Must-Have Features for a Successful Shopify Store

In today’s competitive eCommerce landscape, having a well-designed eCommerce store is a must. Shopify is one of the largest standalone eCommerce website builder catering to more than 2.3 million merchants from 175 countries across the globe. Successful brands like Kylie Cosmetics, Allbirds and Gymshark are in fact Shopify stores. For small business merchants, ensuring your Shopify store has the right features can make the difference between a customer checking out or clicking away. Based on our experience working with merchants just like you, we’ve narrowed down the top features every Shopify store needs for success.

Must-Have Features for a Successful Shopify Store

Shopify offers a variety of features that can significantly enhance your sales and improve your store's performance. Understanding and utilising these features is crucial for any business owner looking to maximise their store's potential.

1. Mobile-Friendly Design:

The number of shoppers shopping via their mobile phones is rapidly increasing and therefore having a mobile-friendly store is essential. The good news is that Shopify makes it easy with responsive themes to create a mobile-optimised store that looks great on any device. We recommend testing your store on multiple devices to ensure a smooth experience. Shopify’s theme editor lets you preview your store on mobile, so you know exactly how it will look to customers.

2. User-Friendly Navigation:

A clear and intuitive navigation is crucial for any eCommerce websites to enhances user experience. A confusing site layout can frustrate shoppers and drive them away. So create a logical flow with clear categories and subcategories, as well as accessible filters and search. Did you know that 8 out of 10 merchants we surveyed said complex navigation was the top pain point for their customers? The built-in navigation editor in Shopify allows you to create dropdown menus and organise products logically without needing any coding expertise.

3. Fast Checkout Process:

Complicated checkout process is a sure path to cart abandonment and lost sales. Streamlining the checkout process can significantly reduce cart abandonment rates. Shopify’s Shop Pay feature offers fast, secure checkouts by storing customer information for future purchases. It also includes one-click checkout options to keep things simple. Some best practices we recommend for a streamlined checkout experience are:

• Guest Checkout Options: Allow customers to check out without creating an account can help increase conversion rates.
• Minimise steps: Request only essential information from shoppers to speed up the checkout process.
• Progress Bars: Implement progress bars during checkout, to let users know how many steps are left.

4. High-Quality Product Images :

High quality product images play a significant role in influencing purchasing decisions, since the shoppers can’t touch or feel your products. We focus on delivering high-quality images that allow customers to visualise products, thereby increasing their confidence in making a purchase. Shopify’s themes support multiple image formats and even allow 360-degree product views for a more immersive shopping experience. We always recommend our clients to use consistent lighting and styling across the images to maintain a professional look.

5. Secure Payment Gateways:

A secure payment system is critical for building customer confidence and trust.  Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Shopify Payments. At Fluency, we integrate secure payment gateways into all our clients to build trust, protect customer information and reduce the risk of cart abandonment.

Integrating Shopify Payments eliminates the need for third-party integrations while offering fast payouts and fraud prevention tools.

6. Customer Reviews and Testimonials:

Customer feedback is one of the most influential factors in purchasing decisions. We always prefer displaying customer reviews and testimonials directly on our clients product pages to enhance credibility and encourages more conversions. You can integrate reviews seamlessly with your store using Shopify’s apps like Yotpo.

7. Integrated Analytics:

Understanding your customers’ behaviour is vital for optimising Shopify store. We implement comprehensive analytics solutions such as from tracking abandoned carts to analysing conversion rates that allow clients to monitor performance and make informed decisions. Data analytics is an ongoing process, from tracking abandoned carts to analysing conversion rates, the data helps you make informed decisions for your store.

Final Thoughts

We understand that building a successful Shopify store requires careful consideration of various features to improve user experience and drive conversions. By implementing these Shopify features, you can build a smooth, efficient, and customer-focused shopping experience that drives sales and promotes long-term business success.

At Fluency, we’ve worked with countless small business owners to help them get the most out of their Shopify store. Whether you’re just getting started or need help optimising your existing site, we’re here to help.

Let’s build something great together. Get in touch with us today.