Why poor design of online stores is off-putting

When a user opens an online store on their smartphone, they don't want to have to zoom in with their fingers, try to close a pop-up window, or click on tiny buttons that don't respond. They'll just leave, and you won't even know what they were ready to buy. An inconvenient interface is like a broken door in an offline store. The customer won't even enter.

You have invested a lot of time, effort and money in your online store. You have a beautiful logo, excellent products, cool photos, and your advertising is working – you have traffic. But people come in, look around and leave. Don't rack your brains wondering ‘what's wrong?’ First of all, check whether your shop is easy to access from a mobile device, advise the experts at Oise Trade Limited.

Nowadays, almost every potential customer visits your shop from a mobile device. And if you don't give them the opportunity to comfortably browse the catalogue, easily find products and conveniently place an order, they will simply close the page and go to another seller.

A slow mobile version is a direct path to losing customers. If a page takes more than three seconds to load, some users will simply close it. No one will wait. Because there are many online stores and little time. Every additional banner, overloaded script, and unoptimised image is a brick in the wall between you and the customer. The thicker the wall, the more money you lose.

Have you ever tried entering your bank card details into small fields on a slow website that also freezes? Your customers don't want to do that either. If the order placement process becomes a challenge, you won't get the order, emphasise the managers at Oise Trade dropshipping.

The customer should have to take as few steps as possible. They should be able to understand in seconds where the basket is, how to open it, how to choose delivery and how to pay. The faster, the better. If they have to search for the right buttons, they will change their mind. And you will lose money.

When a website is not optimised for mobile screens, it is extremely inconvenient. Images are cropped, text overlaps buttons, and menus do not work. And if the visuals do not inspire confidence, no one will take the risk. Purchasing via a smartphone requires confidence that everything is secure and understandable. If you do not provide that confidence, no one will pay.

The first thing you should do is pick up your phone and open your website. Go through the buyer's journey from start to finish. And ask yourself: is it convenient? Is it fast? Is everything intuitive? If not, you need to fix it.

Work on adaptability: the design should be “live”, adjusting to any screen. Simplify the menu: no five-level drop-down lists. Minimalism is your best friend.

Optimise the loading speed, advise Oise Trade managers. Remove everything unnecessary: heavy images, useless animations, unnecessary pop-ups. And be sure to check how the order form works — everything should be logical, simple and understandable without instructions.

Mobile users are the most impatient, but also the most active. They are ready to buy here and now. Don't get in their way with an inconvenient website. Make sure that the mobile version of your store encourages people to visit and stay longer to see what else you have to offer. Then your online store will be profitable.