Your website is the online shop window to your products and services, but is it time for an upgrade? Read our essential guide to discover whether you need to hire an e-commerce website design company.
With the rise of mobile technology and online shopping, the way we sell products and services has changed. Nowadays, consumers often want quick and simple solutions. Cue the rise of the e-commerce site.
According to Markinblog, there were more than 850,000 e-commerce sites in the UK in 2022.
But just because other businesses are starting to make the transition doesn’t mean it’s necessarily right for your business.
In this blog, we share some useful tips on what it takes to develop a good e-commerce design and whether it’s time to call in a specialist.
Do I need to hire an e-commerce website design company?
You may be overlooking the importance of putting your business and goods online. An e-commerce website may initially feel like a large investment, but for many, the ROI is staggering.
Here are the five signs that suggest you need to hire a specialist e-commerce website design company:
1. You have goods to sell
If you have goods to sell, the easiest, most obvious method for selling is online.
E-commerce sales accounted for 27.1%of the total retail sales in the UK in January 2022. And that isn’t surprising given the ever-evolving nature of the digital age.
As a small business, an e-commerce site offers opportunities and gives you, as an entrepreneur, a chance to excel. So, if you’re selling products but still have a standard brochure site, it might be time to call an e-commerce website design company.
2. You receive lots of phone calls
Are eager customers constantly calling you to buy your products? Whether you’re trying to adopt a proactive sales process or are simply struggling to handle the volume of calls, it’s time to streamline operations.
Lots of business is good news. But if it is using up valuable business development time, it’s a clear sign you need a fully functional e-commerce site from the best e-commerce website design company.
With a click of a button, customers can find what they need and order it online. As a result, you’ll have more time to enhance the customer experience and generate more leads.
3. You have a low conversion rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a website that completes a desired goal out of the total number of visitors.
A low conversion rate is an obvious sign that you need to hire an e-commerce website design company with the right experience and skill sets.
You want people to visit your site and purchase your goods all within the same visit.
But if people are visiting your site and not following through with your desired outcome, then something is not working. They’re either inundating your inbox or phone, or even worse, abandoning your site altogether in favour of a competitor. Not good.
Taking the plunge from a website design company to a more specialist e-commerce design company might just be the difference between a low and high conversion rate.
Contrary to belief, not every website designer has experience in building e-commerce websites. That’s where an expert like us comes in.
4. Your footfall is dropping
The total value of e-commerce sales in the UK was 693 billion British pounds in 2019.
And as that figure has continued to grow, customers are naturally expecting businesses to have a web presence.
In the present era of the internet, people want things instantly and with ease.
So, it is no surprise that your footfall is dropping if you don’t have a fully functioning e-commerce site designed professionally. The number of people entering a shop or shopping area is decreasing as it is more time-consuming than purchasing online.
Consider how many times people purchase on Amazon daily. (The answer is roughly 26.5 million daily purchases for any stat buffs.)
This statistic underlines the importance of online websites for shopping.
5. A shift in your brand messaging
Have you launched some new products or services that don’t quite align with the website design you already have?
Hiring an e-commerce website design company can help upgrade your brand messaging and make it more cohesive, enticing, and professional.
Leave it in the capable hands of an expert with the right skills and reap the rewards.
What makes a good e-commerce website design?
If any of the five points above apply to you, now it’s time to make some notes on what it takes to create a good and bad e-commerce website design. This way you are aware of why your site has been created in the way that website designers will do it based on their valued e-commerce website specifications.
A good e-commerce website design includes these elements:
More people are shopping on their phones, so your site needs to be mobile-optimised. The next time you are out, look around and see how many people are on their phones. 92% of UK adults own a smartphone, so making your e-commerce site suited to a phone will guarantee an increase in your sales.
A quick loading speed is always beneficial. A fast-loading time equals a smoother, more successful experience.Don’t believe us? According to research, the first five seconds of page-load time have the highest impact on conversion rates, dropping by an average of 4.42%with each additional second of load time.
You want a site that is easy to navigate. Customers should be able to find and get to the checkout and purchase stage with ease, as this will result in a higher conversion rate.
Your e-commerce website should have consistent branding that isn’t too overwhelming.
You need a clear call to action. Make it obvious that you want your customers to add a product to their basket or sign-up by email.
There are plenty of ways you can take your e-commerce website up a notch. If you ensure you tick off these must-haves on your e-commerce site, your site will be ready to go.
We know there is a lot to digest when it comes to website design, and the complexities of the e-commerce functionality can be overwhelming, so hiring an e-commerce website design company might be the next step for you.
How to find the best e-commerce website design company near me?
Finding the right person or team to hand your business over to can feel daunting. The key is to do your research. Look into their portfolio of work and read client testimonials.
You need an e-commerce website company or designer that understands your vision and is on the same page. When you find this connection, that’s when the magic really happens.
At Design in the Shires, we offer the best e-commerce website design services for SMEs. Our team take the time to get to know your needs and go above and beyond to exceed expectations.
Our team of e-commerce website designers take pride in creating websites that stand out from the crowd and deliver an exceptional user experience.
Get in touch today to find out more.
