Top 7 Critical eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Online
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It does not matter if you are new to online sales or you already have your own store, there is always something that needs to be improved or changed. We analyzed the experience of various eCommerce companies and identified the main mistakes in doing business that should be avoided. The following mistakes can be used as a checklist for your online store to check its effectiveness and profitability. Follow this guide to improve your online store.
1. Focus on Creating Instead of Marketing Research
The creative process can be truly exciting: inventing new things or original accessories captivates. However, this is often the mistake of both novice entrepreneurs and more experienced colleagues. The launch of a new product on the market should begin with eCommerce marketing research. Ignoring this step and reliable eCommerce software solutions can lead to the collapse of the enterprise and serious losses.
Do not be too lazy to first find out the target audience, its basic needs and ways of communication. This will make it possible to understand whether your product will be bought, in other words – whether the idea will pay off. So, you can choose the most viable idea promptly or focus on what will be in the trend soon.
2. Choosing the Wrong Platform
Many eCommerce platforms allow to create online stores and conduct online sales. To truly succeed in the market, you must choose the one that best suits your goals.
We focus on direct response and customer acquisition in e-commerce, lead gen, and mobile. When it comes to results and leads, we speak your language.
The wrong platform can be a serious obstacle to the development of your store. Using its tools, you will present your goods, communicate with customers and carry out sales in a full cycle – from order to delivery. All this should be convenient for your potential customers. Otherwise, the platform will only harm the business.
Conduct your own marketing research, study reviews and indicators of other entrepreneurs. Explore the platform from the technical and financial side: how convenient and financially beneficial will it be for your online store?
3. Poor UX/UI Design
User-friendly interface for any store is of great importance. However, few people think about how maximum user convenience is actually created. And this is also one of the sales mistakes. It is not enough to put yourself in the place of the buyer, you need to consider many factors that take into account the professional only.
Search engines within the site should be simple and convenient in the first place. Also, your product must be strictly catalogued, equipped with tags and categories so that it can be easily found. Moreover, do not forget about additional recommendations and tips. They should be unobtrusive, lightweight and consistent with the interests of the buyer.
4. Ignoring SEO-optimization
Trying to best present their product and make it attractive to a potential buyer, many rely on the visual component. Thus, one of the most important tools of eCommerce sales is missed – SEO-optimization. Your store should be known to your potential customers. Of course, you will need to invest in advertising, however, content optimization is also important.
Find out what kind of queries consumers use to find your store, what useful articles you can add to your content. Product descriptions should be as individual as possible. And here you will need ingenuity, because, in addition to technical requests for robots, the description should contain emotions that attract people.
5. Bad Talent Management
In small startups, you can independently do all the work on the site. But the larger your eCommerce business, the more difficult it will be to keep everything in one hand. At this stage, you simply need to expand your team and recruit people to whom you can delegate your duties.
One of the mistakes at this point is poor search and talent management. Approach thoroughly to the issue of finding employees. After all, they will represent your store, ensure its operation and speed. Look for not only professionals but also those with whom you can work together, who will complement your team and become a good part of it.
6. Ignoring Customers’ Requests
The benefit of online sales – you have several ways to connect with consumers. They can contact you in the comments on the product, through the contact form of the site, email or hotline. Be prepared that questions will come to you through social networks. From how quickly you respond, your reputation will be formed.
Ignoring or slow response to a user request worsens the opinion of you among buyers. And the chances that you will be recommended to friends are significantly reduced. Make a habit of checking all communication channels yourself or hire a person for this position. Large stores should have an extensive customer support system.
7. Failing on Branding
Another subtle pitfall of sales online is ignoring branding. It doesn’t matter if you offer unique craft items or distribute products created by someone else – your brand should be recognized. It is important to understand that not only correctly selected or created font and corporate colors make you unique.
Your slogan, advertising, emotions that your brand creates – this is how the consumer remembers you. Think over the name – it should be speaking and simple. Of course, it’s great when this is something significant for you, but the buyer should also understand it. The slogan should be made as simple and close to your target audience as possible. Advertising banners and videos should evoke positive emotions and, ideally, joy.
For each mistake described above, there are many eCommerce solutions that can be used in combination and separately. Inspect your online store, maybe it also needs improvements.
8. Not having a privacy policy
Like any other website, eCommerce stores need to comply with privacy laws, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or California’s Consumers Privacy Act (CCPA). Most of these laws require you to provide your users with a privacy policy in order to comply with the principle of transparency. According to this principle, you should always be transparent with your users about your activities and give them a clear way to opt-out.
A privacy policy is a legal document that informs your users about your data collection and processing activities. In other words, it explains to them what information you collect and why you need it. A privacy policy for an e-commerce website should include at least the following: the types of data you collect, why you collect it, who you share the data with, the user’s rights, and your contact information.
However, remember that a privacy policy is a legal document, so it should be tailored to your exact activities and needs. So avoid copying and pasting from another online business or using a template. Instead, consult a legal expert or use a quality online policy generator.
About the Author: Betty Lockwood is a journalist, mobile apps developer, fintech expert and caring mother. She writes about informational technologies, news in the e-commerce world, traveling, and music events. Betty is also an editor-in-chief of Computools website. Follow Betty on Twitter.