Have you ever wondered if your website reflects best practices? And is there such a thing as usability standards in e-commerce?

Google returns 3.66 million results for "e-commerce usability"; 4.46 million for "e-commerce best practices"; and 10.6 million for "e-commerce information architecture". There is clearly an impressive amount of information out there, but no straight answer.

When designing an e-commerce site for your consumers (because really, this is who it should be all about), keep in mind that their motivation to buy something from you is influenced by three core elements:
What they know: their level of familiarity with the Web, e-commerce and commerce in general
What they see: the home page, and all other pages
What they get: the interaction they have with your site

What they know

A mental model is "an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world" (mental model - wikipedia). Consumers expect to find a cart, a search function and product information when visiting your site, and they expect to find them easily. This is also where best practices come into place. Most Popular websites such as Google, Yahoo, Live and Wikipedia set the standards just by being popular. Chances are, your customers have been exposed to them, so it should not come as a surprise to you that they are most likely looking for the "sign in / sign up" links in the top right corner of your site, and that they expect your logo to take them back to the home page.

What they see

We have only one chance to make a great first impression. That applies to e-commerce more than ever. Web design matters, but Information Architecture rules. Make your structure clear and search results relevant to your shoppers. Plan on keeping your content fresh at the very beginning of your project. Consumers want to know what's new, so make room for new information on your home page, for example.

What they get

Now that your Information Architecture is well defined and clearly organized, think about the interaction between your shoppers and your site. Did you refine error and validation messages? Are they visible on every page? What happens when a shopper fails to submit a form, do you give him enough feedback to be able to continue?

The truth is, there is no bullet proof recipe for making your site shopper-friendly. Do your research; get a clear picture of what your competition is doing right now; look what's cooking in other industries for inspiration, but always make sure to keep your information clear and easy to find.

Ultimately, you are the guardian of your own brand and products. Ask yourself: What do my customers expect from my e-commerce presence? Common sense could be one of the best practices.