When e-commerce emerged in the early ‘90s, it started a chain reaction that continues to this day. As businesses began focusing on online sales, other companies had to adopt the same practices to stay competitive. Eventually, entire industries began investing in e-commerce, and other industries had to follow suit to meet the changing demands of consumers.
Today, only a few industries, due to their nature, have evaded the shift to e-commerce. The food industry, however, isn’t one of them. Though it took some time, many food and beverage producers have found success in offering their products online.
With advancements made in preserving product freshness and better shipping technology, the food industry has emerged as a strong force in the world of e-commerce. Now, larger corporations even offer same-day delivery on food and drink products. It’s projected that by 2025, 15 to 20 percent of the overall sales of the food and beverage industry will take place online.
As online competition becomes tougher each day, it’s important that food e-commerce businesses cut through the clutter and stay relevant and competitive. How is this possible? The best way to beat out competitors is to maintain a high-quality website.
While overall design and content play a major role in the efficacy of a website, there are a few simple features that businesses can focus on to attract and maintain more online customers:
#1. High-quality Images and Videos
When it comes to e-commerce websites for food and beverage companies, the number-one priority should be high-quality images and videos.
Yes, unique content, keywords, and meta tags can do a lot to improve a website’s search engine ranking. However, photos and videos will pique the interest of visitors and actually convert them into customers.
When choosing images for a website, be sure to:
- Check the size of the images; large images can affect the speed of the website. Photos should also be responsive and scalable.
- Get a professional photographer to capture realistic pictures of your products.
- Don’t forget to add the file name, caption, alt-text, and title-text to each image on the site.
#2. Cohesive Theme and a Thoughtful Brand Story
Color schemes, aesthetics, font types, and font sizes all matter when it comes to attracting visitors to your food e-Commerce website. At the beginning of the design process, select a cohesive theme like one of these Shopify Themes that looks professional and appeals to the target audience.
Also, make sure to weave in a thoughtful brand story that makes it easier for customers to connect with your business and trust services. By adding a touch of emotion to your brand story, you can set your apart from the competition.
#3. Clear Calls-To-Action and an Intuitive Check-Out Process
E-commerce websites serve one ultimate purpose: allowing customers to find and purchase the products they need. Every aspect of a website design should help achieve this goal. To guide customers in the right direction, be sure to include clear calls-to-action. Also, make the check-out process as intuitive as possible by minimizing the number of steps a customer has to take to complete a purchase.
#4. Mobile Accessibility
In a world where everyone uses smartphones to pay bills, do banking, and make purchases, it’s imperative to make sure your food e-Commerce website is mobile-friendly. Regardless of what platform a customer uses to access the site, they should have an excellent user experience. High-quality mobile websites have:
- High speed
- Responsive design
- Clear and clickable calls-to-action
- Legible text
#5. Social Media Integration
Having a perfect website means very little if prospective customers can’t find it. On top of SEO, businesses need to use social media to bring people to their site. Social media not only makes product promotion easier, but it also allows customers to provide feedback candidly.
To harness the power of social media, make sure all of your business accounts link to your website. You can also:
- Include social sharing buttons on all your product and content pages.
- Encourage your visitors to log in to your website using their social media accounts.
- Use tools to incorporate social media reviews on the website.
- Embed your YouTube videos throughout the site.
- Frequently publish social media posts that link to specific landing pages and product pages.
Start Looking for a Professional Web Design Service
In many ways, web design quality dictates the success of an e-commerce business. If you don’t have the capabilities within your staff, consider hiring a professional agency to create your website. With so much at stake, you can’t afford to operate with a sub-par online platform.
