In today’s fast-growing economy, it is a must for businesses to keep up with the times. E-commerce has gained a lot of popularity over the years. It may be because of the convenience it offers or how prudent it has proven to be. It is estimated that almost 1.92 billion people will use E-commerce websites by the end of 2019. Since there are no concrete rules written down about how one must run their E-commerce webpages, it is common to make errors. It is completely in the owner’s hands to decide on everything from the aesthetics of the site to the software platform to use. Thus, it is common to slip somewhere while running your business.
A large number of people prefer online shopping over the traditional kind. Here are some common mistakes made that one can easily avoid as an E-Commerce entrepreneur in 2020:
Not choosing the right platform
If you are not a skilled web developer or you are trying to save money on your website developing, it is important to choose the right CMS within your budget. A CMS is the content management system one can use for the website. There are chances that you have chosen a CMS from an open-source or proprietary platform. They may not prove to be of the highest quality, however. If you are an expert in the field and know a lot about content management systems, build yourself a stellar resume from the sites such as Craft Resumes and fetch a job in your profile. Hence, when you begin to scale the growth and development of your company, you will realize that this CMS will not support it. You need to do your research before choosing a platform. It is also essential to invest in your website before making progress in sales. The higher the number of sales is, the quicker will be the growth of your website traffic. It is imperative for you to move forward keeping this strategy in mind.
Not prioritizing sales over branding
When you run an E-commerce website, you are responsible for the way you present your products to the customers. You may think out the aesthetics and designs on your own. Yet, it is important to keep in mind what the consumer wants to see. At the end of the day, the way you brand the goods should be your ideas combined with the way your audience wants to see it. This will not only make products more likable and popular but will also increase your sales, which depend on branding to a great extent. Ignoring your consumers’ preferences might end up being very harmful to your company’s sales.
Not being a user-friendly domain
A customer is usually on your website for a hassle-free shopping experience. Having confusing website navigation or bad-quality pictures may frustrate your clients. It is very important to be user-friendly as well as to have easy access to the goods. A few things to keep mind when it comes to user-friendly domains are:
- Good-quality pictures;
- Easy-to-access home page;
- Precise product descriptions;
- Time-saving navigation and checkouts;
- Active customer support system;
- Clear text to picture ratios.
Aggressive shipping and return policies
It is understandable that you cannot always cover all the shipping charges for the products your customers buy. Sometimes it is just not profitable. Yet, consumers will not appreciate high shipping cost. If someone is buying an appreciable number of items, it is your duty to come up with cheaper alternatives for the shipping. Overseas it can be much more expensive. Having an easy return policy can also prove to be beneficial for your company. Often customers wish to return products due to various reasons. It should be made possible for them to do so without too many formalities.
Floship is an order fulfillment provider based in Hong Kong. We handle the warehousing, order picking and worldwide, cross-border shipping for many e-commerce businesses. Due to our agreements with a multitude of couriers, we can offer competitive shipping rates due to the high volumes that we ship on a daily basis. Want to learn more? Get a free custom solution and consultation by filling out our form.
Not ensuring internet safety
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to look over the security of your enterprise. It shouldn’t be limited to your own finances and products. It spreads over to the customer’s private information as well. A person will use his/her credit or debit card to make purchases from your website. This information is stored in your files and in the wrong hands can create havoc. So, it is important for you to have total internet security when running an E-Commerce website. Building trust is just as important as making sales.
Surprise charges and fees
After paying for the product and the additional shipping charges, the customer is already frustrated. Surprising them with more hidden charges during checkout will only make them angry. The chances are they will cancel the order and look for better and cheaper alternatives.
Not providing post-sale support
The main aim of an E-commerce website should not just be to make as much profit as possible. It is more important to have regular customers than to make one-time sales. It is crucial to have an elaborate customer service base. This is to create standing clients’ basis. This is so that the buyer can still contact you after making the purchase if they face any problems with it. With a thoughtful return policy and helpful customer service programs, you can do that without putting too many efforts.
An e-commerce website thrives on serving their customers. If you manage to avoid the mistakes described above, you will notice your progress chart shooting only upwards. E-commerce websites are new ways to run a business these days. Hence, if you are having a website of this type, beware and keep an eye open on many things and various factors that need to be considered.
Author’s Bio:
Jennifer Broflowski is a guest post writer from Australia and works as a freelancer. The author provides writing services for the renowned sites such as PaperLeaf, and the quality of the papers is impeccable.
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