A beautiful design, easy access to different product pages, user-friendliness and multiple payment options as well as flexible shipping are all attributes of a well-designed online store and they should be thoroughly taken into consideration by all business owners who wish to create an ecommerce website in UK.
Customers look for platforms that are easily accessible, not only well designed. This is why a good marketing strategy, as well as search engine optimization, are equally important after setting up the website.
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
| E-commerce web design mandatory design features | Provide an overall pleasant shopping experience, high-quality images, simplified checkout, good search functionality, and others. |
|
E-commerce design trends |
While we do not always advise our clients to follow trends, upon request we can focus on these. |
|
E-commerce platform choice |
We guide our clients when choosing the website building platform for their website. |
| E-commerce website design duration | 8 weeks or more, depending on the website’s complexity. |
| General E-commerce web design phases |
Concept and planning, wireframing, visual design, content creation, mobile optimization, etc. |
| Test phase |
Our programmers will perform the needed tests to ensure functionality. |
| Launch phase |
We schedule the launch with our clients to ensure that they go live on all their platforms. |
| Mobile e-commerce website optimization |
Yes |
| Maintenance |
Included in our packages |
| Hosting | Upon request. We suggest talking to our team if you need website hosting in the UK. |
| E-commerce website redesign |
Yes, we also provide full services focused on redesigning and optimising existing e-commerce websites. |
| Website audit |
We offer an evaluation of the website’s components to determine how it can be improved. |
| Website safety |
We guide our clients on the most suitable safety solutions they can implement for their website. |
| Other services |
SEO, content writing, social media presence, and others. |
| Personalized packages | Your website can benefit from a personalized package designed by our team. It will not only include website building, but also our other services. |
At our web design company in London we offer bespoke solutions for companies that are looking to move their business online.
Our team of designers handles the website set up and our SEO specialists make sure that your new ecommerce platform is present in client searches online.
In this article, we briefly outline the main issues to take into consideration when one decides to create an ecommerce website in UK.
For more information, as well as adequate assistance during this process, please feel free to reach out to our specialists.
Table of Contents
How do I set up an online shop in UK?
An online shop may be a suitable solution for many creators as well as businesses large or small that are selling products or services that are suitable for online purchase (meaning that they can be either shipped to the clients or acquired and used via online means).
Understandably, not all businesses are suitable for this format, however, any company can benefit from setting up its website and our web design agency in London provides services to businesses across all industries.
Once you have determined that ecommerce is suitable for your business model, it is time to set up a budget and decide to create an ecommerce website in the UK.
The budget will be very useful when not only creating the site or platform itself but also for digital marketing purposes, a step that will be essential in order for your new shop to gain visibility.
You can opt to use a marketplace, however, having your own online store has clear advantages, such as a higher level of control and no costs related to listing and transaction fees.
Companies based in the east of the city can reach out to us for east London web design services.
Which website builder is best for ecommerce?
There are several website builders that can be used to set up an e-commerce website. These range in complexity and some are even suitable for beginners. However, it is highly advisable to request the services of a specialized team, such as the one at our web design agency in London.
Building a new website is a task that is both complex and that has to take into account a number of issues, from programming to user experience, especially when creating a platform that will be used for selling products and services, such is the case for e-commerce.
In order to create an ecommerce website in UK, one needs a flexible setup and the right marketing strategy that can maximize sales. These are not included in a standard package offered by a website building platform.
We invite you to watch a video about ecommerce websites:
Ecommerce website design principles
Clients who wish to create an ecommerce website in UK with the help of our team benefit from our knowledge and experience in designing these types of websites.
The function of the ecommerce platform is essential, as its purpose will be just that: to allow customers to easily engage in online shopping.
In addition to providing a pleasant shopping experience, a well-designed and responsive online store will make clients wish to return to make subsequent purchases.
The principles below are some of the most important when discussing ecommerce websites:
- Easy navigation: the navigation should be simple and functional at the same time; as a distinct feature for ecommerce websites, the search bar should be prominent and visible at all times;
- Minimal design: your clients use your online store for purchasing products or services; this means that it should not be laden with different elements; our team will help create an ecommerce website in UK that uses white space thoughtfully so as to avoid cluttering;
- Straightforward checkout: safe payment solutions are a must for ecommerce stores as they will help build trust with their clients;
- Call to action: each product listed on the page should have an option to be added to the cart or a wish list; the call to action button should be visible and clear.
In addition to the elements above, offering the option to review the products is often essential when designing ecommerce websites.
Many customers read the reviews and even rely on them for their purchases. When you design or redesign an online store, the product review(s) should be visible and easy to find.
Of course, each of the design principles listed above is tailored to the needs of our clients and is adapted to serve the purpose of the online store you are creating with our help.
When you choose to work with us, our experts will discuss your available options and you will remain engaged throughout the design process.
Together, we will work to create not only a functional and aesthetically pleasing website, but also one that will improve your clients’ experience, thus allowing for an improved customer retention rate.
Ecommerce mobile optimization
Another essential element when you decide to create an ecommerce website in UK is to be mindful of the fact that your customers will use different devices to browse your products or services.
This means that a good ecommerce website is optimized for mobile. What does this mean? Our web design UK team highlights some of the most important issues:
- Accessibility: essential elements on the webpage should be placed in the areas that are easiest to reach with the thumb (the space on the screen that the user can easily access with his or her thumb when browsing);
- Minimum effort to buy: the mobile user should not make more than three taps (ideally) to reach the products that he or she intends to buy;
- Simple checkout: in general, customers will prefer a simple checkout and not one that burdens them and makes them have to submit many different types of details;
- Minimal design: once again, less is more and the mobile version of your ecommerce website will observe the same rules that will maintain an uncluttered space; using simple color schemes and not too many types of fonts (one should be enough) is advisable.
Clients who browse and make purchases on their mobile devices (or tablets) can represent a high percentage of your overall customers.
When you design or redesign an ecommerce store, you will want to take them into consideration and this means adjusting the design of the website.
How can a web design company in London help me?
Our web design agency in London offers bespoke ecommerce website creation solutions. This means that our team analyzes your business, how you can benefit from selling online and establish a strategy concerning the purchase, order and shipping process that will be implemented online.
We can help with the following:
- Ecommerce platform development: our web designers and programmers are accustomed to using various platforms and we can provide open-source solutions as well as more complex ones;
- Mobile optimization: today, many people shop on mobile; our team can create an ecommerce website in UK that is also streamlined for mobile use;
- Search engine optimization: our packages can also include search engine optimization, both on-page through keyword optimization and meta tags and technical SEO that will help search engines find your website efficiently;
- Other features: we can implement a number of optional ecommerce add-ons such as multiple payment gateways, having a multilingual website, allowing for membership and customer history options and many more.
Our team will make sure that the design of your ecommerce website is consistent in all of the relevant areas, namely visual and functional.
With our help, the design of your online store will remain consistent throughout the platforms used by your customers.
UK e-commerce statistics
According to the Office of National Statistics, ecommerce sales in the UK non-financial sector rose by 18% in 2018 compared to the previous year. Some highlights include the following:
- the year-on-year growth was 688 billion £ in 2018, compared to 2017; this was the largest annual growth since 2014;
- 5% of the turnover for businesses with 10 or more employees was from ecommerce in 2018;
- website sales are significant in the wholesale and retail sectors, with a value of 107.9 billion £ in 2018 for the wholesale sector, followed by retail with 54.2 billion £ sales.
If you are in need of personalized assistance in creating an ecommerce website please feel free to contact our web design agency in London.
