Usability is important for the success of any e-commerce website. Good usability builds trust and confidence amongst customers. It also improves the shopping experience of customers and helps promote customer loyalty.

Setting up an online e-commerce website is a challenging task. It requires an effective website that is easy to use and meets the expectations of customers. Following are twelve essential website usability features that can help your e-commerce website succeed.

1. Secure Pages (SSL)

Security is a major concern for e-commerce websites. It is important for the website to be secure for customers to feel safe in sharing sensitive information such as credit card details or other personal details. SSL certificate on a website ensures all data that is transmitted is encoded and secure. Links to SSL enabled secure pages display “https://” in the URL.

2. Product Reviews / Rating

The ability to rate or review a product is a simple yet effective way to improve the usability and interactivity of your e-commerce website. It promotes trust and lets users make informed buying decisions based on feedback received from other customers.

3. Top Sellers

Listing your top selling products is an effective way to cross sell products on your website. You can display it on the homepage or on the side-bar.

4. Related Products

Related Products is another great way to cross sell products on your website. It improves navigation and makes it easier for users to browse through the products. If using this feature, it is important to relate products with other products that genuinely require you do so. This will make you seem trustworthy and authoritative.

5. Other Ways to Cross-sell/Suggest Products

There are many other ways to improve sales by suggesting products to customers at various stages of the shopping process. This also improves the general usability of the website as it makes it easier for customers to find products they may require. Following are some common ways to suggest products on your website:

“Recommended Products”, “Our Suggestions”, “You may also be interested in” or “customers who bought this product also bought the following”. The possibilities are endless.

6. Social media integration

Make it easy for users to share your content on social media. Facebook Like Button or tweet this button is the easiest way to do this. For best results however, you should not limit yourself to this. Look into additional ways to boost social engagement and look beyond Facebook and Twitter.

7. Enlarge Image/ Light box

Product images play an important role in the buying decision of customers. Whilst it is OK to have image galleries or thumbnails, you can improve the usability by offering full large images of your products. A simple ‘enlarge image’ link or light box feature can improve your conversion rate.

Ecommerce Usability - Full Image

8. Wishlist

Wishlist feature offers many benefits. It allows customers to share the list with others or save products for future purchases. It improves usability and saves them from having to search for the products again.

9. Discount Vouchers/Coupons

Promotions and discounts are a great way to improve your sales and promote customer loyalty. For best results, you should promote your offers on social media and search engines.

10. Advanced Search/Filters

Advanced search and additional search filters for products can improve the usability of your e-commerce site manifold. This is especially important if you have a large product range or if you have multiple categories or sub categories. See image below:

11. Shipping calculator

Shipping charges can be an important consideration for customers when buying a product. Customers should be able to ascertain the shipping cost before they start making the purchase. You can achieve this by offering a shipping calculator on your website or through a banner if you have a flat delivery charge. This will reduce the bounce/exit rate of your cart.

12. Order Tracking/Order History

Ability to track an order is another important usability consideration for e-commerce websites. Past order history also improves usability especially if you have repeat customers.