Thanks to rapidly evolving technology, it is now easier than ever to kickstart an eCommerce business. You can set up an online retail store on Shopify within a few minutes.
However, running a successful eCommerce business isn't a cakewalk and requires correct tools, proper planning and solid determination to achieve the set goals.
Despite the numerous benefits online business offers, several entrepreneurs fail due to the mistakes they make unknowingly or knowingly.
In fact, 90% of eCommerce startups fail within the initial four months of their launch.
Therefore, if you do not want your online business to suffer such a fate, it is important to avoid critical mistakes and hire dedicated developers to help grow your business.
Listed below are ten mistakes eCommerce merchants often make and ways to avoid them:
Selecting the wrong platform
Selecting an incorrect eCommerce platform can do more harm than good. It can reduce conversions, cause security issues, and eventually lower your revenue. Hence, knowing your business requirements and customer needs is crucial before selecting an eCommerce platform.
The platform plays an integral role in not just selling your products but also retaining customers. So, take your time, research, and select the one that best suits your online business model. Magento, Shopify, and BigCommerce are some of the top eCommerce platforms you can consider for your online store.
Not understanding the target audience
Just choosing the right platform and adding products to it won't help to make your online store successful. Defining and understating the target audience is the way to success. You will be able to offer a great user experience only when you know the preferences and tastes of your target customers. That will also help lure them to keep returning to your online store time and again.
So, conduct market research to learn about the customers who need your products and develop marketing tactics to communicate the benefits of your products to them.
Unscalable website design
You shouldn't ignore the design and structure of your eCommerce site. Make sure your site can include an array of products and complex features, as that will give you the flexibility to grow your online business.
An unscalable website will hamper the growth of your business. Hence, ensure that your website can manage the ever-increasing product stock and steer your business along profitable lines.
Unsatisfactory UX
One of the main objectives of any online business is to convert visitors into loyal customers. And to do that, it is important to offer good UX sans difficult navigation features. Visitors will likely leave your website if it is cumbersome, which will eventually result in you losing out on some valuable customers.
Hence, avoid committing this mistake by not using complex navigating elements and difficult-to-locate content on your site to ease your visitors' browsing experience. You can also connect to the available developers for hire to help optimize your eCommerce site and offer smoother navigation and UX, as they have more experience this field and can guide in giving better experience to visitor which may increase your conversion rate.
Not using SEO-friendly content
As most of us know, 'content is king,' which makes it crucial for every E-Commerce store to focus on posting SEO-friendly content. If your website does not feature SEO-friendly content, it won't appear on the search engine results page, eventually making it difficult for visitors to locate your store.
Hence, the content on each page of the website should be well-optimized and adhere to the latest SEO guidelines as that'll help you attract more customers to your store and achieve greater success. Making your eCommerce site visible among visitors helps lure them into buying your products.
Low-quality images
Customers tend to check the images of the product first before making the purchase. Photos that are too small or blurry won't encourage them to purchase your products.
As customers cannot pick up the product physically to check it, using high-quality, professional images with an option to zoom in and see from different sides is a must.
Ensure that the product images displayed on your website are bright and attractive and truly showcase how amazing your products are.
Complicated check-out process
It is often observed that e-stores host several abandoned carts. And one of the major reasons behind cart abandonment is a cumbersome check-out process. Visitors tend to avoid making the purchase during the last stages because of the frustration they face with a complicated check-out process.
Hence, you must remove as many steps as possible during check-out and keep it simple. Eliminating the step for customers to first register themselves on the website before buying can be a great start.
Not concentrating on brand image
Thinking that you can sell your products based on quality alone is one of the biggest mistakes most entrepreneurs make. You must cultivate a solid brand image for your business as that will help you grab more leads and convert them into loyal customers.
Your market research should help determine what brand values your to-be customers are looking for. You can then develop a brand message that aligns with their expected aspirations. Your brand value should be visible in your branding, marketing, and content.
Slow website loading speed
Not having a fast-loading website can break your online business. Shoppers don't like websites that make them wait for the pages to load. A study states that 47% of shoppers expect an eCommerce store to load in two seconds.
Visitors will abandon your website if it has a slow loading time. Hence, ensure you focus on your website's speed optimization to retain customers.
Poor customer service
Failing to provide a good service to your customers could make them turn away from your website. Every customer wants their issue to be resolved as fast as possible. However, owing to the huge volume of transactions on your website daily, it may not be possible for you to remember every customer grievance.
Hence, you can set up effective communication channels to solve this issue, like email, telephonic calls, or online chatbots. These can help deliver good customer service and prevent losing out on valuable customers.
Final Thoughts
Running a successful eCommerce store isn't easy; however, you can nail it if you avoid these mistakes. If, in case, you have made any of the aforementioned mistakes, fix them as soon as possible so you can concentrate on offering the best to your customers and grow your business.
You can even hire dedicated developers and delegate the task of managing your e-store to them.
Experienced and skilled professionals can help you create an optimized eCommerce website and a loyal customer base that's always keen to purchase your products.