Ecommerce Website Features — 30 Must-Haves Checklist

Product display (8 features)

Your product pages are the heart of your e-commerce site. Every feature here directly affects the buying decision.

Cart and checkout (7 features)

The cart and checkout are where revenue is made or lost. Abandoned cart rates average 70%, and each missing feature here adds to that number.

• Guest checkout — the single most important checkout feature. Forcing account creation destroys conversions.
• Shopping cart visible from every page — the cart icon should show the item count and be clickable from anywhere on the site.
• Cart editing — users must be able to change quantities, remove items, and see size or colour options from the cart page.
• Progress indicator — show the checkout steps clearly so users know how far they are from completing the purchase.
• Multiple shipping options — at minimum standard and express delivery, with clear pricing and estimated delivery dates.
• Order summary before payment — let users review their full order including items, quantities, shipping cost, and total before they enter payment details.
• Abandoned cart recovery — automated email reminders to users who left items in their cart. This alone can recover 10–15% of lost sales.

Payments (5 features)

Payment options are market-specific. For Bahrain e-commerce, these five features cover the vast majority of transactions.

• Benefit Pay — the national debit card system in Bahrain. Essential for local customers who do not use credit cards.
• Credit and debit cards — Visa and Mastercard via a gateway like Stripe or Checkout.com. Covers international customers and local card users.
• Buy-now-pay-later — Tabby and Tamara are extremely popular in the Gulf region. Offering BNPL increases average order value by 20–30%.
• Digital wallets — Apple Pay and Google Pay reduce friction on mobile and build trust through familiar interfaces.
• Cash on delivery — still preferred by a significant segment of Bahrain shoppers. High return rates but necessary for full market coverage.

Shipping (4 features)

Shipping expectations in Bahrain are high because same-day and next-day delivery is widely available from major retailers.

• Shipping calculator at cart — show shipping costs before checkout based on location and cart weight. Surprise shipping costs are a top cart abandonment cause.
• Free shipping threshold — offer free delivery above a certain order value. It encourages larger orders and is a proven conversion driver.
• Real-time tracking — provide tracking numbers and a tracking page so customers can follow their order from warehouse to doorstep.
• Delivery date estimation — give customers a realistic delivery date at checkout. Over-promising delivery times creates disappointed customers.

Marketing (6 features)

Built-in marketing features turn your e-commerce site into a sales engine rather than a passive catalogue.

• SEO optimisation — customisable meta titles, descriptions, and clean URL structures for every product and category page.
• Email marketing integration — connect with Mailchimp, Klaviyo or similar for automated campaigns including welcome sequences and abandoned cart emails.
• Discount and coupon engine — create percentage discounts, fixed amount discounts, free shipping coupons, and buy-one-get-one offers with expiry dates.
• Wishlist functionality — lets users save products for later and sends reminders when wishlist items go on sale.
• Social media integration — product sharing buttons, Instagram or TikTok product tagging, and social login options.
• Analytics and tracking — Google Analytics 4, Google Ads conversion tracking, Facebook Pixel, and custom event tracking for purchases, add-to-cart, and sign-ups.

Security (4 features)

Security is not optional for e-commerce. Customers need to trust you with their payment data and personal information.

• SSL certificate — HTTPS on every page. Non-negotiable. Browsers actively warn users against sites without valid SSL.
• PCI-DSS compliance — if you handle card data directly, you must comply. Most merchants avoid this by using a hosted payment gateway that handles card data on their behalf.
• Two-factor authentication for admin — protect the back-end with 2FA. Many e-commerce hacks start with compromised admin credentials.
• Regular security updates — keep the platform, plugins, and server software up to date. Outdated software is the most common entry point for attacks.

Frequently asked questions