By Szabolcs Szecsei

Source: popwebdesign.net

Competition among distribution and logistics firms is just as fierce as among other companies in other, more “in-your-face” industries (for lack of better words), and every logistics professional can attest to that.

When you think about it, the transportation of goods has become pretty much the norm for all of us, and we take it for granted to an extent that the only time we take notice is when deliveries fail to arrive.

With distribution companies being so prevalent in our everyday life, these firms try their best to establish a persuasive and strong online presence in order to rise above the competition.

With a carefully crafted website, these companies can gain the desired advantage in the marketplace by using relevant information about themselves, their services. To put it more simply, they use their site as a tool for marketing – for better customer retention.

However, a website in itself is no guarantee for a stronger online presence. In order to get the most out of a web application, there are a few necessary steps and tactics that should be taken into account during the development cycle.

Starting a project

Before getting started with the development cycle, web developers and business owners should take their time to sit down and talk about the website and the business model of the company.

Programmers should fully understand how the business model works so they can map out the site and all the features accordingly. A single-page application may be enough for a startup company but might not suit the needs of a well-established freight forwarder firm.

As such, let’s see some of the most important features websites should have:

Freight Forwarder Website Essentials

Best of both worlds – Detailed service information, case studies, project details can all have their place on the website. Content-wise, while site owners have more options than corporate or freight marketplace representatives but may want to tone it down a bit and unless blog posts are in question. Blogs can include everything from tips, tricks, legal advice, to news and trends from a wide range of respective topics. However, it’s not imperative to include all these features. Depending on the profile, size, and work strategy of the company, statistics can be handed out on-demand, along with on-demand logistics info. The main goal here is to highlight the best of what the company has to offer.

Leave out complexity – The website should be easy to navigate and to understand with services and contact options highlighted in distinctive places.

Cargo shipping, payment, estimated costs – Especially with freight forwarder websites, these should be essential features, however, in practice, a lot of time, forwarders do not receive all the necessary info (cargo/shipment dimensions) needed to make the feature useful. Integrating such functionality is a great plus, however, more or less, only those companies will benefit from it where it is guaranteed that all the dimensions will be given.

Mobile apps, business intelligence systems – Freight Forwarders can highly benefit from a designated mobile app, but still, need a highly responsive website since some customers will still use a mobile browser to reach it.

General design features

Now that most business model-specific features have been outlined, it’s time to focus on more generalized guidelines that should be applied in order to create a great website.

Navigation consistency and simplicity

We’ve already stated that ease of use should be a primary concern. The website’s navigation should be easy to grasp and consistent, with the menu staying the same on every page, with the company logo on the left top corner.

As such, the search box should be clearly visible too, to help visitors find what they are looking for more efficiently.

Scrolling the website should be easy, with a visible scroll bar, and pages shouldn’t be too long.

Keeping things simple is essential because a lot of people aren’t really that tech-savvy, making it hard for them to navigate through more complex design solutions. Visitors abandoning websites because they find it hard to navigate is a huge negative, so developers should aim to keep things simple.

A fast website equals a happy customer

This should go without saying, but these websites should be fast-loading. Every web developer knows that every second counts and sites that take longer to load lose valuable customers each day. As such, every page should load quickly.

Distinctive CTAs, links, and social share buttons

Interactive CTA buttons with animations can be a great tool for drawing attention, but use them with taste. Links should also be clearly visible so there’s a better chance for visitors of opening them.

Lastly, social media now plays an integrated role in our lives so adding social media follow and share options should also be implemented. It can help with raising brand awareness along with improving conversion rates. Adding login options with social credentials can also pay off.

Stay coherent visually

A consistent visual identity can reinforce trust in visitors, so design-wise, the development team should aim for perfect visual harmony. Create icons and color schemes accordingly, along with quality background imagery. Make the schemes and the design coherent not just with the website, but with the nature of the services too.

Conclusion

All in all, logistic and distribution company websites should serve as immersive business cards for their respective owners and as such, UX and UI features should be streamlined with developers and designers working closely together not just with each other but with company representatives too in order to create a website that has the right balance of functionality, marketing power, and visual harmony.