There is a difference between having an online store and having an online store that provides users with an exceptional experience. Today, every business should focus on the latter.
Why is Avoiding Mistakes Important?
People are becoming more mindful about where they spend their money as times change. If retailers make their stores complex or frustrating, customers will turn to other stores. Moreover, if a customer is dissatisfied with a purchase from a store, they are unlikely to shop there again or recommend it to potential customers.
We’ve categorized common e-commerce mistakes into four areas:
- Not understanding your product or audience.
- Inappropriate use of technology.
- Issues with product pages.
- Failing to provide a great user experience.
1-Not Understanding Your Product or Audience
“Build it, and they will come” is poor advice for business owners.
If you don’t understand your product or target audience, you’re merely guessing that they will buy it. An e-commerce store built without understanding the audience and the product is just a waste of time and resources.
What you need to do is identify a market need—learn what your target audience wants and the frustrations they have with existing options. By offering what they truly desire, you can attract many customers.
- Conduct Market Research
Leverage platforms like Google searches, Facebook groups, YouTube videos, competitor analysis, and forums to gather insights into customer expectations and challenges.
- Know Your Target Audience
Start by identifying the problems you’ll solve for your target customers. As you gather more information, you can create profiles that help you reach people most likely to buy from you. These profiles may include:
- Demographic details (age, gender, marital status, income, etc.).
- How they make purchasing decisions?
- Interests and hobbies.
- Preferred platforms.
- Don’t Price Products Without Research
When you understand who your target audience is, what they want, and how much value your product provides, you’ll also get an idea of how much they’re willing to pay.
One of the most common e-commerce mistakes is skipping pricing research. This can be a major issue—what if your production costs are higher than what the market is willing to pay? Conversely, what if your potential customers are willing to pay far more than you think?
2-Inappropriate Use of Technology
Not all technologies are created equal. Choosing the right platforms (technologies) for your online store is crucial for user experience, security, and customer retention.
- Choose the Right E-Commerce Platform
There are significant differences between e-commerce platforms. Some offer only basic features and lack options for upgrades.
Basic e-commerce platforms may lack native customization options or rely heavily on third- party solutions.
The right e-commerce platform should provide features you’ll need as your business grows. For instance, a B2C-focused e-commerce platform should offer B2B2C features in a few years.
Take time to research the best e-commerce platform. Talk to other store owners, check online communities for feedback, and then make a decision. If you already have an online store but it’s not on a platform you can scale with, consider transitioning to a better-suited platform.
Check out our SAP Commerce Cloud solution, our B2B2C E-Commerce platform that will make you successful in e-commerce.
- Invest in Security
Security should be seen as an investment rather than a cost for every new business owner.
Fraudsters employ countless attack methods, including financial scams, phishing, and malicious links.
There are several ways to improve your e-commerce site’s security. You need SSL certificates to protect payments, antivirus software to secure payment information, and HTTPS to safeguard your users and data.
3-Issues with Product Pages
Product pages are perhaps the most critical part of your site. If a product page lacks information or fails to display the item clearly and attractively, potential customers are much less likely to make a purchase. Here are four common mistakes to avoid:
- Use Social Proof
Social proof tells potential customers that buyers like your products and find them worth purchasing. 76% of consumers stated they are less likely to buy from a retailer without reviews.
To gather more customer reviews, you can send follow-up emails to buyers, include a
compelling note near your product, or direct them to a thank-you page after the checkout process.
- Showcase Products with the Right Photos
Your photos are an opportunity to make your products look desirable—even irresistible. Professional images can make your products truly stand out, while poor photography can cause even your best items to go unnoticed.
There are many ways to create beautiful and compelling product images, but the golden rule is to display the product clearly with a complementary background.
- Avoid Missing Product Descriptions
A good product image alone won’t persuade buyers. Your product descriptions should be compelling and engaging. Highlight the most appealing features of the product, differentiate it from similar products from competitors, and explain why someone should buy it.
At the same time, the description should be clear, concise, and visually appealing. Use bullet points to list key features and complete the description with a brief overview of who the product is for.
- Avoid Poor Media, Videos, and Images
The primary goal of your e-commerce website is to encourage potential customers to make a purchase.
A mix of media, including images and videos, can be very persuasive. However, overdoing it can drive people away.
If your site takes too long to load, is slow to navigate, or leaves visitors feeling confused or overwhelmed, it’s working against you.
Every decision you make when building your e-commerce site should focus on providing the best user experience.
4-Failing to Provide a Good User Experience
User experience is everything. Your website design affects your search engine ranking and conversion rates, so it’s crucial to get it right.
- Have Categories
Your potential customers should be able to find the products they want. Categories guide visitors on where to go and also encourage them to browse products they haven’t searched for, increasing your sales and revenue.
- Make Service or Business Contact Information Accessible
Purchase decisions are influenced by more than just the product. Consumers also want to know shipping fees, delivery times, return options, and how to contact you for issues or concerns.
Lacking these details can cause potential customers to leave your site.
- Ensure Easy Site Navigation
As mentioned earlier, good navigation is essential. Even if your site has great products, contact information, and shipping and return details, can visitors easily find them? This is crucial.
The menu bar should have everything visitors might need, including clear product categories, a contact page, and links to the shopping cart.
For visitors who need more, include links at the bottom of your site to pages like “About Us,” FAǪs, contact information, and additional ways to connect.
- Don’t Lose Visitors by Making Them Wait
How many times have you added items to a shopping cart but abandoned the purchase because you had to create an account? If your answer is greater than zero, you know your checkout process needs a guest checkout option.
E-commerce stores encourage account creation to collect customer information for follow-up via email or SMS.
However, the average cart abandonment rate is shockingly high. A 2020 Baymard study calculated the average cart abandonment rate at nearly 70% based on 44 reported statistics.
To keep your abandonment rate as low as possible, make the checkout process simple and seamless.
If you want customers to create accounts, make the process as easy as possible. For example, allow one-click account creation using Gmail or social media platforms.
Visit our blog on Abandoned Shopping Cart and Customer Recovery Strategies.
- Create Content that Differentiates You from Competitors
If you don’t give potential customers a reason to buy from you, they won’t. What would compel people to choose you over a competitor if you’re similar?
Drawing inspiration from competitors is fine, but you also need to differentiate yourself and fill the gaps your competitors leave in the market. If your market research and defined target audience are accurate, you won’t have trouble creating unique content.
- Use Analytics to Improve Marketing Tactics
Effective marketing combines creativity and data. Your e-commerce store’s marketing strategy should be informed by customer behavior.
Using analytics to refine your marketing tactics can give your online store a significant edge over competitors. Most platforms provide clear data about site traffic sources, cart abandonment rates, popular products, and customer behavior.
- Diversify Payment Options
Just as guest checkout is essential, lacking diverse payment options can be an unnecessary hurdle for customers.
Not supporting a potential customer’s preferred payment method may cause them to abandon their purchase.
Offer updated payment options and ensure customers can complete payments with ease.
- Expand Your Shipping Options
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes. What do they want? Three things:
- The product
- A fair price
- Reliable and fast shipping
Consumers want quick and free shipping. Additionally, sturdy and fast delivery encourages repeat purchases from your site.
