Shift4Shop eCommerce Blog | Web Design (3)

If your ecommerce site uses Google Analytics or keeps track of the items in a shopping cart, your business is using HTTP cookies, and you may need to offer site visitors an option to opt out.

Cookies are small text files that can be used for session information (logins, shopping carts, and similar), personalization, or monitoring. When someone visits your business online, your website tells the visitor's web browser to store the cookie information and send that information back with each new[...]

Are your customers completing the checkout process? Or do they feel confused or let down at the final point in their buying journey?

If you get nothing else right with your online store (and hopefully that’s not the case) make sure you get your ecommerce cart design right.

Design it with one single purpose in mind: getting customers to pay for what they’ve selected. If not, they may head for the exits before completing their purchase.

And a lousy cart or checkout page destroys your conversion[...]

It would be safe to say that a person who’s afraid of making a mistake is never going to taste success. Mistakes are an inevitable side-effect of effort, experimentation, and curiosity, all of which are traits that are necessary for climbing to the top in virtually any field. No matter how much safer it is to learn on mistakes of others, trial and error is still the most efficient didactic method in the world.

This is a theory that holds true in any aspect of business and web design is just one[...]

Most companies treat conversion rate optimization and user experience as completely separate matters.

Successful companies, however, know that creating and maintaining a relationship with their customers requires combining both CRO and UX into an effective, high-converting customer journey. Every CRO project involves a number of important UX elements in order to be successful.

As a result, every website aspect and feature you’re offering holds a great deal of influence over the user experience.

Humans are naturally inclined to do business with other humans, not companies. Online businesses needed a way to connect with their customers and build relationships. Thankfully, there’s a valuable resource already at their fingertips: the About Us page. Unfortunately, in the online world, the About Us page is generally treated as little more as an afterthought. Sometimes, that’s ok. At other times it can leave potential customers confused and scrambling for more information.

Your About Us page[...]

There are over a billion websites on the internet today. Naturally, some are extremely popular while others are obscure. Some are designed better than others, some serve a wider audience than others, some are updated more often and are more accurate than others, and so on. You get the idea — there are consistent factors that affect a website's popularity.

But popularity and success aren't necessarily the same thing. A small online store that sells crocheting supplies may not receive millions of[...]

A great website is important for your business, and the homepage of your site is critical. Your homepage will be the first thing visitors see, so it needs to make your business attractive in every way possible. Appealing design, a user-friendly layout, and other factors all need to come together and present visitors with an outstanding impression of your business.

One of the quickest ways to discover what makes a great homepage is to learn by example. That's why we've collected some of the best[...]

It's obvious that for creating an Ecommerce website we already have a great solution – Shift4Shop. But what should users do who need a free and easy website without the need for electronic commerce? Just for them, we've created a review of the best free website builders which can help novice webmasters build their first free website.

In fact, with some website builders providing free plans and thanks to cloud hosting support, web space is not a concern. You simply need a computer, a working[...]

Did you know there are over 1.8 billion websites in existence today? Sure, that number includes sites that aren't being actively updated, but it's still an impressive number that well illustrates the popularity of the World Wide Web. Every year, more people decide to launch their own website for various reasons, whether to show off their work, provide information on a topic of expertise, sell products through an online store, or for any number of other reasons. Websites have become a necessity[...]

All businesses need a website. In fact, in today's internet-focused world, the lack of a website will put any business at a disadvantage. With a website, a business can provide potential customers with up-to-date information, news, product and service announcements, and all the information needed to catch and retain customer interest. A website broadens a business's audience and helps to nurture customer relationships. Without a website, a business will miss out on these benefits and find[...]

Whether you’re advertising your ecommerce business on another site or trying to direct your own traffic to a particular product, banners serve both purposes. Done right, they are visually appealing and can entice shoppers to buy more from your ecommerce store.

Amazon’s scrolling banner ads are a great example.

Even if you’re using other forms of advertising or marketing, banners can be a great addition to the mix. Why? Banner ads can help with brand recognition. When a shopper keeps seeing your[...]

Starting an online business is much easier than it used to be, but web design for your eCommerce store can still be challenging. It's possible to be both a business owner and a developer with design skills, but even then, your valuable time is better spent running and growing your business. That's why eCommerce website templates are available for a variety of platforms so you can build a great website without specialized knowledge. But let's be clear: not all eCommerce templates are of high[...]

Have you been thinking about taking your online store's design a bit further? Maybe you feel your site needs a little extra something to make it stand out and really wow your customers. The question is what kind of new feature would be best?

When making any design decision, it's important that you consider functionality and ease of use. Adding shiny new design elements just for looks can be a huge mistake if they end up making your site slower or harder to use. The best solution is to only[...]

Your homepage is the face of your website. Not only is it how most of your visitors will get to your website (nearly half stop here first), but your homepage is your business’s chance to make that crucial first impression. In order to do its job, a homepage needs to look stunning and function even better. If your homepage is lacking, whether in aesthetics, design, or functionality, it will fail to convert your customers. That means, not giving your homepage the attention it deserves is leaving[...]

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Heel Farm” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Bakery” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Elegant Interiors” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Flower Power” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Pearl Island” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.

Here is a preview of our most recent theme “Modern Living” — a new, professionally designed responsive theme.