Where is Your eCommerce Store Failing? 10 Things to Take a Peek at Under the Hood
Ecommerce is big business, as evidenced by the 69 percent of Americans shopping online today, according to Mintel's Online Shopping Report. However, it takes more than just any website to acquire customers. You must to be sure that the site is easy to use so your customers can find and purchase what they want quickly. If your store is failing, don't despair. Look to see if you’re making one of these ten common mistakes:
1. Lack of Quality Images
Since customers cannot see the item in-person before buying, the next best thing is a good quality image. If you have poor images, or even worse, no images, then your customers won't be confident in the product you are offering.
2. Poor Product Descriptions
No matter how perfect the image is, if the product description is lacking your items will not sell. Some things are best described in words, such as the fit of an article of clothing or the product's materials. If you don't have enough information in your description, your customers won't know exactly what the item offers them.
3. Clunky Navigation
Does your site look too busy? Are links hard to find and information unclear? If so, your customers may become frustrated and move on. Make sure your site is easy to navigate.
4. Shipping Takes Too Long
Now more than ever, we are living in a fast-moving world and you don't want to make your customers wait to receive their products. If you don’t offer different delivery options, including express, your customers may move on to a store that can get them their items quicker.
5. No Mobile Application
Customers no longer only shop on computers, many are moving to tablets and smartphones. If you are not offering a mobile shopping app, you may never attract the customers who rely on those platforms.
6. Little or No Social Media Presence
In today's market, having an active social media presence can make or break a company. Stores use Twitter and Facebook to provide support and Instagram to post new products. Customers may want to pin favorite items to Pinterest or share links with friends through their own social media page. Offer these options to ensure your store stands out from the rest.
7. Inferior Search Capability
For some customers, there is nothing worse than not being able to search for the products you want. Make sure your store’s search engine provides relevant results for popular merchandise keywords.
8. Complicated Check-Out
Once customers have decided to make a purchase, they want to check-out as quickly as possible. If your store requires too many clicks or requires customers to create an account, you may lose them before they buy from your store. Shopify, for example, offers an easy enterprise ecommerce platform experience that you can be set up in no time at all, allowing your customers to purchase their items safely and quickly.
9. High Prices
A survey by Simon-Kucher & Partners found that 18-24 percent of shoppers are motivated to shop online by low prices. If your prices are too high compared to other stores, you may find your sales start to lag or never even get off the ground.
10. Shoddy Customer Service
Even though many people enjoy shopping online, they still want to be able to connect with someone whenever a problem arises. If your site only offers one way to contact support, or customer service cannot be reached easily, you risk losing a customer.
You want your store to succeed and it may take time to build a customer base. However, if it is taking longer than expected, you should test these ten possible mistakes and remedy any you find in your store.