A webshop is a real feat! Different departments within the company have to work closely together, such as marketing, logistics, purchasing, sales, IT, ... and your company's customers also have specific expectations of your webshop. To make it a bit easier for you, we have made an overview of the chapters you should focus on in order for your webshop to meet consumer expectations in 2022!

To keep things organized, there are 8 chapters, namely product information, store details, personalization, frictionless shopping, flexible fulfilment, customer service, security and mobile.

In this article we will already give a short overview of all chapters, but from the coming weeks on you can find an article per chapter every week where we go a little deeper into the chapter and also cite some customer examples for inspiration!

Chapter 1, Product Information, needs little explanation. If customers want to buy products online, product details such as clear product features and images are crucial. 27% of consumers even indicate that they prefer to purchase items online because all relevant information is often easier to access. In addition, 89% of consumers indicate that they first study information online before making a purchase. Reasons enough to let your marketing and sales team pay the necessary attention to product information on your webshop!

In addition, product ratings and product reviews are also a very important factor in the purchase process. As many as 55% of consumers indicate that they benefit from transparency, which can be achieved through product reviews, comparisons and product information.

Third in this chapter, a good search function is crucial. Search and filter options allow customers to navigate your site effortlessly. Experience also tells us that the conversion rate is higher for customers who use the search function, as they are often looking for a product in a targeted way.

Finally, product prices are of great importance. Not only the cheapest price, but also the display of the product prices is important in the purchase process. No less than 38% of consumers indicate that they bought items online because it was cheaper thanks to offers or lower prices in general.

Would you like to know even more about how to display the correct product information on your webshop? Quickly read this blog article!

The second chapter we are going to cover in this series is about store details. Many webshops also have physical stores and it is important for consumers that the synergy between these two is displayed online.

Firstly, customers want to easily find the opening hours of the stores. Google has seen an increase in the use of Google My Business in their search engine for years and it is clear that many customers search online for opening hours before starting their buyers journey.

Of course, not only the opening hours are very important, but also the route to the store! So make sure that the customer can find clear directions to your store via your webshop. No less than 52% of consumers do online research before making offline purchases. You therefore benefit from a seamless route along the various channels!

Finally, geolocation is also of added value for many customers. After all, if you know where customers are, you can direct them to the nearest store or show them specific regional offers.

Personalization is becoming increasingly important for customers. Everyone likes to feel like a real VIP! Thanks to personal accounts, you can create extra engagement for your customers. This way you can not only better tailor your marketing activities to them, but you can also serve them even better thanks to this extra data.

In addition, customers really enjoy being able to create wish lists or mark products as favorites. As many as 53% of consumers make a purchase because they need to replace an item. Wishlists or favorites can actually support repeat purchases.

The more user-friendly your shopping experience is, the more customers your business will bring in. One of the functionalities that customers greatly appreciate is in-store pick-up. The more useful options you offer to your customers, the better their overall experience will be. No less than 18% of online buyers pick up the product in the store and therefore use click & collect!

A flexible return policy can also make all the difference in a customer's purchasing decision. For example, many customers find it important that items they order online can also be returned in the store.

By this we mean above all the flexibility you offer to your customers during shopping, payment and delivery.

The first crucial part of your webshop is the shopping cart. Can customers easily add items to their basket and view or delete them? In addition, it is also important that this function works well on different devices, especially if you know that, for example, no less than 41% of all Dutch consumers use a mobile device to make online purchases.

In 2022, consumers find speed more important than ever and that is why not only many delivery options are important, but also the possibility to have a product delivered the next day. In addition, it is also important that if customers have the option of having an order delivered the next day, they can also easily see information about any additional costs so that they can make an informed decision. 28% of consumers even indicate that they make an online purchase because it is faster than buying in the store!

Thirdly, free returns are also very important for most consumers. Various studies have already shown that this ensures that customers are willing to buy online faster.

Finally, multiple payment methods are also important in the purchase process for the customer. So make sure you give your customers plenty of options to pay online!

When visiting your online store, many customers also look at the overall quality and availability of your company's customer service.

Firstly, a phone number for contact is crucial. Make sure this is clearly stated and easy to find on your website.

Live chat is also a functionality that consumers appreciate more and more on a webshop. After all, this ensures that people can ask questions about your products and/or your company in an easy and accessible way.

As mentioned above with free returns, in general the returns policy is an important part for the customer. When customers shop online, it is important that they can understand your company's terms and conditions and that your return policy is clearly stated on your website and that it is easy to find.

Social media is also very important from a customer service point of view. Customers use social media to view articles, search for reviews and log in securely to websites. Therefore, make sure you use at least two social media accounts so that customers can reach you in other ways as well. 22% of buyers even state that they gather product information through social media!

It should be obvious these days, but your webshop should of course be safe for your customers!

An HTTPS connection ensures that the communication between your website and browsers is encrypted. After all, as an online seller, it is crucial to always put the protection of customer privacy first.

As a final element, it is very important that your webshop is suitable for mobile devices. Customers now use their mobile phones more than ever to view and buy products, both via their smartphone and via an app.

In addition, the speed on mobile devices is also a crucial part of your webshop. More and more customers are shopping on the go, so it is important that your website works optimally and quickly on mobile devices.

Below is an overview of the 22 most important properties of a good webshop according to Google:

1. Product information
   1. Product details
   2. Product Ratings & Reviews
   3. Product search
   4. Product prices
2. Store details
   1. Opening hours
   2. Store directions
   3. Geolocation
3. Personalization
   1. Personalized accounts
   2. Wishlist/Favorites
4. Frictionless shopping
   1. Store pickup
   2. Order online/return to store
5. Flexible fulfilment
   1. Basket
   2. Next day delivery
   3. Free returns
   4. Multiple payment methods
6. Customer service
   1. Contact phone
   2. Live Chat
   3. Returns Policy
   4. Social Media
7. Security
   1. HTTPS
8. Mobile
   1. Mobile speed
   2. Mobile friendly

As you can see, these are all fairly obvious points, but practice shows that many webshops do not yet comply. In the coming weeks we will be happy to give you inspiration on how to implement these 22 points in practice. Finally: in The Smart Shopper Research, a survey conducted by Google, no less than 82% of online buyers indicated that convenience aspects were the driving factor for their online purchases. Enough reasons to ensure that your webshop achieves a perfect score on these 22 points!