Selling goods online is an easy and efficient practice, especially in the fast-growing digital world. While the rewards are great, so are the risks. A few common eCommerce challenges and mistakes can prevent businesses from making the most out of this vast online market. One misstep can make the company go into a downward spiral. When selling products online, it is important to be informed of the challenges to scrutinize them and avoid any errors.
4 Critical eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid
To capture the market and mark in the industry you operate in, being cautious of the common pitfalls is essential. Here are the 4 most frequent mistakes that Digital Commerce businesses make when selling online.
1. Lack of Audience
Before you start building your business model, you must set your target audience in stone. Putting sufficient research on targeting the right market can help your business in the long run. Find your intended demographic and work towards understanding their demands. Even a mediocre product can beat out your offering if it doesn’t cater to the exact needs of the consumers.
By defining the following aspects, you can draw a clear picture of your intended audience:
Age
Define whether your product can be accessed by all age groups or just specific brackets.
Location
Some items may be tailor-made for certain locations. Check if the goods you sell fall under this category.
Personality
Your merchandise may cater to a single type of audience. But it may also be helpful to others. Find out if it can be enjoyed by other kinds of people too. For example, a coding platform for programmers can also be beneficial to students.
Gender
Check if your commodity is tailored to a single-gender or not. For instance, an online game would see a larger male audience.
Not all of these may apply to your product. So instead, choose the ones you should value according to your business model.
2. Wrong Platform
While building a website is necessary and requires constant efforts, choosing a ready platform to sell your products can help your business. A host of sites offer a marketplace to sell products and are built keeping certain audiences and business models in mind. Fortunately, some features of these eCommerce sites can help you choose appropriately.
Price
You should know what you’re paying for and whether the price is worth the service. Understand the features they will provide and find out if they benefit you and your audience.
Integrations
There are many steps to selling online. For example, you need accounting tools to manage your finances, email marketing to spread the word, and apps that help you track deliveries. Some platforms (DXPs, CMSs) have this software inbuilt. Choose them for smoother business.
Mobile-Friendly
Studies show that 65% of eCommerce site visits are generated from smartphones. This is due to its high accessibility. A phone can be used on the go and makes shopping quick and convenient. So, find a platform, which is mobile-friendly and can be used on a smartphone to increase your audience outreach.
3. Subpar Customer Service
Often products may not be what your purchasers expected them to be. In this case, customers want to reach out to the company. The defining factor of a good eCommerce business is its ability to handle these queries and complaints. A report suggests that 86% of shoppers would pay more for a better user experience. Therefore, quality support is key in customer retention and lead conversion.
Here are some ways you can improve your customer experience:
Omni-channel Support
Consumers should reach out from various communication channels, like social media, email, and feedback forms. Controlling the traffic and providing high-grade support in each channel, instead of asking your purchasers to ‘submit a feedback form’ or ‘send an email,’ such connected mediums can boost your customer experience.
CRM
Managing an omnichannel support system requires a lot of effort and dedication. Rather than devising your own system, use a tool that does everything for you. For example, investing in a Customer Relationship Management application can help you personalize the user experience for each client. Research carried out by Salesforce shows that using a CRM increases your sales by 29%, productivity by 34%, and shortens transaction cycles by almost 14%.
Reward System
Having an incentive system for your consumers can increase customer retention and bring in newer ones. For example, presenting your patrons with discounts or gifts upon multiple purchases is a good way to ensure retention. It also helps you increase your sales and enhance your user experience.
4. Unfriendly Web Design
Due to the explosion in technology, there could be many eCommerce platforms and products in the market that are very similar to yours. Therefore, setting your company apart from the rest of the crowd is essential. Whether you are selling your items on a ready-made platform, or your own website, you need a clean user interface. eCommerce sites often offer a wide range of features that can make a viewer’s window seem cluttered. As many as 38% of your customers are likely to leave after an initial glance if you have an unattractive interface.
With a little effort, you can completely transform your web page into one that your viewers will love.
Toolbar
As an eCommerce site, having different sections is inevitable. But it is important not to overcrowd your users’ window. Instead, you can use a toolbar with links to each of the features you offer. This allows your users to navigate through your website easily.
Easy Transaction
Once your clients go through the painstaking process of choosing the product that caters to their needs, they will want to purchase it. If the transaction cycle is complicated, it can disappoint and prompt them to leave without buying a product. Keep the checkout process simple to maximize sales.
Conclusion
Whether you are shifting your business online or already exists in the digital world, you must carefully weigh the pros and cons of every plan and strategy you work on to ensure continued success and sales. Unfortunately, a few unintentional errors can be responsible for the collapse of a good business model. This article mentions some of the important factors that should not be ignored when transacting in the online world. However, successfully maneuvering around these errors can catapult your business to immeasurable heights.
