Dmitriy N. Full-Stack Developer

Online store from scratch

When an idea to create an online store is born then the concept alone, even if it is flawless, is indispensable. After all, there are a huge number of technical, graphic and psychological nuances, without the effective implementation of which it is better to forget about creating an online store.

Main page

The main page of the online store is the most important element of the future project, so it needs to be given special attention. The priority is design, for the qualitative implementation of which it is necessary to clearly understand the specifics of the planned store. To do this, you need to know your customer in person and always focus on him, taking into account the maximum number of characteristics of the potential audience: gender, age and social status. So, for example, people of different age categories perceive the design of the site in completely different ways, so each age of the audience needs its own approach.

You need to understand who your buyer is, their interests and way of thinking. If the task is to create an online store for children's toys, then potential buyers are most likely women who are either on maternity leave or are very busy to shopping and choosing toys.

Already at the first stage of work on the creation of an online store, we must know the future structure of the resource. You need to know what sections it will contain, what products, whether search engines will be needed, etc. It is important to think through everything to the smallest detail.

Creating an online store implies convenient site navigation on the main page. A common navigation menu is needed, where a person can get some information about the resource. Separately, we take out the catalog of goods of the store. If a large range of products is expected, a separate catalog by manufacturers is required.

If the online store is large, then poor navigation will tire the client very quickly. It should be logical, convenient and simple: the buyer must see his every step on the site, and each link after clicking should change activity and color, which are additional guidelines for the buyer.

Creating a turnkey online store also requires various enticing elements: information about new products, promotions and discounts. Monotonous pages with text and a catalog of goods no longer attract the client. By posting such “lure”, we draw attention to the product that we want to sell faster. Moreover, in this case, it is necessary to indicate both prices: both the old and the new.

A person should never look for the phone number of the store, and he should go to the "Contact Information" section only for additional information. It is also possible to use an online consultant.

On the main page, it is also necessary to place information about how the online store works, what forms of payment it accepts.

The creation of an online store also implies the "News" section, which can be both from the store itself and from the manufacturer, which is an additional bonus to the site, increasing customer confidence in it. In this case, the portal will be perceived as the official supplier of the mentioned manufacturer. You can subscribe to news, with daily replenishment and if they come from a brand, which also increases customer loyalty. On the homepage of the created online store, we also place a clear, interesting and customer-oriented description of the resource, with some minimal set of keywords.

Product catalog

The "Product catalog" section is the main element when creating any online store. We present this section in the list format and duplicate the display of the catalog in pictures.

What is it for? Firstly, this is an extra page for website promotion, and secondly, we immediately cover two categories of people: those who are used to focusing exclusively on the list and exclusively on photos.

Product categories

Creating an online store requires a clear and logical catalog of products, divided into categories.

Here the client should see all the goods, and with adequate pictures, large or medium sizes. Navigation in this section is also important to be able to buy or compare a product. At the same time, we should see what actions have already been performed. In addition, the buyer must always see the path he has traveled (“breadcrumbs”). This is done not only in order to see where we are, but also in order to be able to go a step or a few back.

If the client added the product to the cart, he should see that he did it, there should be some kind of reaction, a page refresh. Therefore, we inform the customer that the product has been added to the cart, and at the same time we change the corresponding button from green to red. Here, the buyer should be able to compare several products by clicking the appropriate button and seeing the corresponding reaction.

All these buttons should retain a certain color depending on the action taken, until the buyer checks out on the site.

In the product category, the customer should also see the rating. The online store should provide the customer with the opportunity to see the reviews of other visitors about the product. The buyer can enter and vote himself, as well as see the voting of others.

Product cards

When you click the product image or the "View" link, we see the product card. Here the client can read the full description or immediately buy, for which there is a corresponding button. If you do not put the "Buy" button here, the visitor will have to close all windows and search for the desired product on the site again.

In the product card, it is necessary to show the brief information that we saw in the product category: name, article.

Here we also give reviews, which, in principle, are not needed at the very initial stage of creating an online store (but if they already exist, they must be filled in and necessarily by different people). Although for a start it is better to achieve a large flow of visitors, or you can motivate customers to leave reviews with the same discounts.

Pay attention to such a thing as “Other products in this category” or “People also buy with this product”, which is a more advantageous option when creating an online store.

This is an additional relinking on the site necessary to promote the resource, and secondly, the buyer is always interested in buying something along with the main product, so as not to look for the necessary parts or accessories separately in the future.

Cart

The shopping cart, as an important element of any online store, should always be displayed in the site header, and initially the icon should show that the cart is empty. After adding a purchase to it, the abbreviation of the product that lies in it is automatically reflected here.

Unfortunately, the shopping cart often does not work correctly or does not work at all so the buyer does not see what is ordered, does not see the price, total, etc. This is unacceptable. There must be a photo of the purchased product, and the buyer must be able to enlarge this photo when clicking, and it must be possible to go back to the full description.

Next is the price, quantity of goods and the final price. Why do we need it? This amount shows the total for the basket, and if the client wants to order 5 identical toys, for this he must see how much each toy costs separately and what is the total sum.

The "Recalculate" button is also required in case of changes in data on the number of goods and their prices. Also, if the visitor is registered, he should be able to see his old orders that are being processed, that have already been processed, paid for and delivered, etc.

After we place an order, we need to give the person the opportunity to register. We either do this automatically by sending a password and login to the mail, or we ask the visitor to register on his own. This is done so that a person can log into his personal account at any time, see the status of the order, and also to create his own customer base.

Thus, creating an online store from scratch is a lot of work that will require maximum interaction, a competent website concept and the most effective mechanisms for implementing the plan.

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