Building a good e-commerce is no easy task and there are mistakes many companies still make in their online stores.
We often give tips and write about the following best practices. But it is also important to focus on the mistakes that should be avoided in any strategy. Knowing what to avoid will make it easier to achieve positive results. So today we will see the e-commerce mistakes we all should avoid.
Avoid these e-commerce mistakes
Do not invest in Human Resources
This is soon the first point, because if there was this mistake, surely there will be the remaining e-commerce mistakes.
Entrepreneurs tend not to value human resources, especially if it is a new business, leaving all tasks to themselves. However, business will not grow if there are no more people to support.
Of these tasks that you have concentrated for yourself, identify those that can be performed by others, such as handling website design, ordering, and so on. Choose to recruit other elements or even external services from companies that can perform these tasks. To automate processes, resort to technology as runtime and errors will be minimized.
Do not collect emails
Create a contact list for email marketing to reach your consumers directly. How can you do this?
- Through a landing page
- Newsletter Subscription
- Get people to create an account in your online store so they can buy
- And much more.
Take every opportunity to collect emails and send newsletters to your clients and prospects. So your online store will thrive.
Use a free theme
Another of the e-commerce mistakes is the temptation to use free themes. But it will be harder to make your online store stand out from the competition. Therefore, you may want to purchase a theme that is appealing and, most importantly, adaptable to mobile devices.
Site is not mobile optimized
As mobile devices evolve, people now access websites more from their smartphone than from their computers. Because of this, Google has begun to rank less for sites that don’t open properly on mobile devices. Let’s look at our own example. When we are searching a website on a smartphone and it does not open, we go out and look for another. Everyone does it. So make sure your website and online store work properly.
Poor quality images
This is one of the biggest e-commerce mistakes. Because? If people are buying online, they are not seeing the product physically. Therefore, it is very important for images to be of optimal quality so that people can clearly see what the product looks like. If they can’t see it, they will give up the purchase because they are afraid that the product will not live up to their expectations.
Then include images with different angles of your products, color variations, or other options. Don’t upload a small image that doesn’t let you see the product well. Also, zoom in so people can zoom in for a better view. This will only be possible with good image quality; if they are small, zooming will blur.
Treat the online store as a physical store
If your business also has a physical store, try creating the online store without being a replica of the physical store. Many popular physical store products may not be as popular online, and vice versa. Therefore, evaluate the most successful products on both sides. Also, for each, there are different methods to attract customers and convert into sales.
Don’t care about customer service
It is very necessary to provide excellent and effective customer service in order to help people in case of confusion or problems.
Complicated Checkout
This is another of the most serious e-commerce mistakes. If checkout is complicated, do you know what will happen? The customer gives up. The checkout and cart section should be easy and intuitive so that people can complete their purchases.
Do not highlight important information
This mistake is related to the previous one. Lack of information about payment methods and shipping costs will cause customers to abandon their purchase. Therefore, please be aware of certain information, such as payment methods, shipping costs, shipping time, return policy, and other relevant information.
Weak content
Content includes all descriptive texts, images and demo videos. Content should be part of your marketing investment. Therefore, define the amount of content required, such as:
- Homepage banners and other pages
- Images and videos for product pages
- Creating a blog
- Content for social networks, with an editorial plan for each network
- SEO
- And much more that you consider relevant to your strategy.
Confusing Product Descriptions
Product description is important to attract your visitors and get them to buy. Read our article on the importance of product description in e-commerce.
Inefficient Delivery
Consider all aspects such as packaging, insurance, transportation and delivery time. If something goes wrong, customers will be dissatisfied.
Slow website
If the site takes too long to open, people abandon it and look for competition. People are increasingly impatient, particularly when it comes to shopping online. If the site is slow, consider the cause of the problem.
Not internationalize
For a physical store, internationalization can be very difficult. However, for e-commerce, it is much easier. So set an internationalization plan and start selling abroad as well to increase your sales.
Important tip: When choosing a market, keep in mind the spoken language, when translating the website, customer service, available payment methods, etc.
Not testing before launching online store
Several tests are required to ensure the proper functioning of the online store. For example:
- Customers: creation of customer records, updating customer data, etc.
- Orders: product information, payment methods, discounts and campaigns, stock updates, etc.
Do not make continuous improvement
A physical store always needs improvements, works, etc., right? So in the online store is no different. Continually invest in the user experience, introduce new tools that increase conversions, improve design, etc.
If you avoid these e-commerce mistakes, your online store will be a success!