Ten Tips For Designing Usable Shopping Carts

The percent of Internet surfers making monetary transactions is on the rise. For the e-commerce businesses, it is necessary to have a user responsive website, easily navigable pages and robust shopping cart. This post will provide top ten tips on designing usable shopping carts-

1. A Full Page Is More Convenient for Display And Demonstration

With a full page shopping cart, retailers and business owners can display more information about a product, compared to a mini cart. Product details, edit/remove items, shipping details and tax prices can also be included in the full page description.

2. Checkout: One Page Or Step-By-Step Process

The step-by-step process consists of four separate procedures: Signing In, documentation of Billing and Shipping details, Payment, and the final Verification or Editing of details. The other option is the inclusion of shopping cart, shipping and billing details and personal information on a single page.

3. Use An Icon To Link The Mini Cart To The Full Page Cart

Organized navigation plays a big role in making the user experience pleasant. Therefore, the designer should always take care to link the various pages. A tab should be placed near the mini cart, and it should lead automatically to the full page shopping cart where the customer can view all the relevant details about the product.

4. Make The Add-To-Cart And Checkout Buttons Very Obvious

E-commerce shopping carts and check out tabs should be strategically placed, so that customers can make the transaction effortlessly. Visitors will generally avoid a website where there is an excessive amount of paraphernalia attached to the process of making a monetary commitment. The tabs should be clear, and the texts inscribed in them, like “Continue-To-Checkout” and “Add-To-Cart” should be clear and visible.

5. It Is Best To Use A Tabular Layout That Is Readable

While designing a full page shopping cart, it is best to adopt a tabular structure. Such a layout can be used to display all relevant information without any disruptions. Standard fonts and simple backgrounds are the most effective.

Moreover, every individual cell should be given a definite border and outline. Designers should use plain and simple outlines rather than any ornate complementation. The information in the cart should be easily legible and all forms of distractions must be avoided.

6.The “Continue Shopping” Link Is A Must

This is a very important link. The primary function of this feature is to redirect customers to the catalog and store to chose and add more items to the shopping cart. This link is placed strategically under the detailed shopping cart table, so that it can be easily located.

7. Avoid Excessive Fields In The Form

Nothing annoys a consumer more than having to provide too many personal details to fulfill the prerogatives for a transaction. It is very important to have a hassle free check out process, since any delay might be a source of deterrence, and dissuade the customer from making the final transaction. Ensure that the form asks the minimum number of questions, and that there are no such fields which might come across as unnecessary and useless.

8. Help Elements Can Play An Important Role In Building Customer Trust

Help Elements within the checkout process and shopping cart play an important role in providing customers with all the necessary details that they might require before making the final purchase. Bullet points explaining the particular features of the shopping cart, and the intricacies of the check out process are indeed helpful. Tooltips can be used to explain the labels in the cart and check out form. Sample text in the check out page can be used to display specificities of the billing information and particulars of the credit card that are necessary for the transaction.

9. Visual Support Is A Must

Visual supports are always attractive. They might be simple icons, or even diagrams. An image displaying the placement of account numbers on credit cards will definitely facilitate the customers in filling their billing information. Icons can also be used to support the text, thereby, making it simpler to scan through the form.

10. A Page For Verification Must Be Included

A checkout process is incomplete without a page for verifying and editing the details that have been documented. Customers always want to have a look at the products that they have selected before they can make the final transaction.

This page should also contain detailed information about the product in a tabular form, with an option to cancel the order altogether, and another tab which leads them to the catalog and continue their shopping.

An e-commerce website depends heavily on user experience. Thus, it is important that all the features are well synchronized to ensure that the entire process of transaction is smooth and hassle free.