Redesign online store: What you need to keep in mind

Your personal website or online store is your company's flagship and showcase. The look, the usability and the information you give on it leave a certain impression of your brand on the target group. You can easily prove whether this first impression is good by looking at numbers: If your bounce rate is particularly high and the dwell time is low, this does not necessarily speak for a perfect website. Maybe it's time for a new coat of paint and to think about a redesign. In this article, we explain what is meant by this, which signs speak for a redesign and which steps and points there are to consider then. We also show which Latori customers have undergone facetuning and what the before-and-after result looks like. Let's go!

Redesign Definition: What is meant by redesign?

A redesign is primarily the visual enhancement or redesign of an existing web presence. In some articles, a fresh web design is clearly distinguished from a relaunch. The latter is explicitly about technical changes - in this article, the two should go hand in hand. We consider layout and technology together, as both have an impact on the user experience.

What are the reasons for a new web design?

"Never change a running system. You have certainly heard this wisdom before. But what if the system could run even better? Changes, especially to structure and design, can bring many benefits, such as:

• The user experience is optimized and the bounce rate decreases.

• The new focus on specific products and product groups can lead to increased sales.

• Improving the layout of your website through a redesign can also have an impact on dwell time. Visitors feel more comfortable and stay longer on your site.

• Redesigning CTAs and buttons on the website can lead to a better click-through rate (CTR).

• Branding and brand acceptance and identification can also benefit significantly from a redesign, leading customers to repurchase in the best case scenario.

Redesign Shop: 9 signs that your store needs a redesign

Not sure if you simply need stronger marketing actions, or if the time is ripe for a redesign after all? These 9 signs will tell you.

1. No conversion

You get good traffic to your site, but the conversions are missing? No actions are being carried out - neither contacting, nor shopping cart transactions and we don't even need to talk about purchases? Then this is definitely a first clear sign that something has to change!

2. High bounce rate

Your visitors not only don't act on your site, but are gone just as quickly as they came? Not a good sign! Maybe you simply don't offer what they're looking for. Or maybe your images and information aren't compelling enough, or the site structure is too confusing. User-friendliness has a strong impact on bounce rates, and if the shopping experience on your site isn't satisfying, potential customers will quickly migrate to your competitors.

3. Declining sales

If your sales are declining even during the otherwise profitable peak seasons, you can't attract new customers and your ROI is plummeting, you should urgently analyze your web presence. Ask yourself whether your brand still presents itself in a modern and contemporary way and whether your site meets current web standards.

4. Many basic questions

Do you regularly get a lot of basic questions like "Where can I find product xy?", "How much does shipping cost?", "What happens if I need to return an item?", "How do I pay?" ? If so, this is a clear sign that your users are not finding important information on your site and your page layout may be opaque. Users want to be sure that their money is in safe hands, so you need to make sure that all doubts and questions are clarified from the very beginning.

5. No regular customers

Perhaps the signs are less drastic in your case, but they add up. A sign of a necessary redesign can be a lack of regular customers. Of course, this depends entirely on the products or services you offer. However, a lack of returning customers is an indication that you have not yet managed to build a brand that will be remembered. A good, catchy design can help here!

6. Your site is not yet specialized for mobile

The way we surf the Internet has clearly changed. A large part of daily online store access is from smartphones or tablets. If your website is not yet optimized for mobile use and images or information are cut off on small screens, a redesign is urgently needed to avoid losing any more potential customers.

7. Long loading times

Long load times are one of the most common reasons for high bounce rates. Even if your site shines in every other way, at least half of your visitors will leave if it takes longer than two or three seconds to load. Too many apps, major theme changes, and CSS can all worsen load times - shed some light on these aspects!

8. The design is outdated

There are now standards on the web that users have simply become accustomed to. The imprint, information about shipping and return policies or the privacy policy can often be found in the footer, product categories often well sorted in the main menu. A modern aesthetic is just as essential as a logical structure. Trends in e-commerce such as chatbots or 3D product displays should also be considered in order to meet your customers' expectations and gain an advantage over competitors.

