ECommerce Website Setup Tips and Models

According to Statista, e-commerce revenue in the U.S. was estimated at $768 billion last year and is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion in the next three years. If you are in the retail sector, creating an e-commerce website can help you get a share of these growing marketing trends. Here’s how to build an e-commerce website in just seven steps… Happy reading!

Why Should You Create an E-Commerce Website?

It is clear that growth in e-commerce provides many benefits for a business’s profitability, but there are even more reasons to start an e-commerce business. An online presence offers businesses numerous opportunities to establish connections that lead to growth.

1. Expanding to New Markets

For many companies, especially small businesses and startups, reaching a customer base in new markets with just a physical store can be challenging. An e-commerce site allows you to reach new customers online, beyond the limits of in-store sales.

2. Creating Unique Shopping Experiences

Online businesses can directly influence the customer journey by creating unique shopping experiences through videos, stories, and personalized services. These shopping interactions don’t have to end at checkout; you can continue engaging customers through email marketing or social media. Such outstanding experiences are a way to convince customers that online shopping offers comprehensive opportunities that traditional stores often cannot.

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3. Strengthening Your Brand

If you sell on an online marketplace like eBay or Amazon, your products are listed generically and often use the marketplace’s branding. Some customers may not even realize they are buying from you and therefore may not become familiar with your brand. Creating your own e-commerce site gives you control over how your products are presented. Your customers will remember you, not the marketplace.

How to Build an E-Commerce Site?

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Step 1: Choose Your Content Management System (CMS)

The foundation of every website is a E-commerce Content Management System (CMS). Popular CMS options include:

• WordPress: The world’s leading CMS, offering the most customization options.

• Shopify: Ideal for starting a dropshipping business.

• Squarespace: One of the best website builders for beginners.

• Square Online: Best for retailers who want to sell both in-person and online.

• Wix: A highly customizable, all-in-one website builder that is easy to use.

Step 2: Create an Account or Get Web Hosting

Step 3: Choose an E-Commerce Theme or Template

Step 4: Customize Your Site & Create Web Pages

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Step 5: Add Product Listings

Step 6: Set Up a Payment Gateway, Inventory, and Tax Tools

Step 7: Test & Launch Your E-Commerce Site

The Four Key Elements of a Great E-Commerce Website Design

The best e-commerce websites have one thing in common: they prioritize user experience from the first visit to post-purchase. There are four key components that every e-commerce business should consider when designing a website.

1. Building Trust with Customers

When someone visits your e-commerce store or website for the first time, they may not know anything about your brand, the quality of your products, or your commitment to customer satisfaction. While deals and promotions may grab their attention, they need to trust you before making a purchase.

Earning customer trust is most difficult when you have no prior customers, so you may want to include the following trust indicators when building your website:

• Contact Information: Include an email, and if possible, a phone number and mailing address in a “Contact” page and in the footer of your site. Along with an “About” page, this information helps potential customers feel they are buying from a real person.

• Return Policy: A clear return policy not only makes it easy for people to send back products they are unhappy with but also increases sales by reducing cart abandonment and instilling a sense of security and trust.

• Supergoop, for example, has a detailed returns page, a self-service return portal, and a free returns policy displayed on every product page.

• Security Certifications: By integrating Shopify Payments into your e-commerce site, you can access advanced features and payment services that include the latest security technology to protect customer information. Add graphics or badges to display your security compliance and accepted payment methods.

• Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Many e-commerce solutions offer app integrations that allow you to import content onto your site, including customer photos, Instagram feeds, and product reviews. These act as trust signals for potential customers.

The look of your online store can significantly impact sales. Unleash your inner designer with our curated list of high-impact articles.

2. Creating a Visually Engaging Experience

When selling products online, perception is everything. People form their first impressions of your e-commerce store in milliseconds. The impact of this impression heavily depends on high-quality visuals, consistent branding, strategic use of psychological design principles, and clear visual hierarchy.

