When designing ecommerce websites first and foremost consideration must be usability, and then design. Or, if you prefer, design with usability in mind.

I’ve collected (so far) 10 examples of what I think are great ecommerce web designs from across the board. In no particular order:

Paul Frank

Bright, colourful and straight away in-your-face (but in a good way), PaulFrank.com is fun and playful.

Nike Store

The brightly coloured products offset against the dark background set this all off beautifully. There’s also a great iconic image related to the recent World Cup on the main rotation.

Nicky Clarke

Clean, simple and stylish, the new Nicky Clarke website uses few colours (especially in comparison to sites like Paul Frank!) but doesn’t feel boring in the slightest, just classy and sleek.

The Cheesecake Factory

Not necessarily great for usability or speed, The Cheesecake Factory videos just keep me hooked everytime.

English Cheesecake Company

If you ever get stuck for a present, get onto the English Cheesecake Company – easy to use, a pleasure to be on and… they’re cakes!

Holistero

This design just strikes me everytime I visit it. Products are shown singularly and often brilliantly contrasted against the dark background.

Asos

Not perhaps the best screenshot due to the current sale, but I’ve included Asos anyway as they usually have a stunning homepage design.

Powerskin

Powerskin uses the same simplistic colours that can be seen in Asos, but instead products are at the forefront of the design and straight away you know where you are, and what’s available.

MGM

A large commercial example of Magento at work and also emphasising the important of products is MGM, although I’ll admit I’m not a great fan of the black and gold.

Mama Baby Bliss

Colourful but subtle, Mama Baby Bliss is gentle and feminine that translates it’s caring message beautifully.

Do you know any examples of great ecommerce website design you think should be included? Post a link in the comments with a reason why (or tweet the Magento Fox) – maybe I’ll do an updated list on our ecommerce web design blog in a few weeks!

For pretty much any e-commerce web design company setting up a new shop, the inclusion of PayPal is now considered highly important. PayPal was formed in March 2000 and has since achieved hug commercial success, largely attributed to its co-operation with eBay, which bought the firm in 2002. The UK alone is responsible for 20 million accounts. The reason for this substantial growth is largely down to it being the first to get there. By offering skeptical Internet users the opportunity to refrain from entering their credit card details on every site they wish to purchase from, they had provided a simple and safe payment system for anyone to use – and this resulted in a internationally-known, reliable brand.

However PayPal hasn’t been without it’s critics. There’s no doubting people’s disappointment with the charges made to the users when transactions are made, meaning sellers are not receiving the full amount for their sales. Users of PayPal are also the victims of unprecedented levels of phishing which have already cost unknowing users huge amounts of money. PayPal’s support system has also been largely criticized as their customer helpline is often very unresponsive, not to mention the unpredicatble freezing of accounts with no prior warning.

PayPal still seems like the most secure payment method available and I would urge all e-commerce sites to have it as an option alongside standard credit card transactions.

High street stores and supermarkets alike have been diversifying their product ranges for years, it’s all part of traditional commercial growth, and it’s clear that ecommerce web design companies will follow a similar ethos. The prime example, as usual, is Amazon’s diverse selection of products which differ greatly from the bookshop the store first set out to be.

The first and most obvious movement was made towards media and entertainment, which made sense to a degree as there was already a range of audiobooks available from the seller in CD format. Audiobook CDs soon became music CDs, then video, DVD and Videogames seemed to naturally evolve Amazon’s suddenly booming product list.

We are now at a stage where almost anything is possible. Digging spades, excercise bikes, shoes, facewash and food piping bags are among the many examples of how much Amazon has diversified from a bookseller.

So is it always right to diversify? Due to Amazon’s huge brand awareness and limitless resources they have been able to try selling more obscure products, but as a smaller seller you have to be careful. You don’t want to distract the user’s attention from what your main product which is most likely highest source of income. You also don’t want to give the impression that you are ‘less specialist’ than the site says you are. I think most sites can get away with selling related items whilst not diversifying too much from the site’s original product range.

A recent article about eBAy increasing advertising budget raises the question about how much advertising should be considered with ecommerce web design? On the one hand it can be a good source of revenue – as is most web advertising of recent times. On some of the biggest ecommerce sites, companies pay thousands for recognition on a homepage. However the big danger is that it can distract users from the main content of the site as the two parts ight for the user’s attention.

On sites like eBay this can be particularly harmful as sellers who pay high prices for premium listings expect to be given premium treatment – not to be just another link on the page. In a typical e-commerce situation, you may find that users convert to other website where advertising isn’t so obtrusive. It really is a fine balance – making sure the main content isn’t compromised, whicle ensuring advertisers are happy with their position on the screen for their cash.

On a loosel-related note, I have also noticed of late the increased advertising on YouTube, which has involved the display of eBay listings next to a video. Is this prehaps the beginning of a new way of web 2.0 ecommerce advertising? I certainly prefer to see potentially useful listings aggregated into a page rather than just static advertisements. If YouTube is going to advertise, this seems like a good route to take.