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It is faster to finish single column forms with radio menus.

3 Ways to Design A Good eCommerce Form for Improved Usability

Online forms come in a variety. While some are used to collect feedback or survey results, most eCommerce stores use forms as a point of communication with their customers.

 

Some types of forms include Contact Us, Sign Up and even Event Registration.

 

How are we able to improve usability of forms so customers are a step closer to their expected or desired outcome?

 

In this post, we suggest 3 key guidelines on designing an effective website form.

 

1. Set clear form objective and create an intuitive page structure for easy navigation.

 

Before customers can begin interacting with your online form, they will need to find it first.

 

Guide your customers through your eCommerce website. Let them know where they should be navigating to look for the relevant forms that can help achieve their end goals.

 

For example, you have a customer who wishes to get in touch regarding an order made yesterday. How can he/she contact your business?

 

Contact forms in eCommerce websites allow customers to enquire about products.

 

 

Yes! You would probably allow customers to reach you via a “Contact Us” or “Enquiry” form. A clear indication of a form’s purpose can help your customers quickly identify actions that they can, or should take, if they wish to accomplish their goal.

 

Then, consider where you would place your contact form. Ask yourself, “Would it be easier to have customers find the contact form in ‘Contact’ or ‘About Us’?” The most intuitive way to locate your form would be the answer to your question.

 

2. Keep content simple, straightforward and succinct.

 

A good form design is one that is simple and easy to complete.

 

Make use of clear labels, placeholders, instructions and validation messages to guide your customers through completion of the form as smoothly as possible.

 

If there is a list of criteria for password requirements, inform your customers before they start filling in their details. Implement inline validation messages so problematic fields can be detected early and attended to quickly.

 

A good form design makes use of clear structure and instruction to guide user towards form completion.

 

Ask for information which you will only require for processing. Irrelevant fields become a deterrence to form completion and conversion.

 

If your online retail business deals with customers in the European Union member countries, you should pay special attention to the personal data protection legislations outlined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – https://www.eugdpr.org/).

 

3. Use design as a tool to support functionality.

 

What looks good must also work well. The functionalities of a form should not be hampered but improved by design.

 

Studies from ConversionXL Institute have shown that users were able to complete forms at “an average of 15.4 seconds faster” when the form is presented as a single column rather than multiple columns. Users were also able to finish faster with the use of radio menus instead of dropdown menus.

 

It is faster to finish single column forms with radio menus.

 

Improve your form designs to encourage higher form completion rate. Remember, the easier it is for your customers to achieve their intended goal, the better the user experience and the higher the form conversion rate.

 

Did you know?

 

Pozento allows online businesses to customise contact forms in their eCommerce module. We recognise the importance and need to establish strong communication networks with customers as it plays a key role in enhancing customer service and satisfaction.

 

Pozento allows merchants to set up a contact form for communicating with their customers.

 

Our one-column form editor allows businesses to create field labels, placeholder texts and even tooltips to clarify and guide customers through form completion. What’s more, you can also validate fields according to the nature of information requested from customers, such as password and email.

 

Pozento's form editor adheres to the best practices of good form design, where fields are aided with labels, placeholder texts, validation and tooltips in a single column format.

 

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Consider Pozento as your next sales assistant; try now at https://pozento.com/trial.

 

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