In a complex world, simplicity is key in keeping people interested in your website. People have a very large pot to choose from in the realm of online retailers. What makes an individual choose you?

If you have a cluttered website that is hard to navigate and is stressful to even look at, chances are very good that that person is going to back out of your site, do a Google search, and select some other retailer to purchase from. That means you just lost business because you either tried to offer too much, or you failed in drawing the user in and leading them to your pot.

Limit the Options

People might say they know what they want, but it’s rarely true. Especially when somebody is faced with too many options. It’s understandable that as a retailer you like to present people with options. They’re more likely to purchase when you offer them everything they could ever need, right? Wrong.

Too many options on a webpage leads the user to stall purchasing and check out their options elsewhere. Think about it. When you’re faced with the choice between 100 different coffee drinks at a coffee stand, what do you go with? You ask the barista to choose for you, or you stick with what you know. For decisions other than coffee, people opt out.

Give people limited options on where they can go and what they can choose on your site and they’ll be more likely to purchase, as they were led right to the retail slaughter.

Present the Facts

People don’t know what they need. You as the business find out what they need, create what they need, and sell them what they need. It’s the cycle of consumerism. Once they buy that product, you then tell them they need something else. If you’re a website that gives people information about how late physical retailers are open, you’re going to want to present that information first hand, so that it’s impossible to miss.

Draw the Consumers In

When straight up facts don’t work, you’ll want to try the tactic of drawing the consumer in. In a world of choice, people want to be intrigued by what they’re putting their money into. Here are some examples of websites that present exactly what they’re selling upfront in a clean way as to lead the user in and take them on a journey.

If you’ve done all this and you’re still looking for ways to keep your website functional, yet intriguing, continue researching and tap into your creative side. What would you want to see as the consumer? Start from there and see where it takes you.