Quick Summary
More than 17% of global retail sales came from eCommerce in 2024. This underscores the need for an eCommerce website in the marketplace. However, an excellent eCommerce website doesn’t merely sell products; it makes shopping easy and enjoyable.
When people shop online, they want the store to be fast, simple, and easy to use. A good website helps them trust it and makes them want to buy.
In this blog, we’ll explore the top eCommerce website features that eCommerce development experts use to enhance usability, boost engagement, and make online shopping effortless for customers. Let’s dive in!
The right features make an eCommerce website more user-friendly, efficient, and profitable. They help with:
Simply put, the right features make shopping smooth, secure, and satisfying, driving business growth and customer loyalty.
You can make your eCommerce website noticeable by these must-have features and provide a seamless shopping experience and achieve better conversions..
Most individuals who go shopping online do so using their phones. Therefore, if your site is not user-friendly on phones, you may lose clients.
A responsive design makes your site look and function great on any screen size, giving users an uninterrupted shopping experience on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Mobile-friendly sites are faster to load, enhance engagement, and increase conversions.
Carousels are also a great way of highlighting trending products, deals, or new products on your home page. Carousels instantly grab attention and encourage visitors to click through and view more of your products.
However, they need to be well-optimized for performance since slow-performing carousels can cause visitor irritation. Make them compelling to look at and simple to navigate for a more compelling shopping experience.
A good search bar is essential to an eCommerce website. It should allow customers to easily find products by keywords, categories, or filters. Auto-suggestions, voice search, and previous searches can even make searching easier. An SEO-optimized search engine saves time for the customers and leads to faster conversions.
Picture searching for a pair of shoes and having to scroll through so many options. That is frustrating, right? Product filtering makes it possible for consumers to sort through their selection based on size, color, brand, price, and others. This aspect improves user experience by facilitating an easier search for the appropriate product without excessive effort.
Personalized product recommendations can enhance sales. By studying customers’ behavior, you can suggest products that they may like with a high purchase probability. It could be “Frequently Bought Together” or “Customers Also Viewed,” but intelligent recommendations retain users on the site and encourage them to discover more products.
Not every customer is ready to purchase on the spot. Some browse around, compare options, and like to bookmark things for later. Adding a product wishlist feature provides consumers the ability to bookmark items without placing them in the cart. It gives users an easy way to track their desired products without the pressure of an immediate purchase.
Wishlists are also good for eCommerce marketing. You can send tailored reminders, price-drop notifications, or exclusive discounts on saved products via email marketing. This brings your brand to the front of the shopper’s mind and maximizes the conversion ratio.
For online retailers, wishlists give insights into the most sought-after products and desired items among consumers. From saved items, you can fine-tune inventory levels, make more targeted promotions, and enhance your overall eCommerce site strategy.
When shopping online, consumers would prefer to see what a product would appear like in different colors, materials, or designs before making a purchase. Swatches add to the visual shopping experience by allowing customers to see product choices simultaneously.
Rather than choosing from a dropdown menu, users can just click on color, size, or material choices and observe the updates in real time.
For online retailers, swatches assist in lowering cart abandonment and returns. When consumers are able to see clearly the variations, they will be more confident in making a purchase. Swatches can even be paired with image recognition to enable users to discover visually similar products, enhancing product discovery and usage.
If your online store serves international customers, a currency converter is an essential feature. No consumer wants to do the math on exchange rates or have to guess how much something costs in their home currency. A live currency conversion tool automatically converts product prices according to the user’s location.
An integrated currency converter improves the customer experience by getting rid of ambiguity regarding prices. It also improves customer trust as customers are sure to make payments when they understand the amount in their own money. This attribute can greatly enhance international sales, lower cart abandonment, and optimize your website conversion rate.
A truly global eCommerce platform should speak the language of its customers. If your store serves shoppers from different countries, implementing multiple language support is essential. Consumers feel more comfortable when they can browse, read product descriptions, and checkout in their native language.
A multilingual website also boosts SEO, making it possible to rank for language terms, resulting in more natural traffic. It raises engagement, decreases bounce rate, and means higher conversions. With AI-fueled translation tools supported with human translation to enhance precision, your site is able to offer a localized online shopping experience.
