Two stores sell the same product at the same price. One sells and the other does not. The difference is rarely the product. It is usually the details of the buying experience: a product page that does not answer the customer's questions, a checkout that does not support their preferred payment method, or a cart that forces them to create an account first. This guide brings together the ecommerce website design features that actually increase sales, whether your store runs on a ready-made platform or is custom built.
The short answer: a successful online store needs mobile speed, easy search and filters, product pages with real photos and complete information, customer reviews, a cart and checkout with as few steps as possible including guest checkout, local payment and shipping options, a clear returns policy, WhatsApp contact, conversion tracking, and abandoned cart follow-up.
Browsing Experience Features
1. Mobile speed
Most shoppers browse on their phones, and every delay in loading loses some of them. Compressed images, caching and suitable hosting are essentials, not extras.
2. Smart search and clear filters
Search that handles typos and different spellings in Arabic and English, and filters by price, size, color and brand. A customer who cannot find a product will not buy it.
3. Logical categories
Categories organized the way customers think, not the way the warehouse is organized, with a page for each category that can also rank in search.
Product Page Features
4. Real photos and video
Clear photos from several angles, a photo of the product in use, zoom, and a short video for products that need explaining.
5. Descriptions that answer questions
Sizes, materials, dimensions, what is in the box and how to use it, written in the customer's language rather than copied from the supplier. Original descriptions also help you rank.
6. Customer reviews
Verified reviews from real buyers, with photos where possible. Even average ratings build trust because they look genuine.
7. Shipping and returns on the product page
When will the order reach my city? Can I return it? Hiding this until checkout is one of the biggest causes of abandoned carts.
Does your store get traffic but few sales? We review your buying experience from the homepage to checkout and find what stops customers from completing their orders. Message us on WhatsApp.
Cart and Checkout Features
8. Guest checkout
Forcing customers to create an account before their first purchase drives many of them away. Allow guest checkout and offer account creation after the order is complete.
9. Checkout in as few steps as possible
A short checkout page, address autofill, and the full total shown early with no surprises at the last step.
10. Local payment methods
mada, Apple Pay and buy-now-pay-later like Tabby and Tamara in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and mobile wallets, Fawry and cash on delivery in Egypt.
11. Clear shipping options
Reliable couriers for your cities, in-store pickup if available, and shipment tracking messages on WhatsApp.
After-Purchase and Growth Features
12. Confirmations and tracking on WhatsApp
An instant confirmation, shipping updates and a contact link. See our WhatsApp Business API guide.
13. Abandoned cart follow-up
Reminders for shoppers who added products but did not check out, by email or WhatsApp for those who opted in.
14. Conversion tracking and analytics
Every step from product view to purchase tracked in GA4, with the store connected to the Meta pixel and Google Ads, so you know where customers drop off.
15. Ecommerce SEO
A title and description for every product and category, clean URLs, product structured data that shows price and rating in search results, and preventing duplicate pages created by filters.
Do You Need a Custom Store for These Features?
Most of these features are available on good platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Salla and Zid with the right settings and apps. A custom store makes sense when you need a buying experience the platforms cannot support, deep integration with your systems, or higher performance at large scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which feature should I start with on a limited budget?
Mobile speed and easy payment with local methods. No other improvement helps if customers leave before the page loads or at the payment step.
How do I find out why customers abandon their carts?
Review the checkout funnel in GA4 to see where customers stop, and use session recordings in tools like Microsoft Clarity to see what actually happens.
Do I need an app for my store?
Usually not at the start. A fast, responsive web store is enough for most stores, and an app makes sense once you have customers who buy repeatedly.
Grow Your Store with DevLabico
At DevLabico we build new online stores and improve existing ones for businesses in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt: a fast buying experience, local payments and shipping, WhatsApp and ads integration, and ecommerce SEO. Message us on WhatsApp or book a free consultation.
