Having gained valuable experience in the e-commerce industry over the years, I constantly find myself immersed in the challenge of redesigning existing solutions to better cater to customers’ needs and ultimately boost sales. In the realm of e-commerce shopping experience, every aspect of our design work has a profound impact on customer psychology and behaviour. The success or failure of your design is reflected in the sales figures, providing clear feedback on the effectiveness of our approach.
Four Stages of Customer Shopping Behaviour
When considering the shopping behaviour, I find it helpful to separate the flow into four stages, as the mental models of users differ during each stage. People typically move back and forth between these stages until they either make a purchase or decide to quit.
Get inspiration & set a target
Search for information & make decisions
Complete the payment
After-sale experience
To organise my thoughts and share my knowledge with others, I will finish each part of the article by covering each stage. To see how we can do to provide a better experience to help customers move forward to next stage, and finally get a better business result.
It’s important to note that people think and behave differently when purchasing standard products compared to non-standard ones. Therefore, the approach to this stage differs for these two types of products.
Standard Products
Standard products refer to items that are commonly available and have established specifications or features. These products are typically mass-produced and serve specific purposes or solve common problems. Examples of standard products include electronic appliances, furniture, cosmetics, and other goods that cater to everyday needs.
Standard products are typically purchased when people have a specific need or problem to solve. To inspire customers to desire a standard product, we can provide perspectives on:
The problems the product can solve
The scenarios in which the product can be useful
The reputation of the brand
The efficiency of the product in solving the problem
Sales number and positive reviews
Landing Page
The landing page should serve as a plaza that provides customers with entry points to explore further. Based on the factors that people care about when purchasing standard products, we should consider the following entry points at landing page:
Physical categories
Scenario categories (e.g., home entertainment, kitchen appliances, office electronics, outdoors)
Unique features or technology that enhance efficiency (e.g., QLED or OLED TVs, foldable phones)
Competitive prices (under $100, under $50)
Sales, high ratings, or discounts (best sellers, top-rated, deals)
Additionally, there are other entry points that are not specific to standard or non-standard products. These can be derived from life experiences, such as new arrivals, editor’s choices, or limited edition products.
Product List
Due to limited space, the products list should be concise. The essential information that must be included in the list consists of:
Product photos/videos/motion graphics
Name with brand
Price and discounts
To help user focus, we can also consider adding information based on what people care about when purchasing standard products:
Number of sales or reviews
Ratings
Key properties (unique functions or technology, sizes, etc.)
Special tags (e.g., top sales, editor’s choice, certification on green energy)
Non-Standard Products
Non-standard products are more unique or specialised in nature. They often possess distinguishing characteristics that set them apart from standard products. Non-standard products may include designer fashion items, vintage goods, niche or customised products, or items that target specific demographics or preferences. These products may appeal to customers looking for distinctiveness, personalisation, or products that align with their individual style or preferences.
When it comes to non-standard products, people are often interested in aspects such as outstanding appearance, competitive prices, and personal attributes (e.g., design fashion, vintage, young, professional, comfortable). To inspire customers regarding non-standard products, we can consider the following:
Large and beautiful photos/videos of the product
Discounts
Style description that easy to understand and concise
Sales numbers
Landing Page
The landing page for non-standard products can be similar to that of standard products, but we can make a few adjustments to achieve better business results:
Utilise a magazine-style layout to better showcase photos or videos of the products.
Provide more entry points and longer lists. (User data suggests that users tend to view more non-standard products than standard ones. They often navigate to other entries or use the search function when they cannot find a target product within one page for standard goods. However, they are willing to view the next page for non-standard goods. Therefore, more entry points increase the likelihood of users continuing their exploration.)
Update products on the landing page more frequently.
While ratings are not as crucial for non-standard products, positive reviews still have an impact.
Product List
In addition to the three essential items mentioned earlier, we can include:
Larger photos, videos or motion graphics, while ensuring efficient viewing. Offering different list layouts for users to choose from might be helpful.
Key properties (colours, sizes, textures, etc.)
Number of sales
Ratings
General Design Tips for Both
Here are some tips that are useful for both types of products:
Incorporate people, scenarios, space, in one of the product photos, videos, or motion graphics. This help users establish a connection with the products and encourages them to take the next step.
Provide convenient sharing tools for users to recommend your products to their friends. Additionally, carefully design the landing page for sharing. This is another crucial pathway for people to discover interesting products in their daily lives.
Create combinations of products to help users explore more, similar to the approach taken by IKEA’s catalog. Let editors or buyers showcase their best work to stimulate customers’ imagination and guide them in finding inspiration.
Create variety during the list viewing experience.
[No.4] Users will become fatigued by continuous scrolling through the same layout. To address this, consider incorporating additional entry points after users have scrolled three to four times without finding their desired product. For instance, when users are browsing refrigerators and are unable to find anything interesting, introduce alternative entry points such as “Refrigerators for single individuals,” “No frost refrigerators,” or “Refrigerators for large families.” This strategy breaks the monotony of repetitive scrolling and provides users with fresh inspirations. By injecting these alternative entry points, users can pause, explore new options, and discover products that align more closely with their needs.
Conclusion
In this part, I have discussed the crucial stage of customer psychology and behaviour during the initial shopping experience, focusing on how to design solutions that effectively inspire customers and help them set a target for their purchase. In the next part, we will delve into maximising the product page and search feature to facilitate the customer’s purchasing decision.