Researching the usability of electronics websites: key factors and strategies for improvement

In the previous parts, we highlighted the main problems of the fashion niche, analyzed user flow, and offered solutions to improve UX and increase conversion. This article continues the series by focusing on the electronics niche in retail. We’ll examine user flows on electronic websites, identify common interface issues, and suggest effective solutions to avoid them. At the end, you’ll find a comprehensive checklist to evaluate the usability of your electronics website.

Background: briefly about the research

740+ hours of UX audits — that's how long we've been studying and analyzing websites and mobile apps in the electronics industry. We don’t rely on guesswork: all our decisions are driven by data, facts, and analytics. Below, we’ll briefly outline applied research methods and share the results of our observations.

Methods and insights: research process and results 

We started with a UX audit to analyze user behavior and identify potential growth areas. To do this, we usually apply the following methods:

• Open research and experience (market trends and user needs);
• Qualitative analysis of user behavior (heatmaps, session records, click maps, etc.);
• Quantitative analysis of user behavior (Google Analytics and end-to-end analytics: session duration, bounce rate, number of pages viewed, etc.);
• References: market leaders and niche stores (UX/UI design trends for a particular niche, best practices and solutions, etc.)
  

Average KPIs of websites in the electronics niche

When using an electronics website, what requirements do users want to satisfy? 

Studies have shown that users usually want to solve the following tasks when browsing websites with electronics:

1. Search for specific products: When users know exactly what they need, they expect to find it quickly and easily. Therefore, the search function must be user-friendly and precise, with complete and detailed product information available.
2. Gift search: When users are searching for a gift but don’t know what it should be, they expect helpful recommendations and tips to help them make a choice. Therefore, a good website highlights current promotions, provides easy-to-use filters, and showcases lists of popular products.
3. Getting to know new products for replacing current appliances: Users looking to upgrade their old appliances want to discover the latest trends and top products. They seek reviews, ratings, testimonials and also want to compare similar items to make informed decisions.
4. Personalized recommendations based on previous purchases: Users expect the website to offer products based on their previous purchases and preferences, which makes the selection and purchase process much faster and easier for them.

How do users find and interact with your website?

To boost user experience, it is important to understand how users get to your website, their following steps, and goals they want to achieve. In the electronics industry, we can identify several key landing pages that are the starting points of the user flows on your website:

1. Product pages (for specific queries): Users often navigate to product pages through ads or search results. It's essential to provide comprehensive information about the product, including photos, descriptions, features, and reviews, so users can quickly decide whether to make a purchase.

2. Product listing pages (for category or brand queries): Users searching for products by category or brand usually end up on product listing pages. For that reason, it is essential to provide easy navigation, effective filters, and sorting so that they can easily find relevant products among different options.

3. Homepage (for loyal, regular, or referral customers): Loyal customers and those who are recommended usually start from the homepage, either through direct links or searching by store name. The homepage should contain current promotions, new products, and recommendations to attract users’ attention and encourage them to move further on the website.

Same goal — different user flows 

Below, we'll consider the 3 most common user flows on an electronics website, identify interface and usability issues that impact conversion rates, and find effective solutions to address these challenges.

The first behavioral scenario: a regular customer

Main page — Search / Catalog — Product list / Product page — Shopping Cart — Checkout page

Homepage or getting back to the website: what is important for regular customers? 

The homepage is often the starting point for returning users. They are already familiar with the website and its navigation. Perhaps they have already made purchases or viewed the products on the website before. However, more than half of the websites (54%), according to our experience, do not take into account the needs of regular users and don’t offer a block with previously viewed products.

The ‘viewed products’ block helps users to return to the previous flow and continue the purchase. It reminds them of what they have watched and what they liked, thus encouraging them to place an order. This feature positively impacts the number of pages viewed per session and can reduce the time it takes to make a purchase decision by 5-10%. Additionally, it can also increase the average number of purchased items.

Visible search or how to simplify the way to the relevant product

The next step for repeat customers is usually a product search. Typically, they navigate straight to the search bar to avoid extra steps like browsing the catalog, searching categories, or filtering. A common mistake at this stage is adding a hidden or hard-to-find search tool, which forces users to waste time and effort figuring out how to use it.

An open and visually noticeable search bar significantly improves the user experience by allowing customers to quickly find relevant products. This can increase the conversion rate by 10-15% as users find what they're looking for faster and easier without having to browse through categories. Consequently, it speeds up their path through the sales funnel.

Informative product cards: a quick overview or the importance of short descriptions

When going to a product listing or a specific product page, a user wants to quickly assess the main characteristics of a product. However, over half of the websites do not have short descriptions on the product card in the listing, and 25% do not have them on the product page alongside the photo.

Short descriptions help users quickly understand whether a product is relevant for them or not. For smartphones, for example, it can be the amount of memory, camera features, screen resolution, battery capacity, etc. Such a block can reduce the exit rate by 10-15%, providing users with the necessary information to make a purchase decision.

Cart and cross-sale tool or how to satisfy the customer and increase the average check

Loyal users are likely to add additional products to their carts, although one-third of websites do not add cross-sell blocks on the cart page. During the cart verification stage, users can be shown products frequently purchased together with their selected items or other necessary products. This approach not only addresses the customer's needs but also enhances the store's profit.

Cross-sell recommendation blocks motivate users to add other products to their carts, increasing the average check by 5-10%. In the electronics niche, these can be cases, chargers, protective glass, memory cards, smartphone services, etc.

