Ecommerce has become an increasingly common feature in today’s business world. Having an online store can help a business create more awareness, reach customers all over the world and boost sales. However, savvy online buyers are not just interested in finding the best deals you have to offer; they want to have a smooth experience when shopping on your site. If they encounter any inconvenience along the way, they might simply leave and go elsewhere.
Here are some of the blunders you need to avoid on your ecommerce site:
Selecting the wrong platform
Choosing the right platform is very crucial for the success of your ecommerce site. You need to find a platform that meets your business requirements and makes it easy for you to sell your products. For example, if you are selling digital products, ensure that the platform selected supports digital products. However, with the numerous options out there, choosing the right platform can get confusing. The good news is that most of these ecommerce platforms come with a free trial period. This allows you to test your options before settling on one.
Inadequate guidance
You need to ensure that visitors have sufficient guidance as they navigate your site. One of the most important things you require is a search box where shoppers can type in what they are looking for. This saves them the trouble of clicking through numerous pages. In addition, your site should have an FAQ page which addresses issues such as guarantees, pricing, shipping and return policy. A live chat feature would also be helpful for handling inquiries instantly.
Lack of guarantees
With the rising cases of identity theft and fraud, many people are wary about shopping online. Therefore, you will need to assure them of their safety when shopping on your site. Every page of your site should have a link to your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use pages. These pages will help customers understand how their information will be handled. It would also be advisable to have the SSL security certificate on all your pages. This will further assure visitors that of their safety during online transactions.
Making creating an account mandatory
Many people who visit your online store want to find and buy what they are looking for in the shortest time possible. Therefore, one of the biggest mistakes you can ever make is forcing people to create an account before checking out. This is only likely to result in more cases of shopping cart abandonment, thus lowering your conversion rates. If you want to build a community, it would be more advisable to have a membership signup that is optional.
Complex checkout process
When it comes to conversions, the checkout process of any ecommerce site is very crucial. This is why you need to make process as easy as possible. Minimize the number of fields customers are required to fill out. Asking for too much unnecessary information will only make the process long and frustrating for the customer. In addition, avoid the temptation to suggest other items the shopper would be interested in since they might just end up confused.
Not making the most of online reviews
Many people make buying decisions based on online reviews from other satisfied customers. In other words, genuine reviews by other buyers are more effective than reviews written by companies. Therefore, take time to encourage your previous customers to write reviews on your products. As an incentive, you could offer them a discount on future purchases. The reviews can then be posted on your product pages and shared on social media.
Charles Mburugu is a HubSpot-certified content writer/marketer for B2B, B2C and SaaS companies. He has worked with brands such as GetResponse, Neil Patel, Shopify, 99 Designs, Oberlo, Salesforce and Condor. Check out his portfolio and connect on LinkedIn.
