1. Responsive Design

The use of mobile devices to surf the web is increasing. In the years to come, most e-commerce sales will enter through mobile devices. This means that an online store must be optimized on all types of displays. Ideally, each screen should have a look at what a product, CTA or homepage looks like.
Implementing a responsive design to make a website accessible on every device is important for the success of your online shop. Whatever the platform, you have to make sure that your mobile users are satisfied.

2.  Support Guest Checkouts

Nowadays most online platforms want users to create an account to make a purchase. Logical, because this creates a lot of opportunities to do marketing and research. Crucial determinants to encourage future sales and to better understand your customers. It is important to remember that not everyone wants to go through the process of creating an account.

Returning customers may want to register with all the benefits of having an account:

• For storing information in order to facilitate future purchases
• Receiving notifications about future sales
• Extra discounts with a customer account
  

It' s still a good idea to offer a guest checkout option. This way, you will convince customers who are suspicious about revealing their details just like that.
 

3. The search functionality  is important

Statistics show that over 30% of visitors use a search functionality to find the products they are looking for. It is important to ensure that a search functionality is findable and easy to use. Additional features such as an autofill or advanced search will also help to find popular products or items related to their searches.
 

4. Safety first

All webshops with sensitive information must support SSL to encrypt it securely. This applies in particular to payment data, but also all personal data such as addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and more. Customers expect personal information to remain safe when they make a purchase online. Implementing SSL is not only a good idea but essential to ensure that customers trust and securely assess your e-commerce platform. 

Tip: Do not store credit card numbers in the database of your online platform. Although it might seem a good idea to keep track of card information to simplify purchases for customers, keeping this information on your server is a huge security risk. Your company will always be liable for the loss of this data in the event of a break-in or security breach.

5. Optimize the performance of the website

If your website is slow, there is a real chance that you will lose customers. Statistics show that 40% of users leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This is especially true for mobile users, who often multitask.

Some ways to make your website run at lightning speed:

• Combine JavaScript and CSS source files because users only need to download one JavaScript file or style sheet instead of five or ten.
• Compress images to show the best visuals in the smallest possible size.
• Use caching to reduce the time it takes to send data between the web server and the database server.