18 E-commerce Website Features for a Thriving Online Store
December 17th, 2024
If you’re running an e-commerce website, you know how fierce the competition is—especially when global e-commerce sales are expected to reach $6.3 trillion by 2024. But how do you make your store stand out and boost sales? With smart e-commerce features.
In this post, we’re diving into 18 e-commerce features that can take your online store from average to thriving. By implementing these essential features, you can significantly reduce shopping cart abandonment, streamline your checkout process, and create a seamless shopping journey that keeps customers coming back.
How the Right E-Commerce Website Features Can Boost Your Business?
With more people shopping online than ever before, having a well-designed e-commerce website isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity.
There are over 24 million e-commerce sites globally and new ones popping up daily, so your website’s features can be the make-or-break factor for your e-commerce business. It’s not enough to just list your products; you need to create an experience that makes shopping easy, enjoyable, and secure for your customers.
Here’s why having the right e-commerce features is so critical:
- Builds Brand Credibility: A sleek, professional-looking website instantly makes your e-commerce business appear more trustworthy. People are far more willing to shop when they feel secure and confident in your brand.
- Encourages Customer Loyalty: An e-commerce website that is designed well doesn’t just attract first-time buyers—it encourages them to return. By delivering a consistent and enjoyable shopping experience, you increase the chances of repeat purchases.
- Drives Sales Growth: Optimized e-commerce features streamline the buying process, reducing obstacles for customers and making it more likely for them to complete their purchases, ultimately boosting your sales.
- Increases Visibility: When your website is optimized for search engines, more people find you. This leads to more organic traffic, expanding your reach and increasing the chances of attracting new customers.
Crucial E-commerce Website Features for More Conversions
In this section, we’ll break down crucial e-commerce features to look for when creating an online store. Not only do they enhance the user experience, but also directly contribute to higher conversions. So, what do you need to consider when choosing an E-commerce platform?
1. Site Search
A seemingly subtle but impactful feature of e-commerce websites is site search. When customers visit your e-commerce website, they don’t always want to browse through categories—they often know exactly what they’re looking for. That’s where an efficient internal search feature comes into play.
A powerful search bar helps users quickly find specific products without having to navigate through multiple pages. In fact, 69% of e-commerce visitors use the search bar and 80% leave due to a poor experience.
Nordstrom sets a great example with their advanced search feature, offering product suggestions and autocomplete options to help customers find items faster.
Additionally, their search function includes filters like brand, size, and price range, making it even easier for users to pinpoint exactly what they need.
In Webnode: YES – Profi and Business Premium Plan
2. User Accounts
User accounts are key to building a personalized shopping experience and boosting customer retention. When customers create accounts, they can save shipping information, view order histories, and receive personalized product recommendations, which makes future shopping faster and more enjoyable.
It also allows businesses to foster loyalty through rewards programs, special discounts, and tailored offers based on users’ purchase history.
A great example is Myntra, which uses user accounts effectively by offering features like wishlists, order tracking, and personalized product recommendations based on browsing history. Customers can also save their payment details for faster checkouts, making the shopping process quicker and more efficient.
In Webnode: NO
3. Customizable Product Pages
A detailed product page is critical because it’s where potential customers make their purchasing decisions. It doesn’t just list the product—it tells a story about it, giving customers everything they need to feel confident about their purchase.
Why is this important? Because customers are less likely to return products if they know exactly what they’re getting. In fact, 87% of online shoppers say that detailed product content is a key factor when deciding to make a purchase.
This includes high-quality images, detailed descriptions, dimensions, customer reviews, and even videos or tutorials.
For example, IKEA is known for its highly informative product pages. Every product includes multiple images, a detailed description of materials and dimensions, and even assembly instructions.
They go the extra mile by including customer reviews and related product suggestions, making it easier for shoppers to get all the information they need to feel confident about their purchase.
Customers who feel informed are more likely to buy and less likely to return items. By providing all necessary details up front, you build trust and reduce post-purchase regret.
In Webnode: YES – All E-commerce Premium Plans
4. Product Variants
Offering product variants is crucial for e-commerce sites because it allows customers to choose different options like size, color, material, or model without searching for separate listings.
This not only enhances the shopping experience but also makes it more convenient for customers to find exactly what they need. Having all product options under one listing reduces friction and simplifies the decision-making process.
This seamless experience keeps shoppers engaged and prevents them from leaving your site to search for alternatives.
In Webnode: YES – Profi and Business Premium Plan
5. Product Reviews
93% of consumers say that online reviews impact their purchasing choices. Allowing customers to share their honest feedback gives potential buyers social proof that your product delivers on its promises. Reviews provide authentic insight into the product, often answering questions that aren’t covered in the product description.