9. Your current website does not fit the target audience and business goals

Through certain tracking tools you could determine that you are currently addressing people who you would not actually call a target group? A clear sign that something should change in your external presence. A redesign of the store will help you to define and address the target groups.

Advantages and disadvantages of redesign

An online store redesign brings with it some benefits, but it also carries risks. Careful planning and weighing up the pros and cons are crucial to ensure that the redesign is successful and brings the desired benefits. So that you too can weigh up whether a redesign makes sense, we have listed the advantages and disadvantages once for you.

The most important steps in redesigning your website

All signs point to a new start? Then we would like to share some aspects that you should consider for your professional web design.

1. Analyze status quo

What's going well, where is there room for improvement? Take stock and check which functionalities your website already has and which are needed. In a status quo analysis, also find out the places in the purchasing process where customers might have difficulties and highlight them. Tools like Google Analytics, Heat Maps, and UX tools can show you how users are currently navigating the site or when and where they bounce. Think about what might be the reason. Understand the user flow and current pain points to eliminate them in the redesign!

2. (Re)define buyer personas

Are you currently even targeting the people who were originally intended in your target group analysis? If not, you should redefine your buyer personas. It can be helpful to get together with your employees as a team to exchange ideas - especially if your employees have a lot of customer contact. In a team of three to five people, you should define the core customer groups and divide them into job title, age, industry, buyer type, and so on.

Consider what problems and goals these core groups have and make sure you solve them with a redesign, add value, and communicate it clearly to the outside world.

3. Mapping the customer journey

Closely linked to the buyer persona is the customer journey. How does the target group become aware of your offers? What wishes does the potential clientele have and at what point can you, as a brand and company, respond to these wishes? An online retailer must consider every touchpoint with the customer and also be able to assess the customer's emotional state at each stage of the Customer Journey. The best ideas for redesigning a web presence come to light when a retailer truly understands the Customer Journey. In addition to tools such as Google Analytics, they can of course also conduct interviews with users, consult customer complaints or existing reviews.

4. Create trust

It is still the case that people who use the Internet do not want to act blindly. Especially when it comes to money, users want to be able to trust a website. For you as an online merchant, this means that you should incorporate certain trust-related elements into the page. Trust seals, customer images, reviews, an About Us page, or certificates can help create transparency and build trust in your brand. Take advantage of this!

5. Create clear structures and manage customers

One of the most common reasons for poor website performance is a misleading structure. Users searching for something in your online store usually have a specific goal in mind - if they can't find what they're looking for, frustration ensues. And it is precisely this that manifests itself in high bounce rates.

So make sure you take customers by the hand step by step and lead them clearly to their destination - checkout. A clear layout, eye-catching and purposeful call-to-action buttons, a tidy menu and a highly visible search bar can eliminate confusion. Intuition is the magic word here!

6. Mobile first

As already mentioned, mobile use is now no longer the exception, but the absolute rule. Google also makes it a requirement for websites to be mobile-friendly. When redesigning, remember that web design is responsive and all content can adapt to any type of screen.

A change of system could also help here. Store systems like Shopify or Shopify Plus make a mobile-friendly web presence easy.

7. Visuals are the key

Most of us react visually - to colors, shapes and pictorial impressions. That's why it's extremely important that you go straight to the home page with image-heavy visuals. Pick up your target audience with high-resolution images or videos to show directly that you can solve a problem or offer added value. Or simply create an atmosphere that triggers emotions.

In any case, also think about high-quality photography. High-quality product images should depict the most important details. You should show product images against a neutral background as well as products in an atmospheric environment.

8. Short and accurate product descriptions

In addition to meaningful images, you must also provide enough information to leave as few questions as possible unanswered. Always keep in mind with which emotions, wishes and needs a user moves on your page. Too many redirects and nesting should be avoided. Don't even get me started on grammatical errors, right? There is a big plus point if you make your product descriptions SEO-friendly and pepper them with relevant keywords.

