What You Need to Know About E-commerce Website Redesign

What is an E-commerce Website Redesign?

For any e-commerce seller, their website is their true identity. Therefore, upgrading an e-commerce website from time to time becomes mandatory. That is what an e-commerce website redesign refers to. Essentially, it is the process of revamping one’s website through the creation of new and improved looks, better user interfaces, easier navigation tools, and so on. In addition to such factors, e-commerce redesign can involve moving to a new e-commerce platform, transferring SEO and customer data, and much more. 

Why is it important to consider an e-commerce website redesign?

You must be wondering, “Is it really that important to redesign an e-commerce website?” and the answer is, “Yes!”. The primary reason to consider e-commerce redesign is to avoid losing customers. In fact, no matter which continent you are in, website quality determines whether a customer will re-purchase from a particular site or not. 

Furthermore, 1/3rd of online shoppers in Australia and New Zealand are reverting to brick-and-mortar stores to avoid bad and inaccessible e-commerce websites. 

How often should you Complete an E-commerce Website Redesign?

Although there is no specific rule regarding when an e-commerce business should revamp its website, it is recommended to update your platform frequently. In fact, according to research, the top 200 marketing websites in the world upgrade their website every 2.66 years on average. Therefore, you should plan your e-commerce website redesign at least once every 2-3 years to avoid piling up backdated data and design. 

Reasons to Redesign your E-commerce Website

From customer experience to better branding, here are the top reasons to redesign your e-commerce website:

Higher bounce rate: A bounce rate refers to the percentage of internet users who view one page of a website and leave rather than continue to browse the website. A high bounce rate means something about your website is turning buyers away. 

Therefore, if your website has a bounce rate of more than 70%, you should identify the problems and plan for a redesign. 

Website not mobile-friendly: Thanks to the ease of using a mobile phone, most shoppers these days use their hand-held device to browse and shop. Interestingly, 69% of Australians use their phones to shop. Therefore, it has become crucial for e-commerce businesses to make their websites mobile-friendly. 

Hence, if you do not have a well-functioning mobile-friendly website, it’s time to change that. Furthermore, make sure that your e-commerce website redesign includes making your website more easily navigable on phones and looking aesthetic. 

Branding not updated: As e-commerce businesses grow, they establish prominent branding symbols, colors, tag lines, and so on to make their brands more easily recognizable. Naturally, any business’s website should also reflect its branding. For instance, if you have updated your brand’s signature color to red, but your website is anything but red, it might confuse visitors and force them to leave rather than make a purchase. 

Website not reflecting growth: When you initially started your website, you may have had no other option but to choose a cheap website template. However, as your business has grown with time, it is necessary for your website to show that. Hence, if you are still stuck with that old and outdated template, now might be a great time to update your website to show how far you have come.  

Outdated technology: With online options aplenty, shoppers these days do not have a lot of patience. Therefore, if your website is taking too long to load or the pictures on your site are not loading, you will definitely be losing out on potential buyers. Hence, it is necessary to keep updating your website’s technology and also focus on the user experience. 

Declining sales: Needless to say, all the previous factors will contribute to declining sales. This is another prominent indicator that you need to redesign your e-commerce website. 

How do you Redesign your E-commerce Website?

The following steps should be followed in order to redesign for e-commerce:

Step 1: Set your goals

The first step in redesigning your e-commerce website is setting your goals. Regularly evaluating your website will assist you in determining if an update is necessary and identify the specific redesigning requirements that align with your goals.

Step 2: Use the latest software stack

As already mentioned, your website should feature the latest technology. Therefore, once you are sure about the changes you want to make, utilize the latest software stack to update them. 

Step 3: Update your content

Ensure you update your website’s content to include all the latest and valid information about your brand. The content should be easy to locate and have easy wording that encourages visitors to explore your site further.

Step 4: Use high-end security measures

Customers value websites with reliable security measures, as they put in their private information. Therefore, while using an e-commerce website redesign, you should include the latest and high-end security measures such as SSL certificates, a secure development platform, and encrypted payment gateways. Additionally, your website’s security measures should be checked and updated regularly. 

Step 5: Keep an eye on recent trends

Finally, while updating your e-commerce website, make sure to include recent trends in order to compete successfully with your contemporaries. Some of the latest trends in e-commerce websites are AI and augmented reality.

Some other elements to include in your e-commerce website redesign are:

• Efficient checkout process
• Professional quality images
• E-mail support or online chat
• Advanced analytics tool
• Easily accessible dashboard 
• E-wallet

What are the Benefits of an E-commerce Website Redesign?

You can expect the following benefits once you redesign your e-commerce website:

Improved conversion rate: Conversion rate refers to the percentage of visitors on your e-commerce platform who complete a desired goal, such as a successful purchase. While there are several ways to improve conversion rates, a tried and tested way is by redesigning your e-commerce website. 

Higher returning customers: Buyers are highly impressed by an aesthetic-looking, easy-to-use, and secure shopping website. Therefore, by upgrading your website and including all the latest tech stacks, you can definitely expect your customers to keep returning for more. 

Boost in Google ranking: If you include SEO or Search Engine Optimization in your e-commerce redesign, then you will be able to get better Google rankings and, thus, become more visible to a wider audience. 

Common Mistakes made During an E-commerce Website Redesign

The following are the most common mistakes committed during the redesign of an e-commerce website:

Neglecting to research the competition: If you plan to upgrade your e-commerce website, it is a good idea to check out and evaluate your competitors’ web pages. Doing so lets you identify the components you need to incorporate into your website to attract potential customers.