Including a review system on your e-commerce website builds trust and also increases conversion rates, making it an essential feature for any store looking to boost sales.
In Webnode: Only manual adding by HTML
6. Product Videos
Videos provide a dynamic way to showcase your products in action, allowing customers to get a better sense of the product’s features, functionality, and real-world use. They also improve engagement—visitors are more likely to stay on the page longer when there’s a video to watch, which increases the likelihood of making a purchase.
This is especially useful for products that benefit from visual demonstrations, such as electronics, clothing, or home goods.
Zappos does a great job of integrating product videos into their listings. For most of their shoes, they include short video clips where a representative explains the product, its key features, and shows it in motion.
This allows potential buyers to get a closer look at the product, which can help reduce uncertainty and lead to higher conversion rates. Besides increasing browsing experience and sales, product videos also level up the quality of SEO content of your product pages, helping you get more organic traffic and revenue.
In Webnode: YES – All E-commerce Premium Plans
7. Product Feed
A product feed is a dynamic and essential tool that allows your e-commerce store to showcase your products across various platforms and marketplaces.
By integrating a product feed, you can automatically share updated product information like titles, descriptions, prices, and images with external channels and marketplaces. This not only saves time but also ensures your product listings remain accurate and consistent across multiple sales channels.
For example, Webnode’s product feed feature makes it simple to connect your online store to platforms like Google Merchant Center or Meta Commerce Manager (Facebook). This helps boost your store’s visibility and attracts customers who are actively searching for the products you sell.
In Webnode: YES – Profi and Business Premium Plan
8. Discounts and Promo Codes
Shoppers love the feeling of getting a deal, and limited-time offers or special discounts create a sense of urgency, encouraging them to buy now rather than later. Promo codes also give you an opportunity to reward loyal customers, encourage new buyers, and even reactivate abandoned shopping carts.
ASOS is an excellent example of how discounts and promo codes can be effectively utilized. They frequently offer student discounts, seasonal promo codes, and exclusive app-only offers, which not only entice new users but also keep regular customers coming back for more.
By offering easy-to-apply promo codes at checkout, ASOS ensures that customers feel they’re getting added value with their purchase.
However, the key to success with discounts and promo codes is to balance enticing offers with clear communication. Make sure the discount is easy to apply and the terms are transparent to avoid frustrating customers.
In Webnode: YES – Profi and Business Premium Plan
9. Clear Call to Action (CTA) Buttons
A well-designed Call to Action (CTA) button can make all the difference between a visitor and a buyer. The importance of clear CTAs is huge, with studies showing that specific, clear CTA can increase conversions by up to 161%.
If your CTA buttons are unclear or hidden, you risk losing potential customers who might not know what to do next. On the other hand, CTAs like “Buy Now,” “Add to Cart,” or “Sign Up” guide users toward the next step in their shopping journey.
To optimize your CTA buttons, ensure they are easy to spot, use direct language, and are strategically placed throughout the user journey to encourage customers to take action.
In Webnode: YES – All E-commerce Premium Plans
10. Membership Registration
Membership registration allows you to lock individual pages of your website. This function is useful if you need pages for registered users only. By registering, customers can access exclusive content.
For instance, membership registration enables you to offer perks like early access to sales, members-only discounts, and personalized emails that showcase products relevant to the customer’s interests. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also increases the likelihood of repeat purchases.
In Webnode: YES – Page locking is possible with all plans, including free, but registration and allowing access to users is only possible with the Premium Plans – Standard (100 users), Profi and Business (Unlimited)
11. Multiple Language Versions
Reaching a global audience is essential for scaling your e-commerce business, and offering multiple language versions of your site is a powerful way to achieve this. By providing content in your customers’ native languages, you create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.
Webnode allows you to create multiple language versions of your website, enabling you to connect with customers from different regions effortlessly. This feature helps you cater to diverse markets and build stronger relationships with your international audience, ensuring no potential customer feels left out due to language barriers.
In Webnode: YES – Standard, Profi and Business Premium Plan
12. International Shipping
Expanding your e-commerce store’s reach means enabling international shipping. This feature allows you to sell products globally, unlocking a larger customer base and boosting your revenue potential. Customers expect transparent information about shipping costs, delivery times, and options.
Webnode’s international shipping feature simplifies the process by allowing you to set shipping zones and rates, ensuring accurate calculations for each order. Different shipping methods and rates can be set for different continents or countries around the world. The price is then automatically recalculated for the e-commerce customer based on the address they choose for delivery.
