A successful eCommerce site is constituted of intricately interconnected parts that serve the whole. If one of the spokes of the wheel is broken, you end up with a crippled site that won't be able to reach its sales potential.
This infographic at BargainFox details the different factors that can make or break your eCommerce site, which include:
• Website design and usability
• Payment options
• Page loading speed
• Payment security
• Customer service
• Return policy
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Shipping rates and options
• Website responsiveness
• Social media use
To view the larger infographic, click here.
Not taking care of any of these factors might ruin your chances of succeeding in eCommerce.
Make sure that your site does not make any of the following mistakes:
1. Poor Site Aesthetics
A well-designed site helps you build trust with your visitors and convert those visitors into customers.The sad reality is that, on the first encounter, people judge us by our appearance and not by the content of our brains or character. This is true for eCommerce sites as well. 52% of shoppers abandon sites and do not return because they dislike the overall aesthetics.
Coming up with a good design for your site is not hard, however. The only thing you need to remember is that you have to keep it simple and ensure that it is practical for every user that comes to your site.
You want to make your products easy to find by having stellar navigation and a working search bar.
Many people now use mobile devices to shop. Without a responsive site, you will not be able to meet adequately the needs of this demographic.
Fix: You can hire an experienced designer to design your site for you. If they have worked on many eCommerce sites before, they'll be in a position to advise you on the best path to take so you do not commit any fatal mistakes.
2. Inadequate Customer Support
The quality of customer support is the litmus test of how much a company values its customers.Most customers know this, and many will not give you their business if their contact with your customer support team leaves a bad taste in their mouth. 76% of shoppers view customer service as a real test of how much a brand values them.
Build a responsive and helpful customer support team. You need to train the team, so they are equipped to deal with the varied demands of customers.
Fix: You can use a platform like Zendesk to streamline your customer support efforts through the creation of tickets and integrated phone support.
Also, consider dealing with your international customers in a different way regarding their queries. Oftentimes, communication breakdown takes place when your CSR is not fully aware of cultural differences that exist between your brand and consumers from different countries. Most importantly, the disconnect happens when you have set up multiple channels that further complicate your support process.
Develop a presentation style with your customer support that accommodates foreign customers to increase conversion and encourage them to order from your online shop again.
3. Shipping
The popularity of Amazon's services has resulted in customers expecting free shipping from eCommerce sites.In fact, unconditional free shipping is now the number one criterion for shoppers buying with an eCommerce site. 47% of customers will abandon the cart at checkout on finding out that free shipping is not part of the package.
Free shipping increases the chances of a customer making a purchase by a significant margin.
Fix: If you cannot afford free shipping, make it as affordable as possible.
You probably have people from territories you do not ship to wanting to buy from your store. Services like USAbox.com and MyUK Mailbox ensure that you do not lose out on these sales.
For example, if your online store is based in UK, encourage your international customers to sign up at MyUK Mailbox and register for a physical UK address. When ordering from your shop, they can get the package sent to registered address in the UK, in which MyUK Mailbox will take care of forwarding the products to your home country at an affordable price.
4. Social Media
With the rise in social media usage, many people are discovering brands and products through social media.The opportunities that social media present to your business regarding customer acquisition and engagement are just too huge to ignore.
Using social media to grow your eCommerce business begins with you setting the goals you want to achieve and then studying your customers then using the data to deliver what they want.
Fix: You can use strategies like adding social sharing buttons to your site and blogs, joining industry groups, hosting live chats, using hashtags and paid advertising to take advantage of the power of social media.
Apply the strategies in promoting your e-commerce using the tools featured in this post at Top Rank Blog to help you further your reach to your audience.
Conclusion
Growth in the eCommerce sector is still projected to increase massively in the coming years. If you want to be a participant in this growth and not just a spectator, you must take strategic actions to ensure that your eCommerce store is primed for success.
By avoiding the mistakes mentioned, you will have placed yourself in the good graces of your customers and the industry, and you will be rewarded accordingly.
Christopher Jan Benitez provides freelance writing services for small businesses and startups looking for actionable web content. He also co-founded Authority Writing, a boutique content agency that provides high-quality content that affordable prices.
