E-commerce has become a common business practice, especially in our modern, digital age, thanks to its convenience and effectiveness.
Most of the world’s population is technologically literate, allowing businesses to connect with their customers online and provide their wants and needs. It also gives companies the freedom to customize their website to improve visibility.
However, creating and customizing an e-commerce website does present challenges. E-commerce mistakes committed could cost the business time and effort.
With this in mind, let us discuss these common e-commerce mistakes—what they are and how they cost businesses money—so that these can be avoided in the future.
E-Commerce Mistakes That are Costing Your Business
E-commerce mistakes can put a massive strain on your business. In fact, committing even the simplest of mistakes could alter important factors such as customer experience and improvement of sales. Thus, let us discuss some of the e-commerce mistakes that might be costing your business money.
1. Having product descriptions that are similar to competitors
Let’s say that customers view one of your products, but they notice something about your product description. It seems familiar because they might have read an identical description on other e-commerce websites offering a similar product. Upon realizing this, customers may feel disappointed. After all, they are looking forward to what makes your product unique.
Having identical content not only disappoints customers but also lowers your ranking among competitors hence, it decreases your website’s visibility.
Therefore, to prevent your website’s content from seeming akin to your competitors, it’s best to write unique product descriptions. Emphasize why your products are valuable by highlighting their features and usability. By offering a different perspective to your customers, your products will truly become exceptional from the rest.
2. Displaying poor website navigation and design
Another common e-commerce mistake to avoid is poor website navigation. Poor navigation in the sense that customers do not know what to do upon visiting your website.
For instance, customers want to locate a specific product, but they have to go through multiple pages or maybe scroll for long periods just to find it. This can be off-putting to customers, and it could steadily plummet your business’s conversion rate.
To prevent losing customers and decreasing sales, ensure that your e-commerce site is appropriately customized. One way to do this is to provide visible buttons to guide customers where to click first.
Another tip to consider is to keep website design simple by reducing intrusive images and opting for relevant content. This way it keeps customers engaged while reducing visual strain.
3. Implementing a complex checkout process
What frustrates customers is when they are ready to make purchases, but the checkout process proves to be complicated and tedious.
This kind of error greatly impacts your business when it comes to gaining customer loyalty. It lowers their trust and might place a bad impression, especially for first-time customers.
Avoid this e-commerce mistake by providing your customers with a simple checkout process. One example is to accomplish the purchase process within three easy steps. Another option is to customize forms without asking too much of the customer and prolonging the purchase process.
4. Lacking promos or giveaways
One easily overlooked e-commerce mistake is the absence of promos or giveaways. Indeed, if there is anything that attracts customers more, it’s the assurance that there will be promos or freebies.
It’s not to say that promos or giveaways should always occur so that potential customers would increase; instead, allow your customers this pleasure at the right occasions such as holidays or your business reaching certain milestones.
The lack of promos even once in a while means customers have nothing to look forward to, and for some, this could prove to be dissatisfying. Thus, prevent this mistake by timing your promos or giveaways with the right opportunity.
Additionally, when giving out promos, ensure that these promos are appropriate. This means observing trends and your customers’ needs closely so that your promos create a massive impact.
5. Ignoring competitors and the competition
Another easy mistake your business could make is to ignore your competitors. Most of the time, this happens when companies are too concentrated on their plans. Thus they don’t bother looking at their surroundings.
What makes a great business is not only centered on your e-commerce site’s visual aspects; equally important is to study your position among competitors and strategize carefully.
It’s best that what goes into your e-commerce site, for example, is meticulously planned to bring unique experiences customers will know your business for. Specifically, this includes aspects like a customized web design or easily accessible e-commerce customer support features.
Once you’ve started minding your competitor’s actions, surely your business’s strategies will improve. Similarly, you will also begin to gain more confidence in increasing your sales.
6. Lacking protection and security
We have ascertained that the rise of e-commerce as a business practice comes with the advancement of technology. However, it also comes with attackers out to sabotage companies.
That’s right: a part of what severs customer and business relationships are cyberattacks on the e-commerce site. Furthermore, businesses are making the mistake of not securing their websites!
This kind of confidence permits attackers to take control of your website to gain access to your customers’ personal information. Moreover, they could use data from your website to create a similar site that could lure customers in.
The best course of action is to prevent future cyberattacks by protecting your website through HTTPS, for instance. Additionally, you may also speak with an IT expert to have malware protection software installed in your computer systems.
Furthermore, you may also secure your e-commerce site’s collected information by backing them up on hard drives. Securing your website right from the start avoids future dilemmas and disasters.
7. Imposing unreasonable prices
Let’s say you are starting with your business; however, the prices of the products you post on your website don’t seem reasonable.
To further illustrate, you are selling the average cologne one can apply every day for USD150. In contrast, a perfume used for special occasions is priced only at USD100. This doesn’t seem to add up.
Most businesses always aim for successful marketing at the end of the day, but to come up with inconsistent pricing may push your customers too far. Instead of gaining more interest in your products, you are only confusing buyers.
Avoid this error by going over your product and its purpose carefully. Always keep in mind that the product must serve its purpose for it to be worth its price. Indeed, a product that fulfills the customers’ needs would also make them agree that it is worth purchasing.
8. Idling e-commerce customer support
One crucial factor is the presence of customer service for e-commerce businesses. It’s how customers can voice out their concerns or ask for assistance.
However, one crucial mistake is when businesses do have a team of customer service representatives, but they turn out to be inactive. It makes customers feel ignored, moreover that the business does not lend an ear to their concerns.
To prevent this mistake from occurring, perhaps you should choose an e-commerce customer service offshoring company that ensures their representatives work attentively and effectively.
In this way, rest assured that your e-commerce site has customer support attending to your customers’ queries. Likewise, you don’t have to worry that the customer support itself will become their complaints.
Key Takeaway
E-commerce has truly become an essential aspect for businesses to increase sales and connect with customers online. However, frequently committed mistakes could cost enterprises significant expenses and customers.
When e-commerce mistakes are constantly present, it will be difficult for your business to remain consistent in improving sales. Additionally, it lowers your ranking among competitors and diminishes your company’s reputation.
On the other hand, keeping track of these mistakes and avoiding them ensures both your business and e-commerce site remain visible. Moreover, it gives customers a good experience upon connecting with your business.
E-commerce is steadily rising as more businesses continue to harness the power of technology to come up with brilliant ideas and even more effective strategies.
To help your business lessen mistakes and focus on improving your e-commerce journey, One CoreDev IT (CORE) is always ready to help you. Our employer of record solutions and e-commerce offshoring services assure quality that assists your business to bring out the best in its online endeavors.
Among the employer of record companies, our services have been at their most excellent performance. Come and check out what else we have in store for you!