Best practices for each of these elements include:

• Photography: Product photography acts as an ambassador for your product’s value online. Take photos on a clean background from multiple angles. Lifestyle shots that show your product in use and within a context help reinforce your brand aesthetic.

• Color: Color is one of the most powerful tools for creating interest and emotion on your e-commerce site. It can highlight key sections of your website, guide the customer journey, and even enhance accessibility when used strategically.

• Typography: While words convey information, typography communicates the emotion behind it. Stick to two fonts and establish a hierarchy between them—one for headings and another for body text.

• Psychological Design & Visual Hierarchy: Using psychological design principles allows you to strategically place elements, colors, and text on a page to influence customer decision-making and guide their eye movement.

• Example: Outdoor Voices’ homepage uses lifestyle imagery to communicate brand aesthetics and an aspirational lifestyle. A clean look and limited fonts contribute to a clear visual hierarchy.

3. Focusing on Responsive Design for Mobile & Desktop

The average daily time spent on mobile phones is expected to reach 4 hours and 39 minutes by 2024. If you are using Shopify to build your business, your store is already responsive, meaning it will be user-friendly across various devices, including desktops, smartphones, and tablets.

When selecting an e-commerce website design optimized for mobile, test the checkout flow yourself to ensure a smooth experience. If you’re not satisfied, your customers likely won’t be either.

4. Designing Clear Navigation

Your website’s navigation should help customers find your products quickly and easily. Well-structured navigation also improves SEO for e-commerce websites, making it more discoverable in search results.

Stick to a few menu headers in your top-level navigation. Be clear and direct when labeling them—this is not the time for creativity. Essential navigation labels might include:

• Shop

• About Us

• Best Sellers

• Contact Us

Additional links, such as your Return Policy, Terms of Service, and Contact Us pages, can be placed in the footer.

Take a look at Digipeak’s Ecommerce Designs:

Slipstop

Yenikoza

BigJoy

ClosthingSupplier

E-Commerce Trends to Consider

1. Mobile-First Shopping Is Essential

• In the U.S., mobile wallets, digital checkouts, and accelerated mobile pages are redefining convenience in online shopping. Mobile commerce is projected to exceed $710 billion by 2025, with smartphones driving over 87 % of m‑commerce transactions.
• Despite mobile’s dominance in traffic, cart abandonment rates remain high, up to 85 %, signaling a need for smoother checkout flows and optimized UX.

2. Social Commerce: Where Engagement Meets Purchasing

• Social commerce is booming. By 2025, sales via social platforms are expected to reach $1.2 trillion, with one in five online transactions occurring through social channels.
• Younger audiences are the early adopters: roughly 70 % of Gen Z discover brands via TikTok or Instagram, making these platforms pivotal for targeted campaigns and shoppable content.

3. AI-Powered Personalisation and Automation

• Over 92 % of leading e‑commerce firms in the U.S. deploy AI-driven personalisation tools. These systems enhance recommendations, enable dynamic pricing, and automate inventory, boosting conversions by an impressive 25 %.
• Conversational AI (like chatbots and voice assistants) is projected to handle up to 90 % of customer queries—reducing support costs and improving response times .

4. Omnichannel Integration for Seamless Buying Journeys

• Retailers offering 3+ channels (e‑commerce, in-store, mobile app, social) see customer purchase frequency increase by 250 %, and spend up to 35 % more per engagement.
• Services like “Buy Online, Pick Up In Store” (BOPIS) and curbside pickup have become staples, 44 % of U.S. retailers offered these as early as 2020, enabling flexible fulfilment models.

5. Sustainability & Secondhand Commerce

• Sustainability is influencing 68 % of U.S. shoppers: There’s a parallel surge in the resale economy. Washington lawmakers are supporting re-commerce platforms like eBay and Depop, as secondhand markets grow to nearly $1 trillion globally.

E-Commerce Success with Digipeak

At Digipeak, we specialize in Web Development services focused on e-commerce. Our expert team ensures the success of your online business by creating exceptional ecommerce designs and seamless user experiences aligned with your brand’s goals. Work with us for a long-term investment in your brand’s success. Contact us now for more information!