23 eCommerce best practices for 2023 | A definitive guide

Sometimes, the importance of an action or concept can be pinpointed with perfect accuracy by putting yourself into an imagined scenario. When it comes to an eCommerce site’s best practices, this can’t be more fitting.

Picture for a moment the following: Person A decides to launch a groundbreaking eCommerce business. Every aspect of said business is planned with perfect detail.

Except for one.

Person A skips the crucial step of looking into the best practices of eCommerce. A few months after the business’s launch, things begin to go wrong, one after the other, with not enough water in the world to put out each fire.

Although the above is an imaginary situation, this becomes a possible reality for many in the current eCommerce landscape. This possibility can easily be avoided by understanding and applying the industry’s best practices.

So, buckle up. You may already have a grip on the emerging trends shaping eCommerce, but it’s time to level up your game and master the best practices for eCommerce.

What exactly does “best practices” even mean?

In technical terms, “best practices” refer to guidelines considered the standard methods or approaches to a project. If followed and executed correctly, these usually deliver a favourable or desired outcome.

Since there’s no official group of people that govern the industry, when it comes to an eCommerce website’s best practices, it’s a collaborative effort. Established and newer startups contribute to the growing list of what you should or shouldn’t do. The old trial-and-error method is how guidelines for success in eCommerce have been established.

Sidenote: Just like eCommerce and its many branches keep evolving, so do the best practices. That’s why embracing modern advancements such as using apps for eCommerce is an excellent way to stay up to date.

Selling online and using traditional retail do have certain points where they share some guidelines on how to conduct business. So, there are best practices that logically apply to both.

With that out of the way, let’s simplify things a bit. Think of an eCommerce best practice as a set guideline used to approach a specific part of the entire industry. Following this guideline will provide a positive outcome, desired achievement, or meet a required need.

Consider, for example, the neverending pursuit to innovate eCommerce. If you want your online presence to be cutting-edge and ahead of the times, you can follow a few best practices to help you achieve this.

23 Best practices for eCommerce

All this is well and good. It might even be revolutionary. But what about the actual, nitty-gritty processes considered the best eCommerce practices? Glad you asked.

Let’s do a deep dive into the most prominent eCommerce best practices that your business should be following, regardless of whether you’re just starting out or have an established brand.

1. Know the essential elements of on-page SEO

Knowing what it takes to improve your online store’s visibility is essential, and this is where on-page SEO comes into play. If your SEO strategy is certified gold, meaning your web pages are optimised according to the evolving techniques and tactics of SEO, you’ll rank higher.

Rank where? The goal is to be within the top search results for a query, boosting your ranking on Google.

Understanding SEO terms such as title tags, meta-descriptions, header tags, and keywords is the first step to nailing this cornerstone of an effective online presence. This also means you must create on-page content that includes appropriate keywords in elements such as your heading and subheadings.

2. Optimise product pages to improve conversions

Following on the heels of the first best practice, you have to optimise every one of your product pages to improve conversions. Things like including alt text to your on-page images, using various methods to increase page loading speeds, and cutting down on redirects and duplicated content all ensure your pages are optimised.

3. Make sure your website is clutter-free

Next up, you have to declutter your website as much as possible. You don’t want to overload potential customers with unnecessary information from the moment they land on your webpage. Keep the focus where it should be, and if you have a blog (which you should), link to it properly.

4. Ensure your site is secured

Have you ever seen the tiny padlock icon in your browser’s search bar? That means a website is secure and trusted by Google. Ensure your website has a valid SSL certificate and that it is trustworthy. Another way to check this is to look for “https://” rather than “http://”.

5. Always use high-quality, appealing, and memorable product images

While being able to read reviews of products by other buyers is an excellent way for a potential customer to get a grasp of what they’re aiming to buy, offering product images is invaluable. Stick to your brand’s style, and don’t rely on third-party images. After all, you want to grab attention.

Sidenote: Not a photographer? Here’s everything you need to know about photography for eCommerce.

6. Make the buyer’s journey on your site as effortless as possible

This boils down to how easy it is for your customers to browse your store. Ensure they can navigate from one product to the next, add items to their cart without hassle, and checkout easily, safely, and quickly.

