In order to run a successful ecommerce site, every online merchant needs to make it a habit to think from a customer’s point of view.  Remember, online shoppers have a short attention span, little patience, and within a few seconds they can quickly scroll through your site and determine their interest or non-interest.  Keeping this in mind, take a look at the 10 things customers are looking for on your ecommerce site, cover your bases, and convert visitors into repeat customers!

1. Fast Loading Time

There is no doubt that a slow loading time will frustrate and annoy a potential customer; therefore, it takes the top spot on our list.  Studies conducted by both the Wall Street Journal and Business Week indicate that speed is vital to the shopping experience.  Most online shoppers leave a site after 3 seconds of waiting for it to load. To speed up your site, check out these problem areas:

    • Is your server “beefy” enough?
    • Remove unused extensions from Magento
    • Use a CDN (Content Delivery/Distribution Network)
    • Turn on caching!

2. Clear Logo and Branding

The best way to reach out and grab a visitor within the first few seconds of entering your ecommerce site is to present a clear logo and brand. Your logo should be visible instantly and your branding should be so clear that a customer can quickly decide if your online shop is selling products they are interested in. The consumers decide if they will buy a product or use a service based on how they view the brand. A great example of this can be seen at Newegg. Remember, great branding builds trust that results in higher sales of, not only one product you provide, but on other products associated with that brand as well.

3. Promotions, Free Shipping

Online shoppers are not just looking for convenience; they are looking for deals that make shopping online worthwhile. The best way to assist customers searching for a great deal is to offer promotions that are an instant eye catcher – especially free shipping, since shipping costs are one of the major turn-offs for customers who shop online. By incentivizing your customers with promotions, you’re increasing your conversion rate, reducing abandoned carts, and boosting your AOV (Average Order Value). Make sure your promotions are extremely visible on your homepage and placed throughout your site.

4. Trusted Payment Option Icons

To convert a visitor into a customer, you need to prove your credibility. The best way to achieve credibility is to earn trust with the visitor by providing them with highly visible trusted payment option icons on your site. After this past holiday season, many consumers are hesitant to share their bank information with an unknown shop. Reassure your visitors by simply implementing trustworthy payment icons throughout your site.

5. Social Media Links

Coincidentally, online shoppers are devoted fans of social media and it makes them feel comfortable if you are too. New visitors will click on your social media buttons to see how many followers you have, how often you post, and how well you present yourself as a leader in the industry. Make your social media buttons visible throughout your site. You can even incentivize customers to follow your social media networks with a promotion or share your products with social media share buttons.

6. Customer Service

Another tool to reassure visitors is through valuable customer service channels on your online shop.  Visitors are looking for the following customer service elements:

    • Contact information
    • Live chat or click-to-call
    • Social Media
    • About Us

With convenience being the number one appeal of shopping online, customers still expect an ecommerce site to offer the same level of customer service and human interaction that a physical store offers.  Implement customer service elements to increase conversion rates and build customer loyalty. By giving your visitors the confidence to shop on your site, you’ll increase sales and drive more repeat customers.

7. Return Policy

Since it’s difficult for consumers to know in advance that they will be 100% satisfied with a product purchased online, it is important to provide a complete and thorough understanding of the return policies on an ecommerce site. Don’t make customers go crazy looking for the policy; instead, link to the return policy in the footer of your site so that customers can refer to it from any page. Be as clear and specific as possible in your return policy so that it doesn’t leave room for customers to hesitate.

8. Guest Checkout

No matter what, online consumers are impatient by nature and desire a quick and user friendly experience. So, why not just give them what they want?  Provide online shoppers with a speedy checkout process. Try to promote the benefits of creating an account, but make it easy for customers to quickly make a purchase if that’s what they prefer.

9. Quality Product Pages

Presenting your products with quality descriptions and photographs are the sales pitch for your products. In the world of ecommerce, there are no salespeople convincing you to purchase an item, which is why it’s so important to be very convincing on your product pages. Customers are looking for specific information on product descriptions and, more importantly, they require powerful and detailed images to make a purchasing decision.

10. User Generated Content

Online shoppers are strongly influenced by real customers who have purchased your products before. Seeing customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials will convert a visitor into a new customer. User generated content also provides your site with unique content, a great addition to your SEO efforts.