Ecommerce is a lucrative market for many businesses. By now, nearly every retail brand has either started or is working on launching an ecommerce store.
Global ecommerce revenue is projected to reach 5.4 trillion US dollars by 2022. Therefore, more and more retailers have jumped into the ecommerce space to make more money. With increasing competition, however, it has become crucial for ecommerce businesses to deliver the best brand experience for improved customer retention and brand loyalty.
The choice of your website’s ecommerce theme plays a vital role in preparing an UX-friendly digital destination that helps to acquire more customers.
What is an ecommerce theme?
An ecommerce theme is a pre-built design that you can select for your online store. It helps to deliver the best user experience to your customers.
Why is the choice of your ecommerce theme significant?
Around 40% of site visitors will stop interacting with your site if the layout is unattractive. Selecting the right ecommerce theme for your online store helps your customers to do business with you with ease.
What features should you look for in your ecommerce theme?
The features that you should have in your site depends on the kind of website that you are looking to build.
That having been said, here are the top features you should look for in every ecommerce theme:
Responsive Design
A responsive website is mobile-friendly. Having a responsive site design ensures that your website’s look and functionality stays the same irrespective of the browsing device. It doesn’t matter whether the visitor is visiting your store using a mobile device or a desktop, they will be able to complete the purchase easily.
A responsive design also has a positive impact on Google rankings, because Google and other search engines consider site design, user experience, and mobile browsing experience before ranking a website.
Hence, a responsive website has more chances of ranking higher in the search results as compared to a non-responsive site. Besides, a responsive site is easy to maintain and cost-effective.
Speed
Faster loading websites naturally offer a more smooth user experience. Google and other search engines now consider site speed in their ranking algorithm.
The recent Page Experience update from Google takes into account Core Web Vitals as a key ranking algorithm factor. Core Web Vitals comprises metrics such as LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FCP (First Contentful Paint), and FID (First Input Delay), which collectively measure the real world user experience. Sites that pass the Core Web Vitals test have the best chances of being placed higher in the search results.
You can use the Page Speed Insights tool to check the page speed score of a website. The higher the score, the better would be the UX and organic rankings.
Therefore, before selecting a theme, you should conduct some research on the theme loading speed. Sometimes, fancy elements and design don’t matter much when compared to simple site design with a high speed.
Ease of Use
You should always select an ecommerce theme with a simple and easy to use navigation.
For example, your theme should have a search bar, because often visitors are looking to search for a particular product to complete the purchase. If your site doesn’t have a visible search bar, then it might lead to poor conversions and a high bounce rate.
Opt for a theme that has nicely designed “breadcrumb navigation” and prominent category and subcategory links. Besides, the CTAs should be large and clear. There are maximum chances of conversions when the CTAs are placed higher in the page leading to more clicks.
Security
Website security is crucial for a good user experience. Google takes website security very seriously. Make sure your ecommerce site offers good security.
Opt for an SSL certificate and pick a trustworthy web host. Ensure, your ecommerce theme does not have any vulnerabilities that makes it easier for hackers to steal customer data.
Support for integrations and widgets
Most of the time, you will realize that it is much easier to install a widget or an app to add an additional feature to your online shop.
You can find essential apps and plugins in the respective directories of your ecommerce platform. Plugins are powerful because they let you add beneficial functionalities to your store without the need to hire a developer. You can easily search and install a plugin of your choice to add different functionalities to improve UX and SEO.
Hence, you should see whether your chosen theme is compatible with the plugins you plan to use. You should select an ecommerce theme that offers the support for maximum plugins, apps, and widgets.
Final thoughts
Building and managing your ecommerce business is challenging nowadays. The choice of your ecommerce theme decides the future of your online business.
An SEO friendly store layout helps to acquire relevant organic traffic to your site. Besides, an UX-friendly theme keeps customers happy as it improves conversion and retention, which are significant to boost your online revenue.
You should have a brilliant online marketing strategy, powered by a robust ecommerce theme to drive more qualified traffic to your site.