Five Mistakes You’re Making on Your Ecommerce Site
1. Not Mobile-Friendly
1.6 billion users shop using their mobile devices worldwide, making it necessary for your ecommerce site to not only ‘work,’ but to perform well on all screen sizes, whether desktop, tablet or phone. If someone on their phone or tablet accesses your online store and find it difficult to use, they are much more likely to leave without making a purchase.
2. Poor Checkout Experience
Once a customer has added an item to their cart and are ready to checkout, you’ll want to make sure nothing is in the way of them following through with finalizing their purchase. Some common “sticking points” are:
- No guest checkout option. Although you should present the benefits of creating an account with your company to site visitors. In one study, 14% of customers who abandoned their cart reported that it was because registration was required — maybe they were not ready to commit, or just didn't have the time right then to sign up.
- Payment and shipping options. If you expect your visitors to spend money with you, you need to present them with options. 28% of online shoppers abandon their cart simply due to lack of shipping price options! Talk to your credit card processor about providing multiple payment types, and include different shipping price points as well as delivery times. If our client doesn’t have a flat shipping fee, we often integrate live shipping cost calculators into our clients’ sites. This will charge as close to real shipping costs as possible, making it less likely that the end user abandons their cart because they see over-inflated shipping prices.
3. Lack of product information
The products on your ecommerce site should be clearly represented by large images, multiple photo shots, and provide accurate descriptions so that shoppers can make their purchase with confidence. If you have a large number of products for sale, another great feature to consider on your ecommerce site is a product search and filters so they can easily find the items they are looking for.
4. You Appear Untrustworthy
Gaining and keeping paying customers is a relationship built on a foundation of trust, and a lot of this trust is built on how you deal with a potential buyer’s common questions.
- Point of contact. Keep the door of communication open with your customers by providing a clear point of contact in case they need to reach you. Whether it be a contact form, customer service number or live chat, your site visitor will appreciate you being transparent and available to them.
- Return Policy. Studies show that goods are returned at a much higher rate online than at physical stores — your ecommerce store must be equip to handle these transactions. One such way is providing a policy; 63% of online shoppers check a retailer’s returns policy before making a purchase. Provide a link to your store’s return policy that is easily accessible in the footer of your website. If you don’t yet have a return policy, you can easily find a template online, but remember to always have your lawyer look over the language before putting it on your website.
- Checkout process is too complex or requires too much information. Customers don’t like to give personal information away unless they are clear what it is being used for. For example, they understand that in order to make a purchase, they much provide payment, but why do you also need their phone number or email address? Two solutions here: don’t require information you don’t absolutely need, or be transparent about its use. If you need an email address in oder to send them a transaction receipt, say so!
5. Not Measuring Your Success
If you build it, they won’t come. Just because you’ve launched a shiny new ecommerce site, doesn’t mean any of your potential buyers will suddenly find it. Pair with a reputable digital marketing team to properly optimize and advertise your site, and measure your success as times goes on. This will allow you to better reach your target marketing goals and ensure the longevity of your business.
Conclusion
As online shopping overshadows the brick and mortar version, consumers are becoming more aware of what evokes a positive online shopping experience. If you want your ecommerce site to not only attract visitors, but retain regular customers as well, it is important to provide them with an experience of positivity and trust.
About Mira Brody
Mira Brody is an editor, writer, and marketing expert with 12+ years of experience. She has worked as a local news reporter, a writer/editor, and as a leader in large-scale branding strategy. Mira worked at JTech as the staff writer and editor for internal and client projects from March 2015 to December 2019.
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