Difference Between E-commerce And Traditional Websites?

E-commerce and traditional websites are two different kinds of websites created for quite  different purposes. E-commerce websites are online stores that allow shoppers to purchase products or services directly from the website, while conventional websites are developed to provide information or a specific service. The main difference between these two types of websites is their functionality, with e-commerce websites focused on sales and traditional websites focused on providing information. However, there are other differences as well, such as UX design, interactivity, and complexity, which all should be accounted for during the process of e-commerce website development.

Enter website types

An e-commerce website is an online store that allows customers to purchase products or services without leaving their homes. Such websites have features like shopping carts, secure payment methods, and the ability to track orders and manage inventory. For instance, some of the most popular e-commerce websites are Amazon, Etsy, and eBay.

Conventional websites, on the contrary, are developed to provide information or other types of services not related to online shopping. These websites do not have the functionality to sell products or services online. When you think about conventional websites, you may come up with news websites, blogs, and company websites.

Interactivity and complexity

E-commerce and traditional websites mainly differ in the level of interactivity. E-commerce platforms allow people to interact with the website by browsing products, adding them to carts, and paying for them. Your ordinary websites, on the other hand, are made to give users information and typically do not allow for any form of customer interaction beyond reading and viewing content.

The level of complexity is another important distinction between the two. E-commerce websites need a lot more development and maintenance, as they are supposed to be used in a conjunction with different payment systems and shipping services. And they should provide a convenient way to manage inventory and customer data. Conventional websites are oftentimes less complex and require less maintenance than their e-commerce counterparts.

Design

Another difference between traditional and e-commerce websites is design. When you design the website for e-commerce, it will typically have a more structured layout, with clear navigation and different types of goods. The design is mainly focused on making it easy for online shoppers to find and purchase products. The layout of such a website is often designed in a way to direct the user's attention to the products, special offers, and call-to-action elements like buttons "add to cart", "checkout" etc.

An ordinary website may have a more creative and visually appealing design. As a rule, websites of this sort feature more images and videos, and the layout may be less structured. There’s a lot more emphasis on the overall aesthetic of the website. The main goal of such design is to provide the user with an immersive and engaging experience, rather than facilitating transactions as it happens on e-commerce platforms. Companies that design websites will always help you with creating web design of any kind for your unique goals.

Conclusion

Overall, e-commerce websites usually have a more structured and functional design, while conventional websites tend to have design that is more enticing and aesthetic. Design of either kind is optimized to match the purpose of the website, whether it is to convince people to buy or to provide information in the most entertaining way possible. If you would like to get professional web design, hit us up!