In Webnode: YES – Profi and Business Premium Plan
13. Multiple Currencies
Offering multiple currencies on your e-commerce website is a must for global shoppers. It removes the hassle of manual currency conversions and enhances the trustworthiness of your store, as customers feel more comfortable purchasing in their local currency.
Webnode ensures that currencies automatically adjust based on the customer’s location, creating a seamless and localized shopping experience. This small but significant adjustment helps reduce friction and shopping cart abandonment, increasing your chances of closing international sales.
In Webnode: YES – Business Premium Plan
14. Secure Payment Gateway
E-commerce fraud is on the rise, and 17% of customers will abandon their shopping cart if the payment page looks untrustworthy.
A secure payment gateway ensures that your customers’ sensitive data—like credit card information—is safely encrypted and protected from fraud. When customers feel confident that their transactions are secure, they’re far more likely to complete a purchase.
Webnode offers multiple secure payment gateway options, including PayPal, Stripe, Paytrail, or Klarna, which use SSL encryption to protect customer data.
Using a reliable payment gateway helps build trust, encourages repeat purchases, and ensures your customers feel safe shopping on your site. Implementing features like SSL certificates and displaying trusted payment badges (logos) can further reassure customers that their transactions are secure.
In Webnode: YES – Standard, Profi and Business Premium Plan
15. Easy Checkout Process
A smooth and easy checkout process is essential for converting visitors into buyers. If your checkout process is too complicated, long, or requires too much information, customers are likely to abandon their shopping carts.
Simplifying the steps, offering guest checkout, and providing auto-fill features can make the experience quick and hassle-free, encouraging customers to complete their purchase.
Apple provides one of the best examples of a streamlined checkout process. They allow customers to check out as a guest, provide multiple payment options, and use auto-fill features to make form-filling effortless. Additionally, the entire process is clearly laid out, which reduces confusion and helps customers feel confident that their purchase will go through without a hitch.
Additionally, the entire process is clearly laid out, which reduces confusion and helps customers feel confident that their purchase will go through without a hitch.
In Webnode: YES – Standard, Profi and Business Premium Plan
16. Automatic Invoicing
Automating the invoicing process saves time and minimizes errors, offering a professional touch to your e-commerce operations. With automatic invoicing, customers receive accurate and detailed receipts immediately after completing their purchase, enhancing their trust and satisfaction.
Webnode generates invoices with all the necessary details, such as order numbers, products, prices, and tax information, making it easier for customers to keep track of their transactions. For businesses, it simplifies bookkeeping and ensures compliance with financial regulations.
In Webnode: YES – Business Premium Plan
17. Automatic Notifications
Keeping customers informed at every stage of their purchase journey is key to building trust and providing a smooth shopping experience. Automatic notifications ensure that your customers receive timely updates, from order confirmation and shipping updates to delivery notifications.
Webnode allows you to send customized emails or messages at critical touchpoints, reducing customer inquiries like “Where’s my order?” and improving overall satisfaction. These notifications not only enhance the post-purchase experience but also create opportunities to engage customers further, such as sending thank-you emails or suggesting related products.
In Webnode: YES – Business Premium Plan
18. Order Tracking
97% of customers want to be able to track their orders at all times. Order tracking enhances the post-purchase experience and provides customers with peace of mind.
By allowing customers to track their package from the moment it’s shipped until it arrives at their doorstep, you reduce anxiety and build trust. This transparency also cuts down on “Where’s my order?” inquiries, leading to fewer customer service calls and emails.
Myntra provides excellent order tracking through its app and website, allowing customers to follow their order at each stage of the delivery process. Customers receive notifications when their package is shipped, in transit, out for delivery, and successfully delivered.
Myntra even offers real-time delivery updates, showing customers exactly when their package is expected to arrive, making the experience smoother and more reliable.
In Webnode: YES – All E-commerce Premium Plans
Empower your Online Store with Webnode’s E-commerce Features
Compare Webnode’s premium plans and e-commerce features and choose the best one for you. Whether you’re just starting or looking to upgrade, Webnode’s e-commerce features make it easy to build an e-shop that sells.
The Key to E-Commerce Success: It’s All in the Details and Features
E-commerce is constantly evolving, and to keep up with it, it’s essential to have the right features in place. From site search to order tracking, each element we’ve discussed plays a crucial role in enhancing the customer experience and driving sales.
By optimizing your website with these features, you not only improve usability but also build trust, encourage engagement, and increase conversions.
Ready to take your e-commerce business to the next level? Start with Webnode, where you can easily create a professional online store.
Author’s Bio:
Vanya Gupta is a content writer writing in various niches but has experience in SaaS and marketing niches. She is currently helping SaaS companies enhance their visibility through SEO optimized content. In her spare time, she enjoys improving her writing skills.