Improve the usability of Ecommerce sites

As per the consideration of present era rate of money being spent is more on online commerce. Consumers behavior of shopping is changing, they are now switching to shopping on web. Till now there are lots of websites, which don't seem to be considered for the usability of ecommerce of their website and of their way of ordering process, resulting in users prematurely giving up and abandoning their shopping basket. Here are basic ten ways to improve the usability of your Business site, so that a user can optimize their conversion rate and help convert the contents of users' shopping baskets into genuine orders:

1. Identify users with their e-mail address

When a user wants to shop from an e-commerce site, s/he uses username. But sometimes a problem arises when two users want same user name or have same user name leading to identity crises.

So, always try and use an e-mail address for their identification, rather than a username. E-mail addresses will be easier to remember and are more standardizing that they have their unique identification. So you could avoid the problem of same user name confusion.

2. Divide the process of ordering into chunks

The ordering process can often be more complex. Users must typically provide a delivery address, select their delivery method, enter their online or offline payment methods and then finally confirm their order. Trying to do all this at once can create problems because users need to enter a lot of information?

So dividing the process up into smaller chunks allows users to tackle each step in less time and make the entire process user friendly. There's less to think about at each step and less information to enter.
Online Ecommerce site can break the ordering process up into the following steps:

1. Login
2. Choose delivery address
3. Choose delivery options
4. Enter payment details
5. Review and submit the order
6. Confirmation
7. Succession of Transaction

3. Make the ordering process Easier (user Friendly)

It's amazing just how many ecommerce websites make the ordering process harder than it really needs to be. For example, users are asked to enter their credit or debit card expiry date as a month (Jan, Feb, March etc.), instead of a number (01, 02, 03 etc.). This forces them to convert the number shown on the credit or debit card to the corresponding month, instead of just entering the number straight in.

At each step of the ordering process think about how this step could be simplified. For example, do all of the input fields really need to be captured? By simplifying and streamlining the ordering process you should be able to minimize the number of problems users might experience along the way.

4. Address common user queries

It's important that throughout the ordering process, common user questions and queries are addressed. For example, users might want to know how long delivery is likely to take, or if they have to enter extra information such as their date of birth, they might want to know why this is.

Go through the ordering process and ask yourself at each stage: What queries might a user have? Answers to these queries should either be provided on-screen, or through a hyperlink. For example, Marks & Spencer explain why they need users to enter a contact telephone number:

Explanation that Marks & Spencer’s require users' contact numbers because they may need to contact them

5. Highlight required fields

There should be clarity on form filling field, what are the fields necessary in online ordering process so that your customer can be prevented from more annoying than filling out a form, only to have it returned because required information is missing
This field should be highlighted so that a customer can get it easily

6. Make the ordering process flexible

Ordering process should be flexible, user should not be feel the process to be complex. Users who are not comfortable registering can still place orders.

7. Put users' mind at ease

Usually the customers do not feel comfortable sometimes in online shopping. So developing any Ecommerce site, User’s comfort should be kept in mind

8. If users have confirmed their order before buying then provide confirmation

Their should be a confirmation clause in last stage of the ordering process, so that before going to place online shopping order, user should be able to see a summary of their order, including how much it will cost and where it will be delivered.
Confirmation should be provided for orders placed, so that users know whether their order was successful or not. This should include information such as:

* The expected delivery date
* The order number
* How to track the order online (if this is possible)

9. Send a confirmation e-mail

Once a user has placed their order, a confirmation e-mail should be sent out straightaway. Confirmation e-mails should:

* Be brief
* Tell users what they are likely to want to know, such as the order number
* Should be a real customer service ambassador for the company

These are few points if considered in right way, it can help in improving the usability of Ecommerce sites.