To conclude the series on eCommerce Criteria Guidelines I will discuss how significant product images can be as well the basic design and structure of your eCommerce homepage. I know I said this before, but many online store owners don’t pay attention to what may seem like minor details within their eCommerce environment.

The eCommerce Home Page

A site homepage is arguably the most essential page within your online store. A home page sets the initial impression for the shopping experience and can offer your best promotions and products to visitors who are coming to your site for the first time. Recent studies have shown that online shoppers first visually scan a web page from top to bottom and then from left to right. All vital content and navigation options should be obvious to the shopper without them having to use their mouse to scroll down. If you have your best offers below the “initial viewing area” you can be sure that a significant percentage of browsers are not scrolling down to see it which results in loss revenues for you.

The Image Phenomena

The neglect of proper product images on eCommerce store fronts has become increasingly common place. All product images should have a respectable resolution, be much larger than the product page original, and adding numerous views always helps customers understand what they might be purchasing. If you are only instrested in doing the bare minimum - online retailers should have at least two supplementary views outside of the product page image to help build passion for your products.

I hope these few tips helped you get more out of your shopping cart solution. Check back tomorrow for more eCommerce tips and advice.

Continuing the series on why a company should have an online presence, my last post I discussed the competitive edge business’s get by going online. In this post I will highlight how location plays a role in an online business and the increase in productivity which customer service departments experience once they go online. All these benefits work to advanced the criteria for shopping cart software.

Criteria For Customer Service Online

With eCommerce, customers usually receive an improved customer service system, and contact is often more effective. There is far more plasticity, availability and faster response times with customer support. For example, think about the tempo of email inquiries and live one on one chats in contrast to talking on the phone, this is especially useful when a business is closed on the weekends and wants to provide support for their customers. There is also a quicker delivery cycle with online sales, helping reinforce the customer and business relationship. The internet has the power to be a channel for reaching markets most business have never dreamed of. In my opinion having a better understanding of your customers can help to improve customer loyalty. This at the end of the day is possible with a robust eCommerce system.

Eliminating Location Restrictions

Online shoppers don’t have to be at the same physical location as an eCommerce store, which means a sale can be made at any given time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and from any location in the world with Internet access. A physical location is limited by size and staff, while an online store has a worldwide market with customers and information available in a virtual and personal sense.