Online selling is more effective now than ever. It allows you to reach out to new and distant markets, give consumers a secure means to buy what they need and when they want, businesses can considerably reduce costs, etc. From groceries to apparel and jewelry, almost anything that you can imagine can be purchased online.

Ecommerce, Its Types and Models

Electronic commerce or ecommerce is the process of buying and selling goods and services online and transferring money to complete the sale. Online selling has evolved significantly and is growing rapidly. The most common types of ecommerce are:

• Business to consumer (B2C)
• Business to business (B2B)
• Direct to customer (D2C)
• Consumer to consumer (C2C)
• Consumer to business (C2B)

Everyone from startups to established businesses can benefit from the opportunity to sell their goods and services online. Some examples of ecommerce delivery models are:

• Retail 

Businesses sell their products directly to the customer under retail.

• Dropshipping 

Unlike a traditional retailer, dropshipping has no inventory to purchase or ship, instead they tie up with third parties to sell products and fulfill orders. The third party ships these products directly to the customers.

• Digital products

Downloadable products that must be purchased for use, such as templates, programs, e-books, software, media, etc. represent a large portion of ecommerce transactions.

• Wholesale 

Retailers usually purchase products in bulk from businesses that sell wholesale. These are sold to consumers.  

• Services

Skills like coaching, writing, music, etc. are purchased online and customers pay for these skills and avail their services. 

• Subscription services

Subscription services are popular D2C models that involve recurring purchases of goods or services.

• Crowdfunding

Through crowdfunding, entrepreneurs can raise their startup funding to launch their products in the market. The product is then made and shipped after a sufficient number of customers have purchased it.

Ecommerce Web Design

Your ecommerce website should aim at engaging clients and completing this task successfully depends on the design of the website. In this new digital environment, standing out with a good looking website and a smooth purchasing experience will take you places. Custom ecommerce website development can help you increase traffic and sales conversions, but it may be expensive. From the homepage to checkout there are a few things to keep in mind while designing your website. 

• Simplicity 

Ecommerce websites are built to allow your customers to shop. The website design should be effortless and easy to use. When a user enters your website for the first time he/she should never look confused. A confusing user interface will not attract customers.  

• Coherence

The overall look and feel of your design should match what you are selling. This will encourage visitors to your website who are looking for the same product. A good understanding of your target audience and your goods will help you create an apt ecommerce web design. 

• Trustworthiness

While visiting your website potential customers need to feel trusted.  When a user reaches the checkout process, the majority of their uncertainties will be overcomed by a design that appears professional. No customer will feel safe giving out their personal or payment data to a shady looking website.

• Transparency

New users will certainly want to know your company, who you are and how you operate, before doing business with you. You can be transparent by making sure that your homepage clearly displays your contact details as well as your shipping and return policies.

• The purchase funnel

An excellent ecommerce website should enable you to guide a new buyer through the entire purchasing process. The website should be designed in such a way that it reduces the inhibitions between each step, from not knowing anything about you to buying your products. Finding products easily, using drop-downs and sub-menu items, being able to browse by product categories, cart icons on every page showing how many items you have in it, customer testimonials,etc. all help in users gaining trust and buying products from you.

Common Web Design Mistakes

Developing a successful ecommerce website may be challenging as even minor errors can result in a great deal of frustration and disinterest among the customers. Below are three common web design mistakes to avoid on ecommerce websites are:

• Lack of Responsive Design

First web design mistakes is the lack of responsiveness, Many consumers shop online directly from their smartphones or tablets, making it important for you to develop a website with responsive design. Responsive design is a web development method that automatically alters a website’s appearance depending on the screen size and configuration of the screen being used. If you do not have this users will not be able to use or interact with your website, causing them to abandon it.

• No Review Option

Second web design mistakes is the no review option, Reviews are important for growing and maintaining your businesses. Your customers are likely to leave behind some reviews on the products purchased, their experience on doing business with you, etc. These reviews will help your future buyers, as the majority of them check reviews before deciding on a product. When your website doesn’t have one, it is a missed opportunity.

• Long checkout process

Second web design mistakes is the checkout session, After giving it much thought, the customer has decided to purchase your product. The next step will provide the shipping address and payment. But at this step, if you make customers fill out four or more pages of information, they are sure to lose interest and quit your website. Simplifying and streamlining the checkout process along with payment methods will see ecommerce businesses experience growth in its revenue. 

Considering the fact that every other business is online, you need to make sure your ecommerce site is effectively and professionally designed. To make the shopping experience pleasant for the customers, some precautions need to be taken as few glitches may drive away potential customers.