Since the homepage is the first thing users see when they visit your site, it makes sense to concentrate on this element and to take care of it most effectively.

Here are the ten best practices to build a perfect ecommerce homepage.

You’re familiar with all of them but it’s still useful to have everything in one list and to draw inspiration from it.

1. Simple Navigation Bar

An average visitor of an ecommerce website probably wants to check out some of the products. This is why you need to create a simple and intuitive navigation bar that can take users to the targeted page in only one click. The navigation bar must be highly visible and placed horizontally in the upper part of the homepage.

Allow it all the categories relevant to your digital store.

If you have multiple distinct customer segments, first include the segments in the top menu, and then inside those segments, include all the categories for that segment:

2. Add a Search Box

No matter how simple your navigation bar might be, some people will want to search for items differently. In this case, it is crucial to offer a search box and allow visitors to look for different products on their own.

Therefore even the most famous websites use a search box. You can see it on Medium or Apple homepage.

3. Eliminate Rotating Carousels

Rotating carousels have been around for a while and definitely this homepage element does not belong to ecommerce websites. Here’s why.

While carousels do help businesses to display more products, rest assured that no user is willing to wait, and watch images rotate in front of them. People demand instant activity and carousels only interfere with their desire to check out products quickly.

4. Highlight Free Shipping

9 out of 10 users claim free shipping is the number one incentive to shop online more often.

It’s a major point in online retail, which forces ecommerce websites to highlight the free shipping feature on their homepages (that is, of course, if they offer free shipping at all). When visitors notice this feature, they are much more likely to convert from leads to customers. 6pm and Adidas use this tip to attract new customers.

5. Give Recommendations

Ecommerce platforms are incredibly powerful and able to analyze customer information in real-time. You can take advantage of it by giving personalized recommendations based on users’ history of interactions with your content. A vast majority of users loves to check out the ‘You May Also Like’ section, which Amazon and Lifehacker use, just to make sure they are not missing add-ons and additional offers.

6. Publish Attractive Visuals

Product images are critical to the success of your ecommerce business. Although you can’t display every item on your homepage, you should always add a few interesting products to intrigue your target audience. The best option is to keep changing photos regularly so as to fit the current trend. For example, as Apple does, you might consider changing visuals for different seasons, product launches, events, holidays, and so on. It will make the homepage more appealing and offer more relevant.

7. Play the Scarcity Card

Scarcity has always been a nice tactic in the retail universe, both online and offline. People feel the urge to act and buy products that are popular and almost out of stock, so you might occasionally play the scarcity card. This is particularly the case in situations where you want to get rid of slow-moving items that don’t really sell all that great. Starbucks likes this tactic – as they have employed with their Unicorn Frappuccino.

8. Boost Customer Service with Live Chat

Chatbot technologies allow ecommerce stores to be available 24/7. Users appreciate this feature because they want information and answers delivered as quickly as possible, so definitely consider adding live chat to the homepage.

9. Use Word of Mouth

Word of mouth can generate tons of new leads, but how can you incorporate this element into your homepage? The idea is simple – mention the partners you are working with, especially if these are renowned brands and clients. This simply means adding a few logos and your online store will look more authoritative.

10. FAQ

Some users don’t care about easy navigation or live chat. Instead, they want to check out your website in general and you need to indulge them by adding URL to the FAQ page. Of course, your HR system needs to make sure to answer common inquiries and to ensure the effortless experience for your potential customers. As it is one of the most important tips for the successful website, WhatsApp and YouTube are great examples of strong FAQ pages.

Conclusion

9 elements to include on your homepage + 1 to avoid. Play around with them, see what works elsewhere and apply your own angle to them. Once you have an effective homepage, move on to the rest of your pages.

10 best practices for a successful ecommerce homepage

PS. Depending on your product, try video too. But it has to be really good. If you don’t have a really good one, don’t include an OK one. Stick to the basics.