Another standout way to streamline your user experience is by including product recommendations and even a “frequently bought together” option. When your website design is above standard, your user experience also improves. It’s a win-win.

Sure, selling online without a website is possible, but having a well-designed digital storefront is ideal.

Sidenote: If you’re stuck believing that you need years of coding experience to set up your site, think again. Check out our instant site feature.

7. Invest in creating engaging product demos

Ideally, you want product demos that give buyers as close to an in-store experience as possible. Instead of simplistic images of products, include videos which help your customer make their final decision to buy a lot faster and, in turn, boosts your sales.

8. Use clear product categories and descriptions

An eCommerce website should have clear product categories and, within those effective filters, make finding an item easy. This adds up to improving user experience and retention.

Be precise and descriptive in your product descriptions, giving a potential buyer as much information as possible. Use this as an opportunity to highlight why they should buy something or why it is better than alternatives on the market.

9. Include a “Frequently Asked Questions” page

Remember that often a customer will have questions about either an eCommerce service you’re offering or a product you’re selling. This is where a comprehensive “Frequently Asked Questions” page comes in handy — cover as many commonly found issues to give your customers a go-to spot for their questions.

10. Make every effort to recover abandoned carts

Even if you have the most seamless user experience, top-tier product images, and an easy-to-use and secure checkout process, customers will still abandon their carts. Use the power of email to remind customers about them and increase the probability of recovering abandoned carts.

11. Enforce scarcity in your product range

The more exclusive your customers perceive your products to be, the more likely they will be to buy them. Increasing their fear of missing out boosts your potential for a sale. Using a sense of urgency nudges customers towards buying.

Consider things such as:

• Flash Sales
• Last Day Offers
• While Stocks Last
• Limited Release

12. Find the best hosting platform for your site

Shop around and find the best hosting platform for your site. Consider using one that allows for quick loading times and overall site speed. Ensure your hosting platform and domain are secured and provide an SSL certificate.

Evaluate your chosen platform’s adaptability, integration with other sites/blogs/social media platforms, and the eCommerce advertising tools it offers.

Tip: Check out how Netcash Shop has you covered regarding eCommerce domain hosting.

13. Ensure your customer communication channels are effective

Your customers should always have at least one clear way of communicating with you. Whether you offer just one or more channels to do so, it’s essential to ensure they are easily accessible and exceptionally responsive.

Highlight contact info for relevant questions or general inquiries. Consider the inclusion of 24/7 phone support or a live chat service on your website (here’s looking at you, chatbot).

Use a dedicated and responsive email system to log any questions, issues, or concerns.

For your continued success as an eCommerce store owner, you need to make sure that your customer support services are unparalleled.

14. Put in place a watertight return policy and an effective exchange procedure

Returns and exchanges do happen. That doesn’t need to be a hurdle in your path to success, though, as having a system in place for when these happen makes them much more bearable. Above and beyond that, make your returns and exchange policy and procedure easy to find and understand.

15. Ensure your T’s and C’s are clear and up-to-date

Even though, in general, most don’t read the T’s and C’s of almost anything, include these in every applicable part of your business. Remember that the terms and conditions for eCommerce change often and include a broad information coverage.

16. Make your payment methods work for you

Before deciding which payment gateway or methods to use, ensure you have an effective and convenient checkout system. Play around with a few approaches, but always give your customers the choice to shop without creating an account.

Aside from that, it’s not wise to only have one payment method. Customer retention is one of, if not the most significant eCommerce metric to keep track of. To meet customer satisfaction and retention while reaching a wider audience of potential buyers, include various ways to pay.

Put in place the necessary levels of eCommerce security for customers as they pay. This gives your customers peace of mind and helps you prevent cart abandonment due to a lack of trust.

Tip: Get in touch with Netcash Shop for information on the various payment methods available.

17. Implement an efficient order management and fulfilment process

Use tools to automate order processing, eliminating human error and boosting turnaround time. Next, integrate your order and inventory management systems, creating real-time inventory visibility. Finally, consider batch processing and develop techniques to fulfil multiple orders simultaneously.

