The best performing e-commerce websites are designed with an understanding of human psychology. By understanding potential buyers and how emotions influence their actions you can craft product pages that make them feel safe, comfortable and ready to purchase. This happens on a conscious, semi-conscious and subconscious level.

1. Designing For
E-Commerce
Success & Conversions
By Ross Johnson @3PointRoss
Thursday, July 26, 12

2. Design for E-Commerce is
All About Psychology
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

3. Howyou persuadea user your product?
How can
does them to buy think?
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

4. Focusing on:
Product Pages
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

5. Buyer psychology can be
broken down into three
major emotional categories.
Visceral
Behavioral
Reflective
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

6. It’s important to preface this
with an understanding that...
All of our behavior
is ultimately driven
by emotion, not
logic.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

7. Visceral
Emotions
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

8. Subconscious
The first reaction
you have
Survival Seeking
and Threat
Avoidance
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

9. In Design,
This Means
•Maximize Trust
•Reduce Visual
Clutter
•Minimal > Fancy
•Cost Benefit
Principle
•Hicks Law
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

10. Cluttered design produces physical, measurable anxiety.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

11. Abercrombie & Fitch is clean but dark.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

12. Clean, open & bright design mimics “safe” environment.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

13. Hicks Law:
Too many
options
makes it
more difficult
to decide.
http://3.7designs.co/blog/2010/07/ten-laws-to-design-by/
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

14. Extremely cluttered design builds distrust
as it mimics an “unsafe” environment.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

15. We are a visual species.
Realistic imagery that tie to
survival (shelter, food,
reproduction) create
positive visceral reactions.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

16. Behavioral
Emotions
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

17. Semi-conscious
What it feels like to
“use” something or
perform an action.
Closely tied to
usability.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

18. Make all actions
obvious and visible.
“Recall vs
Recognition”
Give necessary
affordances
Include calls to
action.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

19. Call to action
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

20. Actions visible
and obvious
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

21. Cart with
order visible.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

22. Buttons look like buttons (affordance.)
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

23. Reflective
Emotions
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

24. Conscious
Slowest emotion
Tied to memories,
experiences, self
image, etc...
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

25. Trust Indicators
Social Validation
Authority
Imagery
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

26. Simple privacy policy
presented the user at the
time of submitting a form.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

27. Reassurance that
transactions are
secure.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

28. Social Validation
People are instinctively
influenced by social
pressures. T estimonials
reassure users that other
people like a product,
therefor it must be good.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

29. Social Validation
Amazon uses reviews rather than testimonials. Interestingly enough, all
positive reviews are often seen as questionable. People expect a few
average / bad reviews.
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12

30. Questions?
Follow me on the Twitters @3PointRoss
E-Commerce Design for Success & Conversions
Thursday, July 26, 12