Top 5 Essential Elements for a Modern E-Commerce Website

According to Forbes, the global e-commerce market has reached $6 trillion. The publication also predicts that online retail will account for 22.6% of global sales by 2027. Given that more and more consumers are buying products from virtual shelves, the question arises – what elements does a modern e-commerce website need?

Customer needs can be divided into B2C, B2B, D2C, and B2B2C models, for which the basics and requirements of the website are the same. Regardless of whether a consumer is shopping on a retail site or a business is purchasing supplies, online transactions must be fast and seamless. Consumers today expect simple and high-quality service and will quickly switch brands if they encounter problems in this regard.

Delivering the best e-commerce experience requires a seamless integration of features, including order management, personalization, product or content management, and a robust payment system.

Here are five of the most important elements that a website needs to run smoothly and efficiently:

1. Speed, Reliability, and Security

A trusted e-commerce website must be fast, reliable, and secure. Customers expect a seamless shopping experience across all platforms, whether it’s a website or a mobile app, so make sure your platform can deliver on all of these features and meet customer expectations.

According to research by Okoone, websites that load in under 2 seconds have a 9% bounce rate, compared to 38% for websites that load in under 5 seconds.

This means that no matter what time of day it is, whether it’s a sales peak, a new product launch, or the holiday season, your website should be up and running. Slow websites will always have a high rate of abandoned purchases and lost sales.

Security – It’s important for customers to feel safe when shopping on your website. Therefore, encrypted data and two-factor authentication are key tools that will protect both parties – the customer and the business.

2. Make the Online Shopping Process Easy

Modern shoppers expect a more seamless user experience that starts with intuitive navigation and continues with a streamlined search function. Regardless of whether customers arrive at your website from a search engine or directly, the shopping process should be easy.

An easy-to-understand site format and clearly presented product details are essential. Simplifying the checkout process and allowing for guest purchases helps reduce formalities.

According to a 2024 US market study by Statista:

• 26% of shoppers abandoned their carts after having to register and open an account.

• A lengthy and complicated checkout process caused 22% of customers to abandon their purchase.

Also important is post-sales engagement. Customers expect instant order confirmation and delivery notification. This reinforces their sense of making the right decision. An order management system helps to control inventory and ensure timely fulfillment.

When a problem arises, customers need quick and easy access to a support team on their chosen platform. Whether it’s live chat, phone call, or email, the support team should have information about the order so that the customer doesn’t have to go through the details. And of course, customers expect a simple return process – ensuring this will keep them coming back. A strong platform should optimize these processes. It should also facilitate the delivery of stable and sustainable services, which is increasingly becoming a priority for consumers.

3. Wide Choice, Multi-Channel, and Various Payment Options

A wide range of products is a key feature of modern e-commerce. Thanks to the absence of physical space constraints, companies can offer an infinite range of products and services online. This principle applies to online marketplaces that create a one-stop shop for consumers.

Consumers also need flexibility, such as seamless switching between sales channels and delivery options. An omni-channel platform helps consumers make purchases seamlessly across all channels and offers several delivery options, whether at home, at work, at a point of delivery, or on a self-delivery basis.

Considering that 52% of online consumers buy their desired goods in international markets, operating in global markets is important.

A flexible payment system reduces the need for additional steps by the customer during the transaction stage. The customer can be confident that the payment method he or she has chosen is acceptable and will be confirmed. Also, it is recommended to activate the option “Buy Now, Pay Later” (BNPL), which encourages customers to make larger purchases, as they can spread the money or pay later.

4. A Personal Approach Makes the Process More Meaningful

Customers want to feel special. If they are regular customers, they expect the brand to know about them and their choices. That is why personalization has become a defining feature of e-commerce.

Personalization stimulates interaction between the customer and the brand with individual offers and recommendations. Loyalty programs and exclusive offers help maintain long-term relationships and spread “word of mouth.”

Brands use customer data for personalized offers; however, it is important to include artificial intelligence in this process to predict the desires and expectations of customers. For example, artificial intelligence can analyze user behavior, views, and purchases, based on which it generates relevant offers and content.

5. Accuracy and Transparency

Buying a new product often requires more persuasion for consumers. Therefore, an important element of a website is to present accurate information that can convince the consumer to make a purchase.

Visual images of the product should be accurate and high-quality, especially the color and dimensions should be clearly visible. Consumers also pay attention to feedback from other consumers – this convinces them of the credibility of the brand and influences their purchase decisions.

Transparency and accuracy, product availability, and speed of delivery are vital issues, because consumers need to be sure that what they see online corresponds to the actual product and that they will be able to touch it soon. Also, customers need to be informed about stock availability so that they do not get disappointed after the purchase.

It is worth considering that the role of artificial intelligence in e-commerce is growing and this trend will continue, as more and more companies implement new technologies in their operational processes. Along with deeper personalization, artificial intelligence can help brands improve the level of customer service and increase the efficiency of trading processes.

Thanks to the automated and optimized process with the help of artificial intelligence, both consumers and brands can save time.

Overall, with the help of artificial intelligence and the above functions, businesses in e-commerce can create a winning formula for a timely and successful operational process, maximally satisfy customer requirements, and gain their trust.