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You might have observed that online stores keep updating new and advanced features. This makes all online stores unique in their own way. Some online stores love to have animations, 360-degree product preview, advanced filtering, or dynamic search. But these features are not something that will guarantee conversion rates or make the online store robust. You need to have essential business features in your online store to stay relevant and competitive. It is necessary to have online stores to run an online business. Moreover, it is also important to have an online store with essential or important features that assure success. A good online store will offer all the means to the customer and the merchant to help them get involved in a fruitful transaction.

Here are the top 10 must-have features for an online store which you should look out for:

User-Friendly: Your online store must be simple yet sophisticated. Well, how? The design of your online store must focus on simplicity without sacrificing the elegance to achieve it. The simplistic design makes it easy for the user to understand the look of the website and navigate smoothly. According to a report, it was specified that almost 76% of the customers choose user-friendliness as an important feature of any online store. The objective behind simple design is to help online customers to get what they want without any hassle. They can do it fast without unnecessary clog of the complex design. Along with the simple design, make sure that you are providing shopping categories, filters, and comparison capabilities to customers.

Mobile-Friendly: It is quite essential for every online store to be mobile friendly because 65 to 70% of the population prefers to use a mobile or smartphone while doing online shopping. An online store that is responsive can easily adapt to the device’s screen a customer is accessing. It was reported that Walmart could increase mobile sales by 98% after optimizing its online store. Online stores that create a mobile-friendly experience will improve sales and potential rankings.

Online Store Must-Have User-Generated Reviews: It is a fact that about 95 to 96 percent of the online customers go through the previous customer’s reviews about the product they wish to buy. Generally, a customer will only use the business or product if it has four or more star ratings. Online stores can make use of various plugins from the most popular review platforms including Yelp, Foursquare, and Facebook, etc. to show user-generated reviews. Good reviews will attract customers and also help in increasing sales.

Recommended Items: Whenever a customer notices the “recommended products” or “you may like this” phrase, they become curious to explore those products. A ‘recommended item’ feature on an e-commerce site creates the desirable stickiness effect that so many marketers strive to achieve. Online stores must-have these features to increase online sales.

Special Offers – Discounts – Coupons: Online stores’ give out special offers and discounts on specific products by making use of the header section. These special offers are used to prompt sales. It is a tendency of every customer to check out the products that have special deals. These special offers tend to motivate the customers to make the purchase.

Wish Lists: Wish lists are a favorite feature of most of the online customers. It helps them to shop, save, and share. Online stores that aren’t using wish lists are leaving revenue on the virtual desktop table. It’s also an opportunity to share a brand with new buyers. Online stores can get free traffic and customers when shoppers share their wish lists with family and friends.

Social Media Presence: Having a social media presence will help the brands or online stores to build an emotional connection with the customers. Online stores that connect with their buyers on an emotional level create brand trust and advocacy. You can use various plugins to link social profiles and other user-generated content such as likes, comments, retweets. It is a must-have feature that will give character to the brands of online stores. With a social presence, the online store looks more trustworthy and reliable. Customers will be willing to click on “Buy Now” or “get this” buttons to get the products.

Security Feature Of The Online Stores: Nowadays, online transactions have become an integral part of our lives and this makes the online stores lucrative target for cybercriminals. Therefore, it is crucial for online stores to protect the personal information of the customers and ensure privacy.

Online store must-have security features to consider are:

• Make Use Of SSL certificate: Establishes secure connectivity between a user and the website. Look for HTTPS and a green lock in the address bar before trusting an online store with your information. Select an SSL certificate vendor with name recognition. Enterprise e-commerce giants almost always use Symantec.
• Two-factor authentication: Adds an extra layer of security by requiring username/password and a system-generated code sent via email or text.
• Must-Have – Firewall Security: Provides a gateway or wall between two networks and permits authorized traffic and blocking malicious traffic.
• Privacy policy link in footer: Addresses the website’s privacy policies and promises customer data is not shared with third parties.

Having Advanced Payment Options: In the digital era, the advanced payment option is a must-have feature for an online store. Having secure and easy payment options makes the transaction process easy. Online customers can easily register accounts and buy the commodity with just one-click. Today’s buyers are tech-savvy and tend to look for the payment options that are secure and easy.

Summary:

And that’s it! We hope that the tips above will help make your online stores the perfect go-to page for potential buyers. With all the time, effort and finances put in to generate your online presence, these minor suggestions may actually help make or break your business.