value for the product because the perceived value is greater than the amount paid. The customer then adds the value of the quality of your service to the concrete price of the product.
Another benefit that usually results from the perceived value of your products by the market is that this often generates referrals.
Competitiveness and positioning
If your competitors are already working with UX strategies, then it makes sense for your company to also employ UX for eCommerce in order to remain on the same level in the niche in which you operate.
If it is still not very common to use UX for eCommerce in your particular niche, the fact that your company does this will position you as a pioneer and innovator, thus bringing a huge competitive advantage over the others.
Humanization of the sales process
This is perhaps one of the most important benefits: providing a digital solution while making the experience as human as possible. In this sense, a CRM solution that facilitates the sales process can be a strong ally.
In doing so, you allow your future customers to have exchanges and interactions with your sales team before closing deals. This creates a connection between people and the company, which can lead to a significant increase in sales.
