The Ultimate Checklist for Every New Ecommerce Website.

The E-commerce industry is a force that no investor can afford to ignore. E-commerce is one of the most sought after industries, which is making progress at a rapid speed. It deals with the activity of buying or selling of products and services online. Here we have a checklist which you should always refer to before starting with the preparation of the content and design part of a website or before actually beginning with the development process of the website.

Step 1: Manage What Your Customers See First

1. Include a nicely designed logo.
2. Make sure the site works on all browsers and devices.
3. Include promotional graphics and links on the homepage.
4. Insert Links to the most popular products.
5. Call to action is important to push people to important sales pages.
6. Have a clear search field at the top of your site.
7. Display specials, promotions or free shipping options.
8. The latest news area must be included.
9. Links to recent purchases and popular products.
10. An area to search for popular brands.
11. A store finder if necessary.
12. Language options are necessary for your e-commerce site. 

Step 2: Your Overall E-commerce Site Management and Look

 

1. Include security certificates and reminders that the transactions are safe throughout the website.
2. Keep a minimalist design for easy navigation.
3. Test the speed of your site so pages load quickly – Pingdom is a nice tool for this.
4. Remove broken links and fill in empty product pages.
5. Make sure you have categories on each page and filtering options.
6. Have the email signup form show up on every page.
7. A link to your Career page.
8. A link to Legal information.
9. A link to your Privacy policy.
10. A link to your Contact Page.
11. A link to the FAQ page.
12. Links to your social pages.
13. Links to return and exchange policies.
14. Links to supplier information pages.
15. Sharing buttons.
16. A login box.
17. Tabs at the top of your e-commerce website to categories and products.
18. A shopping cart at the top, in case people saved items.
19. Show what payment systems you use and the security measures that you take.
20. Tabs leading to your support pages.
21. Make your e-commerce responsive and test it on all devices and browsers.
22. Show the checkout button clearly on each page.
23. Apply breadcrumbs on each page to help people find the products or pages they need.
24. Also, make sure when you are on the checkout page, no links should redirect to the homepage. 

Step 3: Your E-commerce Product Pages
 

1. Include calls to action.
2. Customer reviews and ratings for each e-commerce product.
3. Related product links to upsell.
4. Selling points, like free shipping or a clock with a discount if they buy now.
5. Provide product images with zoom-in functionality.
6. Multiple product images and angles (360-degree views).
7. Item information and specs.
8. A field to change purchase quantities.
9. A creative description that relates to the product uses.
10. Include an optimized product title.
11. An add-to-cart button on each product page.
12. Pricing information for potential sales or discounts.
13. The availability of each product to show scarcity and push people to buy.
14. Shipping and tax calculations on the product pages.
15. Materials used dimensions, colours, weight, washing instructions.
16. Available sizes and a sizing guide if needed.
17. A comments section so people can discuss the e-commerce product.
18. A sorting and filter option for customer reviews.
19. An Add to Wish List button on each product page.
20. Videos to display how the product works.
21. A currency converter if needed.
22. A live chat option that shows the support team what the customer is looking at.
23. The product codes for people who might use this for reference later.
24. Stats on each product such as shares, views, sales and people who placed it on their Wish List.
25. Social share buttons for each e-commerce product. 
26. Deals for people who purchase multiple related items together.
27. Use professional-grade pictures and videos.
28. A banner that states if a product is sold out.
29. An area to sign up for notifications when a product becomes available.
30. Make sure the product pages load up just as fast as your homepage.
31. Explain unique features and what makes your product stand out from competitors.
32. Include keywords on each Ecommerce product page to improve search engine rankings.
33. Minimize clutter so the purchase process doesn’t look intimidating.

Step 4: Blogs and Media Pages to Add Value to the Site

 

1. Educational pages.
2. Tutorials.
3. Product reviews and showcases.
4. Company events.
5. A blog with recent events and news.
6. Comments on your blog.
7. Social sharing options for your blog posts.
8. Insider company information to connect with your customers.
9. Lists that relate to your products.
10. An external resources page.
11. Articles about the state of your industry.
12. Areas for people to submit their own content for competitions and drawings.
13. A radio, webcast or podcast page.
14. A page with video testimonials.
15. Case studies and interviews with people who have used your products.

Step 5: Your Customer Checkout, Shopping Cart and Wish List

1. Don’t make the person create an account until after placing an order.
2. Accept all payment methods.
3. Offer low shipping costs.
4. The checkout visual should have fun images.
5. Add checkout buttons on the top and bottom of your pages.
6. Make sure the security and payment seals are most prominent during checkout.
7. Ask people to continue shopping after making a purchase.
8. Allow people to save their favourite products to a Wish List for purchasing later.
9. Make sure that the List items upsell during checkout.
10. Refrain from asking for a survey response after checkout (save this for email).
11. Try free shipping when they spend a certain amount.
12. Offer multiple shipping methods.
13. Include an area to punch in promo codes.
14. Show people how much they saved during checkout.
15. Show the approximate shipping date and time.
16. If selling digital downloads, explain how they receive the product, be open about what you use their personal information for.
17. Offer a sample if they are hesitant about buying.
18. If you sell high priced items, offer financing options like payment instalments.
19. Test the checkout process to see if it works.
20. Refresh the checkout page after adding all details and see changes and report accordingly.
21. Try with the valid card and invalid payment types, cart and checkout page details should be same.
22. Product info at product description page, product detail page and various other pages should be same.

Step 6: Following Up With Customers

 

1. A receipt for the price.
2. Email should be received when a new order is placed by the customer.
3. Email template of different kinds should be working fine on all devices.
4. A picture of the item.
5. Include links to the product, site, support and related product suggestions.
6. Send a one to two weeks follow up to see how the product is.
7. Ask for a review.
8. Offer a discount code if they haven’t ordered again after a few months.
9. Ask them to join a loyalty program.
10. Ask for reviews in exchange for specials and discounts.
11. Ask if they want future notification alerts for specials and products.
12. Sell gift cards in your emails.
13. Send a promotion for abandoned carts.
14. Thank them for their purchase.
15. Show where the product was sent to.
16. Have an option to cancel the order.
17. Links to share on social media.
18. A link to track shipping.
19. The order number and a link to return instructions.
20. Include a survey link. 

Step 7: Support Pages for Your E-commerce Site.

1. Social media pages.
2. Listed emails and contact forms.
3. Listed phone numbers.
4. A Live Chat area.
5. Forums.
6. FAQs.
7. Shipping details.
8. Sharing buttons.
9. Offer 24/7 customer support.
10. Provide an extensive return period.

This blog will surely be of great help to all those who are planning to launch their e-commerce website. AppSierra, an eminent Web development company situated in Noida, India will provide you assistance in all stages of development, testing and digital marketing for your website.


Source Blog- Appsierra blog