Quick checkout authorization or how not to lose a customer

At the checkout stage, it’s crucial for regular users to easily access the accumulated bonuses or personal discounts. However, about 61% of users abandon their carts, often because they struggle to log into their personal accounts quickly.

By implementing a quick authorization form at the checkout stage, you will remind users of the available bonuses and encourage new ones to log in. This increases the number of registered users who make purchases and adds to customer loyalty.

The second behavior scenario: new user

Product list — Request clarification — Product page — Cart — Checkout

High-quality product search: optimizing convenience of the product listing page

The product listing page is one of the most frequent landing pages where users come with specific requests, use filters and sorting to find the most relevant option.

Therefore, in 1 out of 3 cases, we recommend fixing the filters button on the top in mobile website version.

A fixed filter button allows users to quickly customize the list of products any time during the session. It reduces the time spent in the funnel and improves the quality of the search results. Since users do not spend extra time to scroll to the top of the page, it increases the number of clicks that lead to the next step — the product page.

Always within reach: the buy button for user convenience

When opening a product page, the user looks for the product description, features, and reviews, which are often located below the first screen. It means that users have to scroll up to add the product to the cart, which increases the risk of their distraction and exit from the site. From our experience, this mistake is common for half (50%) of electronics websites. 

A fixed ‘Buy’ button with a price allows users to add a product to the cart at any time, regardless of the current location on the page. Tests have shown that a fixed buy button increases conversion to cart by 17%.

Obvious benefit: displaying discount information in the shopping cart as additional motivation

When users add items to the carts, they often want to see the total cost of the purchase and how much they can save. A quarter of websites lack information about the total applied discount or the total purchase price. In some cases, this information is invisible in the pop-up. For that reason, users have to make additional clicks and transitions to check this data, which increases the number of abandoned carts to 53.64%.

Providing information about the discount right in the shopping cart, especially when adding multiple products, can serve as an additional motivation for users to place an order. In this way, a user sees the total discount and understands the benefit of the offer. Adding such details can reduce the number of abandoned carts by 5-10%.

Pure focus: placing an order without distractions

At checkout, users often face distractions from large headers and footers, which pull their attention away from filling in the necessary fields and increase the chance of them abandoning the page.

By simplifying the header to the logo, call center number, and ‘Back to cart’ button and minimizing the footer or not adding it, you will help users focus on filling in the fields. Such changes can increase the overall conversion rate by 10-15%.

The third behavior scenario: a new user

Product page — Similar product page — Product listing page — Add to cart — Checkout

Alternatives for every occasion: the importance of the recommendation block on the product page

When users go to a product page from search engines, they may face various obstacles, including absence of a product, failed expectations, inappropriate price, or negative reviews.

In this case, according to our experience, 50% (!!!) of users leave the website. And the absence of a recommendation block, which we observed on more than half of the sites during the UX audit, increases the number of exits. 

A recommendation block that contains popular products from the chosen category, other brand’s offers, or options with similar characteristics motivates users to continue browsing the site even if they didn’t find what they were looking for at first. According to our data, this approach increases the number of pages viewed per session by 20-25%, the session duration by 10-15%, and the browsing depth by 1.2 pages.

Speed up and inform: pop-up in the cart after adding a product

The shopping carts of electronics stores usually contain 1 item (average value 1.22). Users often go straight to checkout, but this requires additional clicks: opening the cart and clicking the ‘Checkout’ button. The interface regularly doesn't show when a product is added to the cart, making users add it again or check the cart manually. Therefore, a common UI mistake is not displaying the cart pop-up immediately after adding items to the cart.

No pop-up after adding a product to the cart

By opening the cart pop-up immediately after adding a product, you will reduce the number of clicks needed for order placement, improve the user experience, and boost the percentage of transitions to checkout by 31%.

Customer-focused till the final step: ensure the checkout is informative, convenient, and easy to navigate

When users proceed to checkout, it is important to provide them with a quick and accurate selection of delivery location, an error-free form, and a clear delivery cost. To do this, we often recommend adding an estimated cost and delivery time to each delivery option. If it's delivery to a company store or service branch, you should give the user the opportunity to choose a location on the map so that they can find the nearest pick-up point.

Thanks to this, the user receives all the necessary information on the checkout page, which reduces the percentage of abandoned checkouts by 12%.

Usability checklist for electronics niche websites 

To check the usability of the website interface in the electronics niche, here is a short checklist:

1. Main page:

• The home page has a block with previously viewed products
• It displays current promotions, new products, and personalized recommendations based on previous purchases

2. Search function:

• The search field is located in a visible place
• The search field is open
• The bar offers tips for popular queries
• Users can use transliteration in the search box

3. Product listing page:

• The filter and sort buttons are fixed in the mobile version for easy customization of the product list
• Checkout contains informative product cards (short description, sizes, colors, ‘Buy’ button, etc.

4. Product page:

• The ‘Buy’ button with the price is fixed at all levels of page scrolling
• Product characteristics are full and comprehensive
• Delivery terms and payment methods are clearly described
• The product page contains a recommendation block with similar products 

5. Shopping cart:

• The total discount and purchase price are displayed directly in the cart
• The page has a recommendation blocks with additional products (cross-sale)

6. Checkout (placing the order):

• Fast authorization for regular users during checkout
• The header and footer are minimized on the checkout page so that the user can focus on filling in the form
• Detailed information about the cost and delivery time 

Ensuring a convenient user experience at every stage of user interaction with the website is crucial for boosting conversion rate and customer retention. By considering the specifics of search queries and the user flow, you can greatly enhance the performance of your online store, whether in electronics or any other niche. Keep in mind that even small changes can lead to significant improvements.