A user-friendly design is a must for a successful eCommerce website. If the customers cannot navigate the site easily, they’ll leave it and never come back without making a purchase. eCommerce website design must be clean, beautiful, and responsive to all devices.
Easily available products, well-defined categories, and an effortless checkout process play a vital role in customer satisfaction.
Speed is also an important factor. A slow-loading eCommerce website frustrates consumers and gives a reason for the rise in bounce rates. Reducing good images, scripts, and making them responsive can speed up the loading process. An easy-to-use eCommerce website not only attracts potential customers but also keeps them.
Breadcrumbs are an easy but invaluable web feature that improves navigation. They are a map explaining where the user is in a site’s hierarchy. For instance, when a customer navigates a product page in “Home > Electronics > Smartphones,” he or she can navigate back effortlessly without depending on the browser’s “Back” button.
Breadcrumbs enable an enhanced user experience by enabling navigation effortlessly throughout the website, particularly for big eCommerce websites with many categories and subcategories. Breadcrumbs also enhance SEO because search engines utilize breadcrumbs to comprehend the structure of your eCommerce website and index it better.
Providing user accounts on an online store website has the potential to enhance customer participation and loyalty considerably. A registered account enables customers to save information, monitor orders, build wishlists, and see their history of purchases. This facilitates repeat shopping to become quicker and more convenient.
For companies, this user account information is valuable customer information that can be utilized for targeted marketing. Additional features such as order tracking, reordering convenience, and reward points lead to repeat purchases.
While guest checkout is necessary for first-time shoppers, having a convenient sign-up process can build loyalty and foster long-term relationships.
In eCommerce, pictures do sell. As online consumers cannot touch or test products, excellent product images are essential to generate trust and impact buying decisions. Clear, high-resolution images highlighting various angles, close-ups, and lifestyle images enable customers to imagine what they are purchasing.
A properly optimized product page should feature zoom-in capabilities and several images to showcase product features. Professional photography will have your eCommerce website appear high-end and drive conversions. Product discovery is also enabled by Google Images, so image optimization with corresponding alt text is crucial for search engine exposure.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth so much more! Product videos give an actual look at how something appears, moves, or operates. This is particularly helpful for fashion, electronics, and home goods, where viewing a product in action assists consumers in making informed choices.
Videos also enhance customer interaction and lower return rates. A good product video illustrates features, responds to frequent questions, and highlights benefits better than text or pictures. Incorporating brief, high-quality videos into your eCommerce site increases the overall customer experience and keeps customers longer.
Nothing is more effective in building trust than customer reviews. Most online consumers check what other people who have purchased the product have to say before they make a purchase. A product reviews section lends credibility, transparency, and enables potential customers to make informed choices.
Encouraging verified customer reviews also benefits your eCommerce website SEO. Reviews give new, keyword-rich copy that assists in getting products on the first pages of search results. Adding star ratings, specific feedback, and even user-sourced photos gives the reviews page more punch.
A properly written call-to-action (CTA) is a signpost that directs customers to behave—buy, sign up for a newsletter, or view a product page, for example. A generic “Buy Now” button won’t draw attention, but a custom CTA like “Get Your Exclusive Deal Now” or “Try It Risk-Free” creates a sense of urgency and pushes conversions.
CTAs should be placed strategically across your eCommerce website, like on the homepage, product pages, and checkout page. Using contrasting colors, compelling language, and adding an element of scarcity (e.g., “Limited Stock Available”) can stimulate more engagement.
Who doesn’t want a good deal? Promotions and offers are amazing ways to woo potential shoppers, boost sales, and gain repeated business. Holiday promotions, discount sales, Flash sales, BOGO offers and more stir frenzy and cause spontaneous purchases.
Highlighting deals prominently on banners, pop-ups, or email marketing campaigns keeps customers up-to-date. Tailor-made promotions depending on browsing history or past purchase history upgrade the customer experience.
Limited-period deals combined with a powerful call-to-action could really drive conversions and make your eCommerce website more dynamic and interactive.
Consumers shopping online desire to feel secure while entering their payment and personal information. Security elements such as SSL certificates, safe payment portals, and 2FA instill confidence and guard against fraud by securing customer information.
