Because of the struggling economy, consumers are more thoughtful in their purchases. This results in more research of the product as well as shopping around for the best price. They look for coupons, promotions and free shipping. Consumers are also more tech savvy and use a variety of resources to seek information they need. Because of this, retailers are reevaluating and revamping their marketing approach to attract and keep customers. They are adopting new trends, especially with their website.

According to the E-tailing Group, an e-commerce research company, 49% of merchants will look to switch website platforms and many others will perform website redesign. WordPress is one of the most popular and effective platforms there is. One popular addition to ecommerce websites is adding a ‘live chat’ feature. This enables users to multi-task while they chat and gives them immediate answers to their questions. With email and texting as the preferred way of communication, it makes sense the consumer would prefer to chat than call the company’s call center.

Customers also use their smart phones and its available applications to shop for products. There are tools and plugins available to make your website easily display on a cell phone screen. Websites also have QR Codes. These are unique bar codes that can be scanned, usually with a mobile phone application, letting customers instantly learn more about a business. Due to the popularity of social media, retailers are looking to communicate with customers through platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Other factors such a website’s functionality also play an important role in the decision making process consumer’s use when determining where to shop online. A website’s product pages and ease of checkout are just two things they look at. To read more about this, visit Why Your Webstore Must Offer More.

With the recession at the forefront of everyone’s minds, consumers are bargain hunting. Marketing firm Epsilon Targeting conducted research and found that 75% of consumers used online coupons in 2009. Also, when users searching for websites offering bargains and coupons, the average stay was over six minutes, the number of visits per person was 3.54 and the average number of pages per visit is near seven.

Online sales growth continues to rise and outperform total retail growth because shoppers are buying online to take advantage of lower prices, convenience and selection. Be sure your website redesign takes all factors into consideration so you convert as many consumers as possible. If possible, use a freelance web designer who is knowledgeable in building e-commerce websites.