Over the years we’ve seen many eCommerce websites and everyday more new sites crop up. However, there are very few sites that stand out. We have been keeping track of these changes and here is a list of the best sites we have compiled:
Ao.com
It is a home appliances site formerly AppliancesOnline.com. They have implemented many best practices in eCommerce like Social Media integration which provides automatic feeds of the product reviews and customer comments on their Facebook page.
They have clear product description with reviews, clear image and most importantly easy navigation and call to action buttons. What more would a consumer want?
Grainger
Grainger is a major industrial supplier in North America. The best part of the site is the guided search and navigation. They have clear product categorization with various filtering options which helps you to get to the product quickly. Now, that is the imperative of every B2B eCommerce business especially with a large catalog: to get your customers to the right product quickly. Grainger also has a quick order tool to help industrial buyers who know the part numbers for the items they want to purchase. They also have sections dedicated to related and alternate products which improve the chances of up selling and cross selling.
Amazon
Amazon is touted to be the most disruptive eCommerce venture so far. They have done everything right in terms of product content. They have a uniform structure for product content with proper categorization. One of the drawbacks is that, since it is a marketplace that allows various sellers, there can be some irregularities in product descriptions.
Their quick checkout feature and shipping preferences are a big hit among the consumers. The auto-suggest search feature helps the user to locate the right product quickly. Amazon also has sort and filter features to choose your products easily.
ASOS
Asos is a shopping site for the latest fashion. The best practice that they follow is the engagement they have with the users. They have a microsite which allows the user to upload their photos with the new look and it even lets users create their outfit by mixing and matching apparels and accessories from various parts of the website. And they also have a fashion community, the live feed of which is plugged into the site. This can help the users know the latest trends in fashion and about fast moving products.
McMaster-Carr
Here’s another no-nonsense B2B eCommerce site. McMaster-Carr has everything a business buyer would need. They do not have flashy sale banners and lot of colors but provide all possible information on a product. The product images are displayed with a clear background and the drill down to the product is easy.
McMaster has a quick order facility where clicking on a link will open up a order box. This is quite useful for B2B buyers who usually place large quantities of orders over a wide range of products. They also have a easy sort and filter mechanism.
From these great examples we can learn that whether your storefront is B2B or B2C, the areas to concentrate on to provide your users with a great shopping experience are:
- Clear product information
- Proper categorization
- Easy sort and filter mechanism to get your users to the right product quickly
- Simple ordering process
- Easy search option for your user to navigate through the site
- Good product images on a clear background.
- Social Media integration to improve your online visibility and influence
Let us know about some of the best sites you’ve come across during your browsing sojourns.