Businesses from different sectors are turning online to sell their products and services, and eCommerce has become an integral part of growth. From the biggest companies in the world to standalone stores, just about every entity that wants to grow aims to build a strong online presence. Given that the modern-day consumer is all discerning, the need to excel at this front is crucial. If you look at the top eCommerce websites in the world, you will notice they share several commonalities, and it’s these elements that put them ahead of their competition.
Now, the best eCommerce website designs account for consumers who use mobile phones, which is why they are responsive. Attracting adequate organic traffic requires optimizing every web page for search engines. The best retail websites in the world also focus on delivering a great user experience, because this is the most important element in pushing visitors down the sales funnel.
If you’re wondering, “Who has the best retail website?” know that the answer to this question is rather subjective. After extensive research and careful consideration, our experts have selected the top 10 eCommerce websites from across sectors, and they come from big, mid-sized, and small businesses alike. Then, you may check the most visited websites in the world and the U.S.
Table Of Contents
1. Amazon
What initially started as an online platform for selling books has become one of the largest eCommerce platforms globally. Now, Amazon has offices and facilities the world over, and people from different countries can use its region-specific websites to make purchases. This holds true for businesses that wish to use its services to sell their products as well.
The Amazon website has been delivering a highly personalized shopping experience for its registered users. For example, customers get to see recommendations based on their previous purchases and search history. Opting to search for products or going through its multiple categories is simple. The website delivers a flawless user experience (UX), and consumers can hasten the checkout process by using a suitable payment method.
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As a seller, you get to leverage Amazon’s brand recognition and you stand to reach out to a large audience if you play your card rights. However, Amazon restricts what you may do from the branding perspective to a large degree, so building a strong brand on this platform can be quite a challenge. Besides, you’ll also have to deal with stiff competition and steep fees.
2. eBay
eBay is right up there with Amazon in catering to a global audience and delivering a great user experience to consumers from different countries. You may use the search option by itself and narrow down your options by selecting a suitable category. You may also look for products by clicking on the categories listed on the main menu. The hero image offers insight into ongoing offers, specials, and promotions.
As a seller, an option to set an auction for any item you wish to sell enables you to get a higher-than-expected price, or you may choose to set a fixed price. Much like Amazon, sellers need to pay fees to sell on eBay.
3. Nike
Nike’s website serves as an excellent reference point when it comes to getting web design right. The drop-down menu lets you find the top categories with ease, including a link to limited-time sales. On the top-left corner, users find quick links to Air Jordan products and Converse shoes. As you scroll down the homepage, you get to view the brand’s latest offerings, with pictures doing most of the talking.
Further down the homepage, users get to select from different sport-related categories like basketball, running, training, tennis, and golf. From offering great filtering options to getting the navigation right, the Nike website works in delivering a fantastic user experience. This holds true right until you complete the checkout process, which you may do without registering as a user.
4. Bose
Bose opts to go with a simplistic and minimalist website and does so with rather good effect. The hero image typically carries one of the brand’s latest offerings, encouraging visitors to find out more. The main menu has three categories, including Shop, Explore, and Support, highlighting just how much importance Bose gives to providing excellent customer service.
Just below the hero image, you see the top categories of products like speakers, headphones, and earbuds. Then, you get to view the recommended products. The Bose website makes good use of its footer, giving users the ability to learn more about the company and providing links to its automotive section, reseller portal, the Bose Music app, and the Bose Connect App. Needless to say, the shopping experience on the Bose website is seamless.
5. Goorin
While this hat-making company has been around since 1895, its popularity received a significant boost after one of its hats made its way onto Bryan Cranston’s head in Breaking Bad. Over the years, this brand has managed to adapt to changing times, and its hip and modern website is a testament to this fact.
The hero image on the homepage is eye-catching and bold, exemplifying the brand’s appeal. Scrolling down lets you view its products across popular categories like fedoras, truckers, classics, and beanies. A non-invasive Support button remains at the right-bottom of the screen, making assistance easy to find. An easy-to-use menu enables you to locate the products or information you seek with ease. The checkout process is smooth.
6. Ketnipz
This brand has come a long way since it started out on Instagram as a comic, and has gone on to become a brand with a significant following. The Ketnipz website, much like the comic, has a fun and quirky feel, which works perfectly well for people who follow this brand. The menu lets visitors browse through popular categories like plushies, apparel, accessories, and footwear. Effective use of whitespace keeps the highlight on the products.
As with the other eCommerce store examples listed on this page, the checkout process of the Ketnipz website is simple and takes little time.
