Everything a user interacts with after reaching a webpage or any digital service/product is known as UI (User Interface). It is a website’s appearance and usability, the combination of which creates an engaging framework for the user. The UI of a website is any and everything the user encounters when using it. From colors, commands, menus, scrollbars, and other interactive psychology elements that aid communication of a user with the program. Simply put, it’s all about the visuals and their impact on onlookers. UI includes tools, technical tidbits, and elements that add appeal to technology. Websites need a good user experience.
A website’s UI and UX (User Experience) define where it sits in the search results. The UI of a website sets the tone which is directly proportional to the conversion rate. A stimulating UI resonates with the user better and manifests worthwhile client retention. A dull, busy, or complex interface makes sure no one scrolls twice on your webpage before leaving. Hence, a simple yet innovative UI that lays out all the features seamlessly before the user has a huge impact on the brand website’s success. It is also crucial in maintaining a genial relationship with search engines that truly are the lifelines of any digital venture.
How A Perfect Retail Website Should Look?
A retail website should display all that a user is looking for with easy navigation, smooth layouts, and accessible action buttons. Gauging your customer’s expectations and using them as a guiding tool creates the perfect retail website. The good digital presence of any retail brand is comprised of an eye-pleasing color scheme, a fitting search functionality, easy access to delivery information, and most importantly a user-oriented checkout experience.
Customer’s trust and retention propel any retail business forward. A website that clearly states contact information, return and exchange policies, and certified modes of payment are deemed trustable. Product photography should be able to excite the visitor to make a purchase. It should visually convey the feel, taste, benefit to the visitors. Besides that, the fonts, colors, and general aesthetics should spark emotion or interest. Typically, every brand dictates its own theme but minimalistic yet upbeat websites usually invite more viewers.
Making a retail website social is the new way to go! Allow users to drop feedback, ratings, and testimonials for others. Categorization and easy navigation help retail websites score the first page of search results. Break the content into Bestsellers, Contact Us, About Us. Perfect retail websites are built in a responsive format that can run smoothly on all kinds of gadgets and screen sizes.
Ways To Improve Website’s UI
Retail websites are the 24/7 salespersons that every retailer needs. It must be the centerpiece of all marketing efforts as it’s an asset that deserves investing time and money into. Following are 6 ways to improve your website’s UI.
1. Optimize Page Speed
A slow loading retailer website is annoying and plays a major part in increasing bounce rates. To enhance the loading pace, take help from Google’s free services for regularly checking your page speeds and then improve loading speeds. The main factor that slows downloading a new page is images. So, compressing all the large-sized images before uploading them on the website is the way to go. Other things that help are a reliable web hosting plan, enabling caching and minifying CSS and JavaScript codes.
2. The Contrast Effect
Manage the color, font, and other visual contrasts to shift the viewer’s focus on the main points. For instance, using a darker and lighter shade of the same color for two sets of texts will automatically shift the focus on the darker text. Such techniques make useful buttons and links pop out from the rest of the content. Create a visually attractive space and pick a theme that complements the brand. Not to forget, the photos included must facilely sit on their backgrounds.
3. Take Whitespace Seriously
Engineer the whitespaces on your retail website in a way that eliminates the need to excessively scroll by the user. It should be used wisely and in moderation. This means that whitespace between pieces of content should be such that they increase legibility, separate text from images, and makes it look more appealing, rather than just taking up space. Whitespace around titles and text attracts user’s attention and gives a fresh, open feel to the page. Use them tactfully to give the website a polished look and inviting front.
4. Specialized Website Builders
The quality and functionality of a running retail website are related to how it was created. Using a specialized website builder to create your retail website is an easier, quicker, and cheaper option to go for. Pick a website builder that prioritizes the user experience of the website at the highest level. One that allows easy eCommerce management and has all the best analytic tools to launch your retail website by yourself.
See also: Best retail website builders
5. Hovering Controls And CTAs
Removing unnecessary utility links from your website helps in making breezy first impressions. Lessen the crowd by incorporating hover controls for main actions. For instance, bring addition and deletion options for items in shopping carts right at the top so the user doesn’t have to go through the hassle of locating them.
Humans are good at following visual cues, in fact, some might prefer it. Subconsciously direct the visitor to important action buttons by strategically laying them on the webpage. This Calls-to-action must be worded correctly. Include an action or verb that incites the user to just do it. This makes navigation convenient and encourages the customer to browse more.
6. Consistency And Presentation
All the webpages of your retail website must be consistent with each other in terms of illustration styles, fonts, spacing, design elements, photos, tone of the content, etc. Design and photos must flow effortlessly from one page to another in order to grow on to the user and make an influence. They should feel they’re on the same website. Moreover, put key information into segments and break them into bullets. This allows easy readability and quick access to information the user came looking for.
Bottom Line
Unarguably, retailers need noteworthy online presences more than ever when potential customers prefer to simply scroll, tap, and get done with purchasing an item of need. Retailers need a website with a good user experience to connect with target audiences all across the globe and to build brand loyalty over time. A website that offers sufficient information and controls to the user also lowers additional advertising costs. A good website UI/UX also improves Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), which is a measure of value each customer is extracting from your retail business and its impact on the business’s overall performance. Hence, it is worth investing in improving the website and its user experience to increase sales.
