Basic ecommerce checklist: homepage & checkout 20+ crucial points to check off

Homepage

You know what they say, first impressions are the most lasting. Really, you do not want to ruin what might be a promising start to your connection with clients by messing up your homepage. It is the way you greet guests with a warm greeting and open arms. And here, constant effort and improvements are required to avoid coming across as hollow and insincere. Your homepage is the most prominent marketing and branding opportunity to introduce visitors to your brand and its products. Hence, let's not screw it up!  

• Clear branding: Ensure your homepage prominently displays your brand logo, tagline, and a clear value proposition that communicates your unique selling points.
• Featured categories or collections: Showcase popular or seasonal product categories or curated collections to help users discover products that align with their interests. 
• Visual hierarchy: Use visual hierarchy to prioritize important elements on the homepage, guiding users' attention towards key messages, products, or offers.
• Featured blog or content section: Incorporate a section on the homepage to showcase your latest blog posts, articles, or informative content that adds value to your audience. It will also help boost your search engine's performance.
• Newsletter signup: Provide a newsletter signup form on the homepage to capture visitor emails and build your email marketing subscriber list.
• Test. Test. Test. Run a couple of tests to choose the best-performing options.

Let’s take a look at some of the tests you might consider performing:

• A/B testing: Also called "split-testing" or "bucket testing," this type of experiment looks at two versions of something containing one variable. By isolating the variable and comparing otherwise identical items, the data shows which variable meets the goal.
• Split URL testing: You can test different versions of your website by using two different URLs. Unknowingly, a website visitor is shown one of the versions of your site to see which one performs better. It’s recommended to perform split URL testing when considering a significant change, such as a new checkout flow or a diverse menu.
• Multivariate testing: This type of experimentation looks at several changed elements at once, instead of individual parts, and determines the better option as a whole. It’s recommended to use multivariate testing when you want to change several items at once, such as a headline, body copy, and a CTA, instead of just one.

Helpful tools

1. Heatmap tools: Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg provide heatmaps that visually represent user behavior on your homepage, helping you identify areas of high engagement, scroll depth, or drop-offs.
2. User testing platforms: Platforms like UserTesting or TryMyUI enable you to gather user feedback and insights through video recordings of real users interacting with your homepage. This helps identify pain points, usability issues, and opportunities for improvement.
3. A/B testing tools: Tools like Optimizely or Google Optimize allow you to create and run A/B tests on different variations of your homepage, helping you identify the most effective design and content elements to drive conversions.
4. Web analytics: Utilize web analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to gain insights into user behavior, bounce rates, and conversion rates on your homepage. This data helps you understand how visitors are interacting with your homepage and identify areas for optimization.
5. Responsive design testing: Use tools like Responsinator or BrowserStack to test the responsiveness of your homepage across different devices and screen sizes. This ensures a consistent and user-friendly experience for visitors on various platforms.
6. Usability guidelines and best practices: Refer to industry-standard usability guidelines, such as the Nielsen Norman Group's research and UX best practices, to understand principles for designing an effective and user-friendly homepage.
7. Performance optimization tools: Tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights help you analyze the performance of your homepage, identifying opportunities to optimize loading times and ensure a fast and smooth user experience.
8. Feedback and survey tools: Implement feedback and survey tools, such as Qualaroo or SurveyMonkey, to collect direct feedback from visitors on your homepage. This feedback can provide valuable insights into their impressions, preferences, and areas for improvement.
9. Competitor analysis: Analyze the homepages of successful ecommerce competitors to understand their design strategies, user experience elements, and value propositions. This analysis can inspire ideas and help you highlight your unique selling proposition.

Checkout  

If you have nightmares about the abandoned cart situation - something’s wrong with your checkout process. How can ecommerce site maintain low levels of friction and provide a user experience as soft as a silk pillowcase? Your clients should have no reason to doubt the reliability of your resource or the security of your checkout procedure, which should function as flawlessly as a Swiss watch. Let's examine ways to reduce friction in the buying process to ensure that your clients never have second thoughts. 

• Simplicity: Simplify the checkout process to minimize cart abandonment with a clear and concise step-by-step flow.
• Variety of payment methods: Offer multiple payment options and services (like BNPL) to accommodate various customer preferences. Offer mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay to provide a convenient and fast checkout experience for customers using mobile devices.
• Security: Implement secure payment gateways and SSL encryption to protect customer data during transactions.
• Guest checkout option: Provide an option for users to complete a purchase without creating an account, reducing barriers and improving convenience.
• Clear progress indicators: Display clear progress indicators throughout the checkout process, informing users about their current step and how many steps are remaining.
• Autofill and autocomplete: Enable autofill and autocomplete features to populate user information, such as shipping and billing addresses, making it faster and easier for users to enter their details.
• Real-time shipping quotes: Provide accurate and real-time shipping quotes based on the user's location and selected shipping method, ensuring transparency and avoiding unexpected costs.
• Order confirmation: Provide an order confirmation page or email that summarizes the purchase details, including the order number, items purchased, shipping address, and estimated delivery date.
• Responsive design: Ensure the checkout process and payment pages are designed responsively, adapting to different screen sizes and devices for an optimal user experience.
• One-click payment: Implement one-click payment options or saved payment methods for returning customers, simplifying the checkout process for repeat purchases.
• Order tracking: Provide order tracking functionality, allowing users to track their packages and receive updates on the delivery status.
• Error handling: Clearly communicate any errors or issues encountered during the checkout process, offering clear instructions on how to resolve them or providing alternatives.
• Trust badges and seals: Display trust badges, security seals, and payment logos during the checkout process to instill confidence and build trust with users.
• Persistent cart: Allow users to save their shopping carts across sessions, enabling them to resume the checkout process at a later time.
• Return policy: Provide a crystal-clear and customer-friendly return policy.
• Abandoned cart program: Set up an abandoned cart program where a logged-in customer gets an email if a product is left in a cart for X period of time.

Helpful tools

1. Address autocomplete tools like Google Places Autocomplete or AddressFinder to reduce errors and streamline the process.
2. Retargeting and abandoned cart recovery tools like AdRoll or Facebook Pixel for recovering sales and reminding customers of their abandoned carts.
3. Fraud prevention tools like Sift, Signifyd or Riskified to protect against fraudulent transactions and financial losses.
4. A mobile-optimized checkout process with responsive design, easy navigation, and touch-friendly elements.
5. Conversion optimization with A/B testing services like Optimizely or Google Optimize to identify effective design and content variations for increasing conversions.
6. Analytics and tracking tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to track user behavior during checkout and identify optimization opportunities.

Further reading with Grinteq

Payment gateway integration: 101 guide for ecommerce

Payment integration for Salesforce Commerce Cloud: LINK cartridges

Top 7 payment gateways: the list for ecommerce