What’s an e-commerce website?

An e-commerce website means creating a website for selling and buying goods and other services online, simply put online shopping as we commonly know it.

E-commerce is also used as E-Business, and it involves electronically transferring data and funds between two or more parties over an electronic medium, the Internet. The first-ever online purchase was made in 1994, a Sting CD sold by a US retailer.

As time passed, the e-commerce websites and shopping evolved so much, that today, anybody can buy literally anything with a device that’s connected to the internet. Especially now, when almost every person on the planet has a smartphone, it became so much easier to shop online, and you can buy literally anything you want with a device connected to the Internet.

According to oberlo.in: “In 2020, e-commerce sales are expected to account for 15.5 percent of retail sales worldwide.”

Types of e-commerce websites

Different e-commerce websites are labeled differently based on the function they serve:

• Business-to-Business (B2B)- Electronic transactions of goods and services between companies.
• Business-to-Consumer (B2C)- Electronic transactions of goods and services between companies and consumers.
• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)-Electronic transactions of goods and services between consumers through a third party.
• Consumer-to-Business(C2B)- Electronic transactions of goods and services between individuals offer products to businesses.

Top E-commerce Websites

• Amazon
• Taobao
• Lazada
• Shopee
• Qoo10

These are the most popular e-commerce websites, with the highest number of sellers and buyers.

In this article, we listed the 9 must-have features to build a successful e-commerce website :

1. Website usability - Many website hosts make the mistake of neglecting usability on their sites, while this is an important factor when it comes to building a successful e-commerce website. There are several factors to take into consideration when improving your website’s usability such as mobile compatibility, well-formatted content that is easy to scan, fast load times and effective navigation. Website usability plays an important role in the success of your e-commerce website. Improving usability will make the user’s experience better navigating on the website.
2. High - resolution photos and videos-This is another important factor to take into consideration when building your website. Shoppers want to see high-resolution photos and videos of the product you’re selling. They will want to see the product in detail and from many different angles. This is why you should make sure to invest in a high-quality camera and take high-resolution photos and videos of your products. This will ensure a successful selling and buying experience.
3. User-generated reviews - 95% of shoppers read reviews before deciding on buying a product or not. Many people think that having bad reviews will reduce sales significantly, but in fact, it’s the opposite that will. If you only have 5-star reviews it will seem censored or fake, but if you have some bad reviews next to the good ones, it will encourage buyers to purchase the product anyway, because the reviews will be genuine.
4. Special offers - Most of the e-commerce websites use special offers weekly or monthly to increase sales. They use platforms such as email, social media, or texts to promote their products and to notify about their special offers and discounts. This way, shoppers will be more motivated to buy certain products, but if they don’t end up buying the product, they will still visit your website and there’s a chance they will go back later and purchase something else they like.
5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - FAQ sections provide a self-help area for the most asked questions answered regarding the product or service you’re selling. Most buyers will ask about product support, return policy, lost account passwords, etc. This is a convenient feature to have for the buyer and for the website-host as well.
6. Social-media - Linking your social media accounts to your website will give your website character and personality, rather than just offering products and constantly bombing buyers about special offers. It gives an opportunity to bond with your audience, and with social media today, this is a very easy and convenient thing to do. By doing that, you will make customers for life so making an effort will worth it in the long run.
7. Return Policy - This is an essential part of any e-commerce website. By illustrating a clearly visible and easy to understand return-policy, it will reassure buyers that they have a refund guaranteed if they don’t like the product they purchased. You need to make it clearly visible on your website to build trust between you and your customers.
8. Contact Page - This is another important thing you should not neglect when building your e-commerce website. Having a detailed and well-presented contact-page will reassure a buyer that they can get in contact with you through several platforms. Nothing builds trust more than a detailed contact page. You should include multiple ways to get in touch, like phone number, email, online form, etc.
9. Shipping information - Buyers should be well-informed about your shipping policy and costs. Usually, people tend to not buy certain products due to the high costs of shipping. Including important information about shipping and providing a fast-delivery option will increase your sales significantly. A study shows that 30% of buyers tend to spend more on orders that come with free shipping, therefore, creating promo codes for free shipping might be a smart idea.

There are several important factors to take into consideration when building your e-commerce website.

In this article, we listed the most important steps to take for success and we hope you’ll find them helpful in building your online business and website.