18. Make your shipping process as seamless as possible

Always thoroughly research the shipping partners or carriers you’re considering using. Aim to use an eCommerce platform with specific delivery partners, such as Netcash Shop’s partnering with Fastway and Bob Go.

Provide your customers with numerous shipping options to enhance your level of convenience. Communicate every detail of your shipping policy clearly so it’s easy to find and use the latest tools that allow package tracking for both your customer and your company.

As a genuine testimony to the application of best practices, even elements of your business, such as the logistics of eCommerce, benefit from best practices. Set up a well-defined shipping strategy that is clear-cut and faultless but includes available avenues to fix any potential shipping problems.

19. Manage your cash flow

Evaluate the degree to which you want to adjust your product pricing and cost to simplify establishing a budget and an ROI expectation. Use modern tools to manage your cash flow as an eCommerce business before it manages you.

Consider that the actual cost of running an eCommerce business is a bit of a minefield. Stay current with key metrics and pricing trends and set up a way to track changes as they happen.

20. Pay extra attention to packaging and how it affects your business

Packaging? Yes, packaging. There isn’t enough time in the world to cover every base of eCommerce packaging, but if you instill a few best practices, you’re halfway there. Don’t settle for the norm.

Yes, brown boxes and box tape seem to be the norm, but rather use a packaging material that you and your business resonate with. This also creates a distinction between you and your competition.

Decide on packaging infills and the type you want to use. Develop a unique unboxing strategy where the actual unboxing by the customer is an event and not just another box. Put a ribbon on it and coat it in glitter. The list is endless.

Use packaging to spread brand awareness. Uniquely brand your packaging and add a personal touch to each order. To cap things off, research what your costs for shipping will be based on packaging dimensions. This is non-negotiable.

21. Make use of every possible type of digital marketing

As you are operating an eCommerce business, most of your marketing (if not all) will happen digitally. How you go about that marketing depends on a few things, from your budget to your brand’s personality and target audience.

Rest assured, even if you’re not a juggernaut retailer, small business marketing also needs a set of best practices.

Use email marketing, social media platforms, and content marketing, and then, based on each one’s performance, choose the channel that works for you. Create an organic marketing strategy that does something new or offers a unique perspective on an existing marketing tactic.

22. Invest in creating a blog to add to your website

Adding a blog to your online storefront is a no-brainer in today’s global market. Here, you can uniquely engage your customers, and, as you post to it regularly, build up a certain relationship based on the sharing of information.

This ties in with SEO, and if Google likes it, your customers will see it. That, paired with an easy-to-navigate website, will increase conversion.

23. Set up different social channels

Don’t shy away from setting up a YouTube channel or even a TikTok account for your business. Sending out continuous content via these two channels is how you keep your products in the minds of potential buyers. Launch a podcast that informs, educates, and, most importantly, promotes your business and niche.

Understanding the full scope of eCommerce best practices

Okay, that’s great to know, but why should you and your online business pay attention? This is where the range of best practices comes into play. Instead of diving into a rabbit hole that knows no end, consider the coverage of these practices in the following three criteria:

• Are these practices capable of maximising your time or the timeframes of your business goals?
• Will applying these principles improve the overall quality of your or your business work (in this case, products)?
• Can these principles improve the possible and achievable productivity of your business?

In the end, everyone might be using the same practices, tricks, hacks, call it whatever you want, but what matters is who uses them the best. All that may seem reasonable on paper, and in theory, applying a set of guidelines that ensure success sounds too good to be true. What about the practical side of things?

As with most things in eCommerce — from choosing a hosting platform to creating a social media strategy — you won’t get very far without a strong foundation. In the eCommerce playground, it’s all about getting it right from the start using best practices.

Wrapping up the best practices for eCommerce

There you have it. Just like the environment of best practices for eCommerce websites is constantly changing, growing and evolving, so should your approach to them as well. Although there is no surefire recipe for success, you can increase your odds and do so quickly with these examples.

Now, look at your company with the following in mind, “You get a best practice, you get a best practice, everyone gets a best practice!”.

One last thing: Best practices won’t help much if you’re not off the ground yet. Here are the steps you need to start building your eCommerce store.