Top 8 Must-Haves of an eCommerce Website in 2022

With the onset of the global pandemic, the shift towards online shopping is rapidly becoming the new normal. In 2021 alone, eCommerce generated 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.

And it’s not expected to slow down any time soon. A forecast by statista.com reports that eCommerce is set to grow by 50 percent over the next four years – and projected to reach a whopping 7.4 trillion US dollars by 2025.

A functional eCommerce website typically has a Homepage, a Products page, a Blog, and an About Us page. But in 2022, eCommerce owners need to think beyond the basics to meet the ever-changing technological landscape and developing needs of their customers. Here are some of the essential elements every eCommerce website should include in 2022.

1. Responsive Website Design

Recent reports show that 79% of smartphone users purchased products online with their mobile devices within the last six months, and due to the global pandemic, many B2B brands have adopted mobile websites – with 80% of B2B buyers are now using a mobile device to make purchases. The development of custom-branded apps has also increased in recent years, which has paved the way for optimizing the online customer journey.
How can you make your website mobile-ready? Ensure that it has a responsive design which is adaptable to different screen sizes, layouts and resolutions, and do a mobile friendly test to ensure it looks great across all devices.

2. User-Friendly Navigation

To help your visitors get where they need to go easily and efficiently—may it be purchasing, looking for additional information, or even getting in touch with customer service—it’s important to make your navigation as user-friendly as possible.
Eye-tracking research shows people spend 80% of their viewing time on the left portion of your website and only 20% on the right side, so to maximize the attention of your audience, pay the most attention to the left-side portion of your site.

Amazon is a great example of an optimized website with a both a vertical and user-friendly navigation interface. Other navigation best practices include:

  • List the most important features at the top
  • Choose SEO-optimized terms for your menu
  • Include a search bar
  • Label important pages and cluster them accordingly

3. Multiple Security Features

As technology continues to develop, the risk of hacking and security breaches rise. That’s why another must-have for your eCommerce website is security features. One of the best methods to secure data and information online is to use VPN (a virtual private network).

To keep your website – and your customers’ information – secure and protected – it can pay to enhance your website with the following security features:

Install an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate

This ensures that all data passed between the webs server and browser remains private.

Set up multi-factor authentication

You never know when and where your passwords might get compromised. That’s why setting up a second authentication factor to verify a log-in attempt is essential for maintaining the integrity of your accounts

Choose plug-ins carefully

While plug-ins can enhance the digital customer experience of your website, it’s important to be careful as to not compromise your website.

4. Offer Multiple Payment Options

Your eCommerce website should also be flexible in terms of payment options and methods. While you should know what specific payment method your target audience prefers, having other options available can enhance the customer experience.

For a higher chance of customer retention and customer loyalty growth, here are some best practices you can apply to your eCommerce website this 2022.

Offer various payment methods

You will never know when a payment channel may be down, so it pays to have other options available. Doing so will make your website more flexible, and perhaps be the difference between an abandoned cart and a sale.

Display your payment options prominently before checkout

One way to build trust with your clients is to reassure them they have plenty of options to complete their purchase

6. Detailed Shipping and Return Information

To enhance trust and set expectations, it’s important to display whether your website offers free or paid shipping. Failing to do so may lead to abandoned carts, or even customers shifting to a competitor brand.

Another thing you should consider on your checkout page is informing clients of your return process. This is because 92% of consumers will buy again if the return process is easy. 

If you give your customers a great user experience, they will become repeat customers. This not only helps in reducing losses but also in creating better customer relationships.

To address these changes in customer behavior, here are some best practices:

  • Display whether the item is on-hand and has remaining stock
  • Inform customers about your returns process and expected arrival times.
  • Offer real-time customer service options to cater to queries.
  • Display Shipping Policy, as well as your Return Policy.

7. Contact Page with Multiple Contact Options

So once you’ve convinced a customer to buy your products and trust your brand, what happens next? This is where it’s important to build a relationship with your customers. In addition to finding their email address and adding them to your mailing list, it doesn’t hurt that you have an on-site option where your customers can reach you should they have questions, clarifications, concerns or feedback.
This could be in the form of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), a contact form, or a live chat. Hubspot’s contact page caters to a variety of different contact methods.

contact8. Create an Omnichannel Platform

Now that you have an optimized eCommerce website, it’s important to increase your reach by creating an omnichannel platform. An omnichannel platform will help you connect with your customers and provide a seamless customer experience without users having to log in to various social media channels and other platforms.
With an omnichannel platform, you can meet your customers wherever they are and give them a consistent level of service across their chosen communication channels.

Optimize Your eCommerce Website in 2022

An optimized eCommerce Website can greatly impact your business. While it’s only one element of your marketing tools and strategies, it’s a major player that could make or break the success of your eCommerce business. Don’t miss the eCommerce train! Optimize your website today and take your brand to the next level.