Best Practices for E-commerce Navigation Design
This section includes best practices for e-commerce navigation design with examples and tips for your website.
1. Include the Information Users Need in the Header
The header is one of the most important parts of the site, as it is seen by 99.99% of visitors. Therefore, colors and titles should be clear and simple. Typically, the header includes the main navigation section, a search bar, a cart button, and additional information such as customer service, store locations, and top-selling products.
These additional elements are determined based on visitor behavior on the site: if many are searching for your store locations, add that to the header. Are customers complaining about difficulty accessing your business? Add a link for live chat. Are you running a promotional offer or special program to boost sales? Include that.
The most important things for you (backed by data on what’s best) should be in the header.
For example, this might mean running a promotional offer in the header for one seller. For another, it could mean live chat and store locations. Just remember that space is still limited, so make data-driven decisions based on Google Analytics and other data that clearly shows what people are looking for.
You might have a larger promotion (free shipping, Prime video, 10% off all stores) and two or three links to other relevant information/content (live chat, store locations, and so on).
Mavi showcases reselling services, rewards, a 40% discount, and a prominent free shipping threshold.
DODOCase integrates its best-selling items directly into the main navigation bar.
Other companies experiment with adding thematic categories like “Halloween” and “Christmas Gifts” and “Gift Guides,” among many others, to drive traffic and sales to relevant categories at different times throughout the year.
You can also test a “What’s New” section tailored for repeat buyers/returning visitors. They will want to see the new products you have without having to sift through lists or use the search bar.
2. Use a Search Bar for E-commerce Navigation
The key to a great search bar is simplicity: when you sell products people know they are looking for, make the search bar more prominent. Think Amazon-style search – large and bold in the middle of the header area.
The streetwear brand mnml utilizes a search bar that recommends popular items in its e-commerce store.
The search will also autocomplete your query and match you with items you might like. You can access product pages directly from the search bar. This feature works on both desktop and mobile devices.
Will it have the same effect on your e-commerce site? Perhaps. At the very least, it’s an idea to test coming up as you run text-only searches for a month followed by a month that includes images, then compare the results. Just be sure to avoid common user experience mistakes made by e-commerce companies in site search.
If you want to implement intelligent search on your site, check out the apps available in the Shopify App Store.
3. Add a Benefits Bar to Your E-commerce Site
Now you have a well-designed header (with only the most important information). That’s great, but it’s not enough!
Next, add a benefits bar below the header. The idea is to clarify what makes your offering unique and the benefits of buying from you instead of, for example, Amazon.
Works
The benefits bar at the site level serves as a trust reference for visitors who may feel hesitant to purchase from an unknown brand.
Benefits can include things like: free shipping thresholds, shipping times, payment plans (buy now, pay later, financing, etc.), geographical information (owned by Americans, made in the USA, etc.), or anything else that is important to your customers.
For example, Gymshark uses a bar that rotates through four benefits: Build a habit, change your life. All it takes is 66 days. Sign up for Gymshark66! 10% discount for students Shop Gymshark with Afterpay, pay in 4 installments Free 30-day return policy
On the other hand, Culture Kings uses the same area below the header to add secondary navigation that includes links to their new arrivals and collections.
This allows fans to navigate directly to new products.
Now that the little things in the header have been addressed, it’s time to take a closer look at the main menu – the horizontal navigation list.
4. Adjust Your Navigation Structure
In navigation, proper product categorizations (or information architecture) are the cornerstone.
By grouping related products together, you make it easy for potential customers to find what they’re looking for. It also makes it possible to display and compare a range of products that share a similar set of attributes.
All of this makes it easier for the end user to make a purchase.
As for the hierarchy, there are two types of categorizations: main categorizations. The main categorization is the name given to a group of sub-categorizations that better describe the common attributes of that group, sub-categorizations. The sub-categorization is used to group specific products together. Such as shoes, hats, and pants.
Sometimes it can be challenging to choose the exact sub-categorization to which a particular product should belong and/or can logically appear in several main categorizations. For example, users may be looking for a coffee table in the “Living Room” or “Office” or “Tables” section.
How do you choose the most relevant categorization for the round table? Don’t do it.
Yes, the ideal solution is to have clear high-level categorizations, but this isn’t always possible. To avoid losing sales (visitors who are looking for coffee tables under “Office”, but you have them only in the “Tables” section), you can place products and sub-categorizations under multiple main categorizations.
For example, Best Buy has a sub-categorization
Source: https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/ecommerce-navigation
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