9. A short way to the check-out

Your goal as an online merchant is most likely to make a lot of sales. That's why you should make it as easy as possible for your customers to complete a sale. The already mentioned CTAs with clickable areas, clear prompts and eye-catching colors are mandatory for this. Shopping cart widgets that allow your customers to add products to the cart without having to abandon the shopping experience can be another purposeful measure. Make the checkout process short and simple, explain everything transparently, allow guest checkouts and offer different payment options - PayPal, Apple Pay, credit card and invoice are all welcome.

10. Encourage interaction

Not getting feedback from your customers? Then spur them on to more engagement! When redesigning, you can set up a live chat to help directly with questions. Integrating your social media channels also ensures that your target group becomes more active. For example, if you include the latest images from your Instagram account, it's very likely that your website users will find their way to the image network and become a loyal follower.

Also a good search with autocomplete function and a filtering ensures that users can act more actively on your site. Pick up your customers, make them want to participate in your brand.

Redesign in the future: these are the trends in web design

Online store redesign is an ongoing process to keep up with ever-changing customer requirements, design trends and technological developments. Here are some trends that have gained importance in the field of online store redesign in recent years:

1. Mobile-first design: With the rise of mobile usage, a mobile-first approach to online store redesign has become the norm. This means that the design is optimized primarily for mobile devices and then expands to desktop platforms.

2. Minimal design: clean and minimalist design that improves user experience and minimizes distraction is a popular trend. Less is often more when it comes to online store design.

3. Personalization: customers increasingly expect personalized shopping experiences. Online store redesign often includes the integration of tools to personalize product recommendations, content and offers.

4. Speed and performance: Fast loading times and smooth performance are crucial. Redesign often aims to increase website speed and improve user experience.5. Voice commerce: With the spread of voice-controlled devices and digital assistants, voice commerce is gaining in importance. Online stores are increasingly being prepared to support voice-based search queries and orders.

6. Sustainability: environmentally friendly and sustainable practices are a trend not only in products but also in web design. Online stores are trying to implement sustainable design and production processes.

7. Content-driven design: e-commerce websites are increasingly integrating content-driven design elements, such as blogs, videos and tutorials, to educate customers about their products and brand values.

8. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR are used in e-commerce redesign to provide customers with a more immersive shopping experience. Customers can try products in a virtual environment before buying them.

9. Payment options and check-out experience: redesigning online stores often involves implementing different payment options and optimizing the check-out process to reduce abandonment.

10. Integration of AI and chatbots: artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots are used to answer customer questions, improve customer service and provide personalized recommendations.

11. Social commerce: integrating social media elements into the online store, such as shoppable posts and customer reviews, is a growing trend.

12. Accessible design: to ensure accessibility for all users, accessible design is an important trend in online store redesign.

These trends show that online store redesign involves much more than just aesthetic changes. It's about creating a seamless, personalized, and efficient shopping experience for customers while keeping pace with evolving technologies and customer preferences.

Shopify Redesign - These Shopify Shops by Latori shine in new splendor

Our designers have worked out redesigns for webshops in cooperation with some customers. We would like to give you a few examples here:

Coeur de Lion

Coeur de Lion took the migration from Commerce Tools to Shopify Plus as an opportunity to give their online store a new design. This was created and implemented by Latori according to Coeur de Lion's wishes.

Asphaltgold

Asphaltgold also decided for a fresher design in the course of the migration from Magento 2 to Shopify Plus. In collaboration with our designers, a new design was created taking into account the CI and the customer wishes of Asphaltgold.

ooia

At that time, we took over the website of ooia as an existing store. Our designers, in collaboration with ooia, took care of the redesign of the product detail pages and the renewal of the theme.

Cosline

Cosline Cosmetics also took advantage of the migration from Shopware 5 to Shopify to revamp their store design. The design team worked with Cosline to develop a new custom design and implemented it in Shopify.

As long as you follow the most important frameworks in your redesign and give sufficient thought to your personas, there's nothing standing in the way of a new coat of paint.