Presentation
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The 160 best practices
of the top eRetail sites

Extract 1 - Extract 2 - Extract 3
Extract 4 - Extract 5

Our study concerned the analysis of the homepages of 100 eRetail sites with a browser-to-buyer conversion rate of between 2% and 30.3%.

The 100 sites in our study represent an accumulated total of 120 million individual visitors per month, making them truly representative of retail sites today.

Determining the Best Practices

Our study maps out the features present on eRetail homepages: which elements should be placed on the homepage, where they should be positioned on the page, how much space they should be allotted, what names they should be given, etc. (Extract Here)

We examined 160 elements contained on homepages in order to find out what the standard conventions applied by the best-performing eRetail sites are (the size and position of the elements on the homepages are expressed in pixels). (Extract Here)

How to create homepages that sell

We analyzed the homepages of the 100 sites in our study using a grid containing over 600 criteria, thus producing a check list with a total of 60,000 points.

This in-depth analysis enabled us to determine what the best practices of the top eCommerce sites are.

In addition, to fine-tune the results, we split the 100 sites into four groups, according to their browser-to-buyer rates (from highest to lowest) to highlight the differences - sometimes quite considerable - between the homepages of each these groups.

An exception tool

This statistical analysis, combined with the expertise we have acquired over the past few years in homepage auditing, has enabled us to produce a practical and efficient tool for constructing homepages.

It answers all the questions you may have been wondering about. Should I put such and such an element on my homepage? Where is the most effective place to put it? How much space should it be allotted? What name should it be given? etc. It will therefore save you hours of valuable time and will help propel your site to success, since the choices you make will correspond, not only to the criteria applied by the best-performing eCommerce sites, but also to the standard conventions the tens of millions of users who regularly make online purchases are accustomed to.

Specialized advice drawn from our expertise in homepage auditing

This study, dedicated to homepages, also includes an in-depth analysis of the way that users read a homepage, from creating an effective eye-path to the factors that can alter the user's eye-path. (Extract Here)

It also examines the homepage's role as a navigation center for the whole site: main and secondary menus, links, search engines, etc.

We look at the aspects concerning:

- The way a site expresses its identity on its homepage: welcome, help, gaining the user's respect and trust, etc. (Extract Here)

- Rules for constructing homepages: size, screen resolution, intermediate pages, etc.

- Homepage interactivity: advertising, pop-ups, input boxes, bookmarking the page, etc.

- Factors linked to online purchasing: the basic tools that should be present on a homepage, merchandising, gifts and wish lists, catalogs, etc. (Extract Here)

To see the full contents of our study, click HERE

To view extracts of the study:

Extract 1 - Extract 2 - Extract 3
Extract 4 - Extract 5

Homepages that sell
100 pages PDF format
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