The prominence of security badges (such as “Secured by SSL” or “Verified Payment Gateway”) notifies the shopper that their transactions are safe.
A safe eCommerce website also adheres to the data protection laws like GDPR and PCI DSS. Clear-cut privacy policies, secure payments through encryption, and secure login mechanisms ensure a secure shopping experience. Security comes first, building customer trust, minimizing cart abandonment, and making your eCommerce business reputation stronger.
Having contact information easily accessible makes your eCommerce website more trustworthy. Customers should be able to reach out for support in different ways like phone, email, or live chat. Having a dedicated Contact Us page with business timings, address, and a contact form increases credibility and customer satisfaction.
Adding clickable phone numbers and email links facilitates mobile users to connect more easily. Many companies also include a FAQ page along with contact details to respond to frequent issues at once. Responsive customer service increases trust in your brand and improves the shopping experience overall.
Building a strong email marketing and SMS list is important in order to engage with customers once they have abandoned your site. An email & SMS opt-in option allows customers to get offer reminders, promotions, and order updates in their email or mobile.
Providing incentives such as a discount on the initial purchase or early access to sales in exchange for sign-ups promotes sign-ups. Strategically placing opt-in forms on the homepage, checkout page, or through exit-intent pop-ups increases your list. Targeted emails with product suggestions, cart abandonment reminders, or special offers enhance customer engagement.
Immediate customer support is of great use in eCommerce site building, and chatbots are central to the offering of prompt, automated help. By responding to common questions, pointing customers to products, or assisting in tracking orders, AI-powered chatbots enhance customer satisfaction 24/7.
Adding a chatbot on your online store decreases the waiting time and enhances customer satisfaction by providing quick solutions. They can even capture customer information, personalize the messages, and facilitate users in better navigation through the online store. Having chatbots integrated into social media sites like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp extends the support horizon.
Push notifications are a great way to keep your customers interested even when they’re not on your eCommerce site. They notify users of flash sales, price reduction, cart reminders, and new products, all in real time. Unlike emails, using push notifications helps grab immediate attention and drive quick responses.
A successful push notification campaign can result in improved customer interaction and return visits. But avoid overuse, as too many sent at once may be perceived as intrusive. Notifications are personalized according to browsing history, previous purchases, or items added to the wishlist so that customers are always updated with something of interest.
A shopping cart isn’t just a place where customers store their selected items, it’s a crucial step in converting a visitor into a buyer. A well-designed shopping cart should be easy to navigate, allow customers to edit their selections effortlessly, and clearly display product details like product images, descriptions, and pricing.
To enhance conversions, your eCommerce site design must feature a mini-cart preview that allows users to view their chosen items without exiting the page. Auto-saved cart items and clear call-to-action buttons such as “Proceed to Checkout” help users avoid leaving carts behind.
A confusing checkout process can drive cart abandonment. A clear checkout section lets customers know precisely what they are paying for, without any hidden charges or surprise additions. Showing a clear price breakdown, estimated delivery time, and secure payment options makes customers feel safe and instills confidence.
Providing a guest checkout option avoids friction, while a progress indicator lets users know where they are in the process. A clean, uncluttered checkout page with autofill capabilities for address and payment information accelerates the process, enhancing customer satisfaction and conversion rates.
Discounts are everyone’s favorite! Coupon codes drive sales and bring in potential customers who are searching for bargains. Whether providing discounts for first-time purchases, seasonal promotions, or rewards for loyalty, coupon codes can greatly enhance customer interaction.
The most important thing is strategic positioning, coupon codes must be prominently displayed on the homepage, cart page, and checkout area without interfering with the buying process. Making it easy for customers to apply coupons with a one-click process avoids frustration.
Shopping history or cart value-based personalized coupons improve customer experience and repeat sales.
An eCommerce website needs to appeal to diverse users, every one of them with a preference for the method of payment. Having more payment options available on the website, including credit/debit cards, PayPal, e-wallets, and even Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) plans, allows no user to leave their shopping cart uncompleted due to constrained alternatives.
