Continuously increasing numbers of shoppers are heading online to compare prices, read customer testimonials, and verify the businesses they’re purchasing from are reputable and deliver high-quality goods. Ecommerce sales have been and are projected to steadily increase, with eMarketer predicting a growth to $2.489 trillion in 2018 from $1.077 trillion in 2013. For website design for a retailer, ecommerce options are a vital component. Increasing sales through an online platform only works when certain security, payment, and product features are in place, though. Whether a Web developer uses an ecommerce design template or designs a site from scratch, here are five essential factors to integrate into an ecommerce website. 1. Secure Payment A hack of an ecommerce site can cost companies millions, as retailer Target found out during a 2013 data breach that exposed the debit and credit card information of 40 million customers. The retailer settled a lawsuit for $10 million, which makes this a significant example of why security is so important for brands to maintain their clients’ trust and save the business money. During the check-out process, customers should be using a secure connection for purchasing. Secure Sockets Layer authentication encrypts data while it’s transmitted, protecting data […]* You might also be interested in the following articles5 Web Design Tips to Improve Content Marketing EffortsHeatmaps+: Hotjar Analyzes Your Users’ InterestsOnline Marketing Basics #2: Reasons Why Your Website Should Be Your…LightCMS: A Hosted Solution For Creating WebsitesHow SSL Protects Your eCommerce TransactionsThe Tools of Online Marketing (Basics #1)