The most important sign that indicates the need to redesign an online store is its low efficiency. If the current version almost does not help to attract traffic and does not keep customers – it is clearly time to change something. True, here you immediately need to ask yourself one, but a more global question: is this situation a consequence of outdated site design or it is still about the weaknesses of the current business model? Below we will touch on both of these options, but we will start with the first and list the main features, the set of which reveals the need to redesign the online store.
Checklist “Is it about time?”
So, if you have learned your situation in 4 or more of the features listed below – it is time for your E-Commerce to redesign:
- Visualization. The site looks sloppy or out of date;
- Positioning. The site is not memorable and does not stand out from the competition;
- Functionality. The lack of useful features, functions, and modules that would solve any specific business problem is felt;
- Convenience. To make a purchase from the user requires many steps, which entails a large number of unfinished purchases;
- Promotion. Search queries practically do not lead visitors to the site;
- Changes. Rebranding, change of specialization, switching to a new target audience – all this implies changes on the site, too;
- Growth. Increase in sales volumes, a significant expansion of the assortment range, etc.;
- Adaptivity. The site is displayed incorrectly on mobile devices or, on the contrary, looks with a narrow intestine on wide monitors.
From what specific tasks should be repelled, what results to expect when deciding on the redesign:
- Increasing conversion (ratio of visits to purchases made);
- Increasing positions in search results;
- Increasing positions in search results on mobile devices;
- Readiness for higher loads (with significant growth in sales).
Now, when the main points are summarized, we offer you to elaborate on some of them.
Rationality. Timeliness. System.
Think about it! Even the web studio will tell you, that you need a really important reason to redesign your website, which seemed to be very interested in frequent contact with regular customers. Then why do they advise to think ten times before signing a contract on the redesign? The answer is simple – “decent” web-studios and digital-agency stand on the fact that they are more advantageous to the success of their regular customers than a single order. As they say, if not by money, so at least by karma. We advise you to apply to them, not to those who claim: “Oh, dear! What a terrible site you have, it is urgent to remake! – Why? – Well, you have an old one.”
Redesigning E-Commerce – is not a simple task, the same as the overhaul of a house or apartment. Therefore, you should start it only in case of emergency, when the existing version no longer meets the needs of a changing business and smooth modernization can no longer satisfy them.
The first thing you need to do is to formulate the goals of remodeling the old site, ie to understand what you want to spend time and money for. It is desirable that these goals should be expressed in numbers.
Objectives such as: “make a modern site” or “refresh the design” do not quite reach the category of real business goals, although, of course, the image component, too, no one canceled.
The goal should be expressed in measurable indicators, such as: “to increase conversion by X%”, “to increase traffic from free organic distribution by Y%”.
Such goals are clear and, proceeding from them, the necessary personnel and financial resource for their achievement can be defined.
Depending on the goal will be selected and the appropriate tools.
If the goal is to increase conversion, the main work will be done with design and UX with mandatory A/B testing of all changes made.
If the goal is to “increase organic traffic”, then the main work will be done with the site structure, its filters and, possibly, the content component.
For each purpose, there are different tools and specialists. In any case, analysts and marketers should take part in the design and implementation of the IM remastering project.
The convenience of shopping – the engine of Internet sales
The idea is simple: if the buying process is more complicated at your site than at the competitors – this is the first sign that it must be urgently corrected. But, of course, if this is the only problem, it can be easily solved with extensions of the innovative developer.
For starters: you should not wait, you need to be in a trend and offer a high level of convenience E-Commerce.
It is necessary to prepare for the remake of the site in advance, taking into account the problems faced by customers and staff. This is necessary for the correct update of the store because the main task of the new version – is to solve current problems.
It is also necessary to remember that the online store should not be surprising, it should be clear and simple for the user. The main purpose of any E-Commerce is not that the visitor said “Wow!”, but that he made the purchase. After updating the IM need to test and compare indicators, to determine what of the forecast was a good solution and what not.
The redesign is not about today, it’s about tomorrow.
If a decision has already been made, what are the fundamental points to pay attention to in the first place?
E-Commerce store – this is, first of all, the site. As a rule, this is the only sales tool for the company. Remodeling or redesigning the site can be compared to the repair of an offline shop. Deciding on such changes, you need to look a few years ahead to understand what would be the business, the core of which is an online store. It is necessary to make a list of requirements and wishes. These points and will be the points through which the project will develop in a few years. It is worth discussing these points with the contractor, to assess costs and payback period.
Most likely after such a serious and large-scale assessment you will form an opinion, whether it is worth working with the current management system or it makes sense to move to another CMS. When switching to a new system, you should always remember about search engine optimization and traffic saving. Also, keep in mind possible sabotage of employees and your clients when using a personal account with another management system.
Changes that lead to the redesign of the site, should be presented from all the sides. We talked about functional features, but it can also be a change in design, an increase in user and administrator convenience. These may be search engine requirements to attract additional search traffic.
In the case of online store CMS and the site – this is the business itself, its only tool. Therefore, the decision to remake the site should be taken thoughtfully and very carefully.
