My Top 5 high-quality content eCommerce sites
‘Patience is a virtue’.
A lovely saying, isn’t it? Although, I presume the person who invented that adage never had to sit at a computer and trawl the web for information he couldn’t find, all the while blocking pop-ups and being directed to places he never wanted to go. There is never a more infuriating time to encounter these issues than when attempting to purchase something online, and some eCommerce sites don’t make it any easier. When a customer is parting with their money on your site, the last thing you want to do is stress them out, confuse them, or make yourself look unreliable; because inevitably, that person won’t return.
As a consumer, there are a few basic things I need from an eCommerce site:
- It should be immediately obvious to me what you offer on the homepage. If I have to search for more than 8 seconds, I will click off.
- It has to be aesthetically pleasing. Don’t distract me with epileptic graphics. Keep it simple and clear; let your items do the talking.
- A search bar, nice filters and sorts; so I can browse back and forth between pages and not get lost in a vortex of sub-categories.
- I don’t want to have to register to buy something.
- I need to have PayPal as a paying option.
- I need it to arrive on time.
- If I have a problem, I need to be able to speak to a real person, not an automatic response or a voice machine.
Good eCommerce website number 1: Amazon
I’m not going to bother saving the best for last, you knew it was coming. Amazon, you’re easy, you’re thoughtful, you remember what I like. I come back to you because you are cheap, but you have never failed me in quality or delivery time. You’re like a great husband - reliable and trustworthy. Yes, there is a lot going on on the pages, but it makes up for it in every other aspect.
Good eCommerce website number 2: Asos
Asos has a simple layout that allows you to search by size, material, label and colour. On each item of clothing there is a catwalk video where you can see the dress properly, how it moves, how it hangs. When it’s delivered to you, (always on time), it comes with all the papers and free postage stickers inside in case you want to return it. The most hassle-free clothes shopping experience.
Good eCommerce website number 3: John Lewis
John Lewis’ site is classy, comforting and homely, which is exactly what you want from a business that sells homewares. They have perfectly captured their brand and encompassed that in their site. Smooth navigation, easy checkout and friendly customer service. It is one of my top online stores.
Good eCommerce website number 4: NotOnTheHighStreet.com
This is one of these sites that you can instantly tell how much thought and attention to detail they put into their work. Beautiful trinkets speak for themselves on this simple, yet very personalised, site. You can browse with ease with the ‘recently viewed’ list at the bottom, and the photos are very artistic. This makes me want to spend more time on the website, which is a huge credit to them.
Good eCommerce website number 5: Staples
‘What a weird and dull choice to include!’ you say. Well, actually no. Taking in consideration the unpredictability of the average working day, the stresses and mistakes… it’s nice to actually have something to rely on. Office supplies make the workplace go round, so when we are short on anything, I can whiz round their impressively extensive site, look at my last order history which is saved, and know that it will be delivered on time. Their tagline; ‘Staples: That Was Easy’, took the words right out of my mouth.
So I have prattled on for ages now, and it should be pretty clear what makes a good eCommerce site. It sounds boring, but the key is user-friendliness. If your website isn’t designed with your target audience in mind and based on what they’d like to see, then how are they going to believe that you sell anything they’d want?
Still struggling? The answer is simple; take a look at your website and ask yourself;
‘Would YOU buy something from your site?’
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