When Planning a New eCommerce Website, What Are the Most Important Things to Consider?

Launching a new eCommerce website is an exciting milestone for any business—but it’s also a complex process that requires thoughtful planning and strategic decision-making. With competition at an all-time high and customer expectations continuing to rise, it’s critical to get the foundation right from the start.

Whether you're a startup brand, transitioning from a brick-and-mortar store, or overhauling an existing website, here’s a comprehensive guide to the most important things to consider when planning your new eCommerce site. We’ll cover everything from site structure to trust-building strategies, increasing average order value, and choosing the right tech stack.

1. Menu and Navigation Structure: How Will Users Navigate Your Store?

One of the most important decisions you'll make early on is how users will navigate your site. Great navigation isn’t just about design—it’s about creating a seamless, intuitive path to purchase.

Key tips for menu and navigation planning:

• Keep it simple and logical. Use broad, top-level categories and drop-down menus to help users narrow down quickly.

• Stick to conventional names. “Shop,” “New Arrivals,” “Sale,” “Collections,” and “About” are familiar and effective.

• Use mega menus for larger catalogs. If your store has lots of categories, consider a mega menu layout to avoid overwhelming users.

• Include a search bar. Especially useful for repeat customers or those looking for something specific.

A clear and well-organised menu not only improves user experience, but it also enhances SEO and lowers bounce rates.

2. Filtration and Sorting: Help Shoppers Find What They Want—Fast

When planning your product pages, consider how users will filter and sort through your collections. This becomes increasingly important as your inventory grows.

Filtration ideas include:

• Size

• Colour

• Price range

• Product type

• Customer ratings

• Availability (e.g., in stock, pre-order)

Sorting options might include:

• Newest arrivals

• Bestsellers

• Price (low to high or high to low)

• Customer reviews

Effective filtering and sorting options improve product discoverability and reduce friction in the shopping experience—two key ingredients for higher conversion rates.

3. Trust and Authenticity: Build Rapport with Potential Customers

Online shoppers are understandably cautious. Without the ability to touch or try a product, they rely on cues from your website to determine whether or not to trust your brand.

Ways to build trust and authenticity:

• Customer reviews: Integrate reviews directly on product pages using tools like Yotpo, Stamped.IO, or Okendo, photo-rich reviews are particularly powerful.

• User-generated content: Encourage customers to tag your brand on social media and showcase this content on your site. Platforms like Okendo or Stamped.io can help with this.

• Testimonials: Feature customer testimonials on your homepage or landing pages, especially if they come from recognisable names.

• Social proof: Have you been featured in media or stocked in reputable stores? Highlight logos of press mentions and stockists.

• Celebrity or influencer endorsements: If applicable, showcase photos or quotes from known figures who’ve used your product.

The goal here is to humanise your brand, show that others trust you, and reduce the perceived risk of buying.

4. Re-engaging Existing Customers: Lower Acquisition Costs & Increase Value

Acquiring a new customer can cost 5x more than retaining an existing one. That’s why it’s essential to plan how you’ll keep people coming back after their first purchase.

Here are some proven re-engagement strategies:

• Email marketing: Use platforms like Klaviyo or Omnisend to send personalised product recommendations, back-in-stock alerts, and special offers.

• Loyalty program: Reward points for purchases, referrals, or social sharing. Smile.io or LoyaltyLion are great options.

• Wishlist feature: Let users save products they’re interested in. You can then send follow-up emails when items go on sale or low in stock.

• Abandoned cart flows: Automatically email users who leave items in their cart to nudge them toward checkout.

All of these strategies help to build long-term relationships with your customers and increase the lifetime value of each person who shops with you.

5. Increasing Average Order Value (AOV): Drive Bigger Baskets

Increasing your average order value is one of the fastest ways to boost revenue without increasing traffic.

Here are a few methods to consider:

• “Frequently bought together” suggestions: Show related or complementary products on product pages and in the cart. Think Amazon-style cross-sells.

• Upsells and add-ons: Offer premium versions, bundles, or additional items at checkout.

• Free shipping thresholds: Encourage users to spend a little more to unlock free shipping. E.g., “Spend $100 more for free shipping!”

• Volume discounts: Offer savings when users buy more (e.g., “Buy 3, get 10% off”).

These tactics nudge shoppers toward spending more, especially when they’re presented at the right moment during the buying journey.

6. Customer Support: Will You Need a Support Platform?

Even the most intuitive websites need a backup plan when customers have questions or concerns. In today’s eCommerce landscape, your support system can make or break your reputation and with so many different ways customers can contact you, via social media, email, chat and online forms, compiling, collating and responding to every enquiry can become a huge undertaking.

Consider whether you need a unified support platform that integrates:

• Live chat (e.g., Gorgias, Zendesk)

• Email support

• Social media DMs

• Contact forms

• Order and shipping queries

Platforms like Gorgias and Zendesk allow you to manage all customer enquiries in one place, reducing response time and keeping your team organised. As you grow, this becomes essential to maintaining high customer satisfaction.

7. Choosing the Right Platform, Apps, and Custom Development

Once you have a clear vision of the features you’ll need—navigation structure, filters, reviews, loyalty programs, upsells, support tools, and more—you’re in a much better position to choose the right technology to bring it to life.

Some questions to ask before choosing a platform:

• How customisable is it?

• Is it scalable for future growth?

• What’s the learning curve for my team?

• What’s the total cost, including apps and ongoing development?

Don’t forget to map out your tech stack—from inventory and shipping to marketing automation and analytics—so everything works seamlessly together.

Final Thoughts

Building a successful eCommerce website takes more than just a beautiful design. It requires thoughtful planning, a customer-centric approach, and a robust strategy to support both new and returning shoppers.

To recap, make sure you:

• Plan a clear and intuitive navigation structure

• Enable effective product filtration and sorting

• Build trust through reviews, social proof, and transparency

• Engage and retain customers with email marketing, wishlists, and loyalty programs

• Increase your average order value through upsells, bundles, and incentives

• Set up a customer support system that grows with you

• Choose a platform that aligns with your needs and future goals

By covering all these bases, you’ll be setting your store up not just for launch—but for long-term success.

Need help bringing your eCommerce vision to life? Whether you're just getting started or scaling up, having an experienced development team or strategist on your side can make a huge difference. Reach out for a free consultation to kickstart your project today.