The number of eCommerce stores has continued to grow rapidly, with businesses of every size now selling online. What was once a differentiator is now a baseline expectation.
This surge in online competition has given customers more choice than ever, and their expectations have shifted. User experience, speed, and trust play just as critical a role in purchasing decisions as product quality and price.
- What eCommerce Store Features are customers looking for?
- What do they need to see to make them want to stay and make a purchase?
- And what makes them return in the future and buy more?
We have generated the following factors based on our years of experience in designing, developing and marketing successful eCommerce stores to help you answer the questions above.
Factor 1 – Fast Load Times
Speed is crucial for both User Experience and SEO. Google prioritises fast-loading sites, and if your shop is slow, users will leave before engaging, which can damage your rankings.
Ensure fast load times across mobile, desktop, and tablet by streamlining code, compressing images, and investing in quality hosting. eCommerce sites are often resource-heavy, so high-performance servers are essential for managing traffic and data effectively.
Key tip: Optimise your eCommerce store and invest in good hosting.
Factor 2 – Accurate and Useful Product Images and Descriptions
Online customers rely entirely on the information you provide. To reduce returns and improve satisfaction, ensure your product images and descriptions are clear, accurate, and genuinely helpful.
Include high-quality images from multiple angles, ideally with:
- A white background image from a key angle
- An alternative angle (if different)
- Lifestyle or in-use images
- Close-ups of key details (e.g. zips or stitching)
- For clothing or accessories: shots of the item being worn
Think about what a customer would inspect if holding the item in a high street shop.
Descriptions should complement the imagery by highlighting key details, such as:
- Colour
- Size and fit
- Material or fabric
- Notable features
- Matching items
- Weight
- Usage ideas
- Safety information
Detailed, user-focused content also boosts your visibility in search results.
Key Tip: Ensure good-quality images and product descriptions for all your products.
Factor 3 – Accurate Stock Levels
Convenience is a major reason people shop online; they can browse and buy while relaxing at home or commuting to work.
But few things are more frustrating than ordering a product only to discover it’s out of stock or missing from the delivery. To avoid this, ensure your website reflects accurate stock levels at all times.
Use real-time inventory management software, often built into quality eCommerce platforms, to keep stock data up to date and avoid disappointment.
Top Tip: Invest in real-time stock inventory
Factor 4 – The Option to Buy as a Guest
Convenience is key in eCommerce, and one way to support it is by offering guest checkout. Many shoppers, especially first-time visitors or those unfamiliar with your brand, may hesitate to create an account. Forcing registration can lead to abandoned baskets and lost sales.
Guest checkout is also essential for mobile users, who may face slow connections or be on the go, which can make account creation difficult.
Worried about missing marketing opportunities? Offer incentives like discount codes or newsletter sign-ups to collect emails without disrupting the buying process.
Top Tip: Allow for Guest checkout to avoid alienating new customers
Factor 5 – Clear Pricing
Transparency builds trust in eCommerce. Customers expect to see clear pricing, VAT details, and delivery costs upfront, especially in an Amazon Prime world of fast, low-cost shipping.
Unexpected fees at checkout are a top reason for cart abandonment. Clear, honest pricing reduces drop-offs and drives more completed sales.
Get this right, and your abandoned basket rate will not be unnecessarily high, and you will see your sales flood in.
Top Tip: Show clearly all costs for the product, including VAT and delivery, to avoid surprising your customer.
Factor 6 – Website & Payment Security
A secure payment system is essential for any eCommerce store. Customers won’t risk their personal information and will abandon carts if a site feels unsafe.
Ensuring the use of secure payment gateways, SSL certificates, and good security protocols will help enhance security.
Just making your website safe isn’t enough, though; you need to demonstrate its safety. Using logos such as VeriSign and major credit cards and payment acceptance symbols offers reassurance to customers.
Having a secure eCommerce store also benefits you, the owner. A secure site means there’s a lower risk that a hacker will succeed in gaining access to your website. Also, improving visibility in search engines, as platforms like Google tend to rank secure websites higher.
Top Tip: Keep your customers and your website safe with a secure eCommerce website.
Factor 7 – Social Proof
The final factor that customers have proven to want in an eCommerce store is social proof.
Customers increasingly rely on social proof when shopping online. Reviews and social media often influence, or even start, their buying decisions.
Maintaining a positive online presence through great service, active engagement, and encouraging customer reviews builds trust and reassures buyers that your store is reputable and worth purchasing from.
Top Tip: Encourage online reviews to help build up evidence that you are worth buying from.
Summary: eCommerce Store Features
Making sure your eCommerce store includes these key elements is only the beginning. The most successful online retailers continuously refine their sites to match changing customer expectations and stay ahead of competitors.
If you’re ready to take your eCommerce store further, our team can help. Get in touch today or complete the form below, and we’ll show you how to create an online shopping experience that drives sales and keeps customers coming back.