Not taking advantage of automation tools: These days, various automation tools exist that make it considerably easier to collect customer and sales data from e-commerce websites. Furthermore, there is also an option to automatically show membership forms to customers when they visit any of your high-traffic pages. Therefore, if you fail to take advantage of such automation tools, you might end up losing out on valuable sales leads. 

Failing to track performance data: One of the most important ways to successfully redesign for e-commerce is by constantly monitoring your performance data. If you ignore this crucial step, you will not be able to get an idea about which parts of your website require an upgrade.

Not optimizing for mobile devices: Most shoppers worldwide use their mobile phones to browse and shop. Ensure your website is equally responsive across all devices and operating systems to avoid losing customers.

Not prioritizing user experience: User experience is pivotal when redesigning a website. Hence, it is best to make your website as simplified as possible. Try to do away with several buttons on a single page, long and complicated texts, complex navigation techniques, and so on. 

Skimping on quality design services: While it is important to keep your redesigning budget in mind, be sure not to dismiss well-experienced e-commerce website redesign services in favor of agencies that may be cheap but do not provide quality service. This will certainly harm your business in the long run, and you may have to spend more money to redo the low-quality changes made to your site.

What does it cost to Redesign an E-commerce Website?

In the Asia Pacific, different countries have different website redesigning rates. For instance, in Australia, the average web designing cost is between $8,500 to over $20,000. On the other hand, in Asian countries such as the Philippines and Singapore, the redesigning costs are between PHP 60,000 and PHP 3,000,000, and $6,000, respectively. However, it is worth mentioning that these costs can be significantly lowered if businesses choose to redesign their own websites instead of outsourcing. 

The e-commerce site redesign cost varies depending on several factors, such as:

• Design quality
• Project size (Number of web pages)
• Design processes (Prototyping, wireframing, information analysis, and visual UI designs)
• Website redesigning agency
• Location

Furthermore, some factors that can add extra costs to an e-commerce website redesign are:

• Custom graphics
• SEO content
• Website hosting
• Custom integrations
• Redirects

Effect of Content on the Cost of your Website Redesign

Content plays a great role in the quality of a website. In fact, it is content that has the power to connect your brand to buyers. Therefore, content can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of an e-commerce website redesign. Additionally, the cost of adding quality content to your platform must be considered when planning a redesign. Based on how you choose to redesign your website and add content, you can expect the following:

When designing your website yourself: Needless to say, if you plan to do your e-commerce redesign yourself, that will cost the least amount of money. In such a situation, you should first make a blueprint of all the pages you want to include on your website. Subsequently, you have to start writing the content for each page. 

When working with agencies and freelancers: This is the more expensive option. If you hire a freelance web designing company or an agency, they will either use in-house content writers or hire freelance writers to create and curate your content. 

The exact cost of content creation when hiring a third party will depend on several factors, such as the number of pages, level of expertise, and the depth of information required. 

Choosing the Right Design Agency for Your E-Commerce Website Redesign

If you are planning on doing your e-commerce website redesign through an agency, here are the top points to keep in mind:

Understanding the design process: Firstly, before you reach out to a design agency, you need to understand the design process for your new website. A design process comprises seven stages that start with understanding and evaluating the problem and end with improving the newly made or upgraded product based on user feedback. 

Evaluating their previous work on e-commerce websites: Before partnering with any third party, you need to go through their previous work and portfolio. Ensure to thoroughly evaluate their work style, structure, and content. Furthermore, you should also check whether their aesthetics match the feel you want your website to have.

Assessing their level of service and communication style: It is also essential to assess how effective any design agency is in terms of service and communication. For instance, you should opt for an agency that not only redesigns your page but also offers timely maintenance. Additionally, they should be easy to reach out to, be able to answer your queries, and not keep any critical information from you.  

Working within a set budget: While you might come across several e-commerce redesign services that fit your list of requirements, remember not to go beyond your budget. Even though it is essential to set aside a certain amount of money for an e-commerce redesign, you should not spend more than what’s necessary. Therefore, this should be a key deciding factor for you. 

Examples of Successful E-Commerce Website Designs

Several e-commerce website designs are proof that with the right strategy, an e-commerce site can be highly functional and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. Some examples are given here:

Longines: You may have heard of Longines, the luxury watchmaking brand. But have you ever visited their website? With sophisticated and elegant Serif font, interactive homepage, and animations, Longines is a great example of how brands can connect themselves to their audience through their websites. 

Black Star Pastry: Located in Australia, Black Star Pastry sells cakes, drinks, pastries, and more. Their attractive typography, sliding menu, color scheme, and easy navigation options make for an amazing user experience. 

Nike: Nike is one of the most successful brands in the world. A part of its success may have to do with its well-thought-out e-commerce platform. Some of the noteworthy features of the Nike website are the use of plain background to bring focus on their products, comprehensive information about the store’s policies, guest checkout option, and much more. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, redesigning an e-commerce website is crucial to brand building and growth. A website should be periodically updated to not just reflect the status of the business, but also to include the latest technological updates and software. Such redesigns have many benefits, the most notable of which are higher customer return and retention rates. 

However, e-commerce redesign comes with its own unique set of challenges. Hence, it is essential to be aware of those to avoid them. When planning to redesign your website, it is important to consider several factors, including your goals, the current state of your website, your budget, and other relevant factors.

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