Customers are looking for secure, quick, and flexible payments. Adding mainstream digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cryptocurrency payments can further enhance ease of use. Smooth payment experience cultivates customer confidence, boosts conversion rates, and builds overall customer satisfaction.
After a customer has made a purchase, they wish to receive live updates on their order status. Order tracking is a must-have eCommerce website functionality that gives customers transparency and updates. A tracking system must feature email or SMS notifications regarding order confirmation, shipment status, and delivery estimates.
Incorporating tracking directly into user accounts on your online store eliminates the necessity for customers to look elsewhere for information. Including live tracking functionality and enabling customers to make changes to delivery options improves customer satisfaction.
A properly managed order tracking system decreases customer support inquiries and fosters long-term trust.
A clearly stated exchange and return policy enhances customer satisfaction in an eCommerce venture. Consumers desire the assurance that if a product is not up to their expectations, they can simply return or exchange it. Without a clear policy, customers might be reluctant to make a purchase, resulting in lost sales.
Your eCommerce website design must show the return policy prominently on product pages, checkout pages, and customer service pages. The policy must detail return eligibility, timeframes, conditions, and refund processing information. An easy return process fosters trust, repeat business, and enhances the overall shopping experience.
A loyalty program is an excellent means of keeping customers and inducing repeat business. By providing rewards such as points, discounts, free shipping, or special offers, you can boost customer interaction and lifetime value.
To ensure your loyalty program is effective, implement it on your eCommerce site with an easy-to-use dashboard that lets users monitor their rewards. Think about giving bonus points for social media shares, birthdays, or referrals. Tailored incentives from customer data can make customers feel appreciated and bring them back to your online store.
Most eCommerce website designs fail to acknowledge the significance of a well-organized footer navigation, but it is really important as it helps customers navigate to key pages without overpopulating the primary menu. A properly designed footer facilitates user-friendly navigation as visitors can access details such as contact information, return policy, FAQs, and social media easily.
The addition of vital links such as About Us, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Customer Support, and Order Tracking makes sure that customers are able to access essential information with ease.
A well-defined and structured footer navigation makes the customer experience better and website usability stronger, particularly for repeated users who need immediate access to particular areas.
A FAQ section assists customers to easily locate the answers to regular questions, making it less necessary to contact the customer support team. The FAQ section should answer questions such as shipping policies, payment options, product information, return policies, and account administration.
An effectively organized FAQ page gives immediate solutions. To facilitate usability, group FAQs into categories and employ a search function to enable users to quickly locate relevant answers. A refreshed FAQ section not just enhances the customer experience but also minimizes support requests, giving your staff time to handle more intricate cases.
An About Us page is more than just a company description, it’s a place to connect with potential customers and build trust. This page should share your brand’s story, mission, values, and what makes your eCommerce business unique.
Having top-notch visuals, team member introductions, testimonials, and a company timeline in place aids in establishing an emotional bond with visitors. Consumers are more inclined to make a purchase from trusted brands, and an effective About Us page assures them they are buying from a legitimate and credible eCommerce site.
In short, a successful eCommerce site requires such essential features as mobile friendliness, quick navigation, secure payment, and personalized shopping. These contribute to better user experience, increase engagement, and achieve higher conversions.
Optimize by using natural language keywords, structuring content with FAQs, and ensuring fast load speeds. Also, implement schema markup to improve voice search visibility.
Offer guest checkout, display trust badges, provide multiple payment options, and send automated cart recovery emails with discounts or reminders.
Enable multi-currency support, offer localized language options, and provide international shipping options with clear pricing and delivery estimates.
Having the correct features on your eCommerce site isn’t all about appearing good, it’s about generating sales, enhancing user experience, and leading the competition. From easy navigation to secure payments and mobile responsiveness, every feature is crucial in winning and keeping customers.
Focus on what enhances usability, trust, and engagement to build a website that not only converts but keeps shoppers coming back. If you’re planning to build a feature-rich eCommerce website for your business, connect with our experts to get started!
John Niles, a dedicated Technical Consultant at BrainSpate since 2023, specializes in eCommerce. With a global perspective, he crafts insightful content on cutting-edge web development technologies, enriching the digital commerce landscape.
