Mistakes in ecommerce appear simple but they can cause immense loss to the business in terms of time and money. Whether using an existing ecommerce platform or a custom-built one for your business, remember that customers already have the shopping experience and are familiar with many of its features. It would be best to engage with an ecommerce solutions company to get your act together in avoiding these pitfalls:
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1. Not having a perfect product-market fit and USP
Some product ranges on ecommerce would cause you to spend a large amount in acquiring customers. Therefore, it is important to identify only those products made for a specific target market. In other words, if you are keen on your products getting ahead irrespective of the giants out there, then they must fulfil a need of the consumers.It is important to realize the USP of your product and its market fit. There are companies that sell far too many products without leveraging target market needs and requirements.
2. Copy-pasted brochure information
Product descriptions must make an effort to overcome buyer objections. This would require your copy to communicate the needs of the buyer effectively. In case, if you had copy-pasted information from a manufacturer’s website or other online source, then search listing will consider your information as a duplicate and will not display it in the results.
3. Longer checkout process
When a customer decides to purchase a product, the next step is making the payment. When additional forms or fields are introduced in the process, then the customer becomes guarded and decides to abandon the journey altogether. Reduce the number of clicks and quantity of text involved in the shopping process.It is best to hire a custom ecommerce web development company to plot a seamless and intuitive user journey according to the industry domain.
4. Ignored by the search engines
When your product is not displayed on the first page of a search engine, you are losing customers big time. Your site’s SEO needs to be improved for the page to appear on top of the search engine’s listing. This holds true whether you are on Amazon, Shopify, etc., or on your own custom site.
5. Messed up UX design
A crowded site with complex navigation is a sure show stopper. In many ways, you site’s UX design is a differentiating factor for your brand. Users’ first expectation on a site is speed and simplicity, and if the website does not give them this experience, then it is time to seek help from the custom ecommerce web development professionals.
6. Poor brand communication
Although building brand saliency is a basic requirement, ecommerce sites must draw attention of the buyers to both the product and the brand. The site’s communication must catalyse the brand’s overall marketing approach of piquing user interest and creating desire for the product.
7. Lack of content support
Social content helps build your site’s branding and visibility over the long term. The returns of building a social content ecosystem cannot be clubbed with digital advertising campaigns. Content marketing is not a one-time effort, but a consistent and a methodical approach to draw attention of the users.
8. Poor copy communication on inner pages
Remember that a product page content is not a mere description text—they are creative copy content. The purpose of a creative copy is to communicate—not describe—solutions to needs. It is best to do A/B testing of developed content to choose the best performing ones.
9. Missing company information
One thing that is noticed is that customers have become more discerning about the brand and the people behind it. Having accessible information about your company provides assurance to the customer, and in some cases, gives them context to associate with your brand and product.
10. Using the wrong platform
A product displayed on the wrong online marketplace is likely to cause any ripple. Some products require detailed video assistance along with interactive help and FAQ section. Some products may even require specialized delivery requirements, while some require expert assistance. Much of these customizations are not available on common online marketplaces. Based on your target audience behaviour and requirement, it is important for you to decide on the correct platform to use or build a new one.
Overcoming these common pitfalls is essential for brand success. For assistance in tackling the complexities in ecommerce marketplace, get in touch with us.