7. Zeuss
Zeuss specializes in providing personalized hair, skin, and body treatments for men; and skin and body treatments for women. The homepage comes with a split-screen design, asking customers to choose from the five basic options to proceed. This helps keep the overall look uncluttered and fixes the attention of visitors where it matters.
Once you select the service you’re interested in, you proceed to a page that offers more information about the treatment in question, while also providing answers to commonly asked questions. This helps instill confidence in the website’s users. The website is also clear about the timelines surrounding different treatments, which is great for building trust.
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Once you decide to start any of its treatments, you need to register as a user. You then have to provide some basic information such as your skin type and biggest skin-related concerns. Next, you may complete the checkout. For some users, this long-drawn process may work as a drawback.
8. Glossier
Founded by Emily Weiss in 2014, Glossier is a makeup and skincare company that is popular for its focus on natural ingredients as well as its simple and minimalist packaging. Its website presents the brand’s products in a consistent manner, using a color palette that aligns with its offerings. You can also see elements of pop here and there, adding a touch of vibrancy without seeming out of place.
In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, the website aims to be informative, providing users with as many details about its products as possible, and also highlighting their benefits. This plays an important role in encouraging users to move forward with their purchases. As with many other popular global brands, Glossier runs different region-specific websites, although all rely on the same basic structure. The overall shopping experience is pleasant, no doubt.
9. Burrow
Burrow is a modular furniture manufacturer and retailer aiming to set new benchmarks in the industry. Its website relies on a simplistic design, with its hero image drawing attention to some of its bestsellers. The drop-down menu lets visitors browse through different categories like seating, living, dining, bedroom, and storage, while also providing a link to its clearance sale.
As you scroll down the homepage, while you get to view more products across categories, the company also takes some space to tell you what sets it apart from its competition, which is a great confidence-building measure. A real-world unboxing video of one of its products by a young couple also helps build trust.
The website has used its footer section well, providing links to information about financing, patents, assembly instructions, and other useful resources. Making a purchase is fairly straightforward.
10. Walmart
Just about every list of the best eCommerce websites will include Walmart, and this is not without reason. As with a few other websites listed on this page, the Walmart website relies on simplistic web design. The menu is easy to use, and provides quick access to different departments, services, and product categories. Right at the top, you get to choose from picking your products from a Walmart store or having them delivered/shipped.
The main section of the homepage highlights the latest deals as well as seasonal promotional campaigns. The homepage does well by showcasing what the company’s customers share on social media, making great use of user-generated content. What also helps is you don’t have to scroll down the page endlessly. The footer section provides different types of information visitors might seek, like a store directory, product recalls, and terms of use. The overall navigation of the website is smooth, and the checkout is seamless as well.
Most Visited Retail Websites
Based on data Semrush collects using its Traffic Analytics tool, these were the most visited retail websites in December 2023. You’ll notice that while amazon.com does not feature in the top 10 in the U.S., three of the company’s websites make the list globally.
In the United States
- ebay.com
- walmart.com
- etsy.com
- bestbuy.com
- homedepot.com
- target.com
- costco.com
- samsung.com
- lowes.com
- cvs.com
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In the World
- aliexpress.com
- ebay.com
- amazon.in
- samsung.com
- etsy.com
- amazon.co.uk
- amazon.de
- walmart.com
- ozon.ru
- allegro.pl
Making the Case for Custom Web Development
Sure, you can choose to sell your products or services on platforms like Amazon and eBay, but they give you very little freedom when it comes to building a brand and you need to pay a tidy sum as fees as well. With your own website, you bypass the fees to a large degree, because you only need to pay a payment processor. Besides, you get to incorporate different elements of branding into your website.
When it comes to building a new eCommerce platform from scratch, you might be tempted to use an online website builder or a template. However, while this path might seem time-saving and cost-effective, it is bound to deliver lackluster results. If you want your eCommerce venture to find success, opting for custom web development is crucial because:
- It helps create a unique brand identity
- It results in a website that looks professional
- It is better from the search engine optimization (SEO) perspective
- It helps deliver a better user experience
- It makes for scalable solutions
- You get flexibility with hosting
Conclusion
The top 10 eCommerce websites that have made it to this page have various common elements. For starters, none have used templates in their making, favoring custom web design instead. All these websites are responsive, which ensures that people have good user experiences no matter which devices they use. In addition, they incorporate different elements of branding into the design, make use of high-quality graphics, rely on simplicity, and come with intuitive checkouts.
If you plan to build a new online store and want to use the design and marketing concepts of the top eCommerce websites in the world, it is important for you to partner with a web design agency that specializes in this realm. After all, a professional approach is vital for success.
