April Fools’ Day is coming up, but that doesn’t mean you should act like a fool, at least not when it comes to your site. If your ecommerce store is your business lifeline, it’s no joke. Mistakes here can be damaging and costly. For this April Fools’ Day, we’re lining up some foolish lines to go along with common ecommerce mistakes. These are average statements and there will be exceptions, so it’ll be up to you to determine whether any of these misconceptions are holding back your business’ potential. No joke.
1. “_______ is the only source of traffic that matters.” - Depending on only one channel of traffic
Put the focus on multichannel, that way, if one channel underperforms, your business has a few buffers to keep it afloat and performing well.
2. “Everyone loves our product line, we don’t need additions.” – Going stagnant on production
Customers and markets change, if you’re not adapting to keep up, then you’re getting left behind.
3. “We’ve kept our original design since the launch of our site.” – Never updating the site’s design
At the very least, freshen up your site periodically to keep it functioning up to par, to stay competitive, and to improve user experience, otherwise you risk being outperformed.
4. “We don’t track anything.” – Not monitoring performance
At least track visits and basic engagement statistics, good analytics and data are necessary to drive informed business decisions.
5. “We know what our customers want.” – Assuming you know what your customers want
Unless you ask, you don’t know want your customers want. You think you know, and your assumptions might be right sometimes, but without the data to back it up, you’ll never know.
6. “Promos are our only source of revenue.” – Relying too heavily on promotions to drive revenue
Promotions are a good short-term strategy. Focus on building your loyal customer base and experience as a long-term strategy and include promotions as part of the process, not as the only process.
7. “Mobile is irrelevant.” – Ignoring mobile devices
Mobile puts your store in front of your customers wherever they are and whenever they want. Leverage it or risk getting left behind.
8. “We have no competitors.” – Ignoring the competition
Competitors are a great source of information: for new product ideas, ideas about what’s not selling, appropriate pricing levels, etc. Monitor them regularly & reap the benefits.
9. “We don’t worry about customer service.” – Providing bad customer service
A horrible experience can get you bad reviews, a potential reputation management issue, and can result in your customers going straight to your competitors. Outstanding customer service gives you a boost over competitors and ensures a loyal customer base.
10. “We constantly change our prices to keep up.” – Worrying too much about prices
Instead of worrying over prices, be reasonable with them. Provide a better purchasing experience and outstanding customer service to build value, instead of cheapening your service.
11. “We keep our product images small.” – Having minuscule product images
Ecommerce is about selling things online. Since customers can’t physically experience the product, your image has to catch their eye. Make images big & professional, or, if you’re going to keep them small, make them previews with the ability to zoom in.
12. “One picture per product is enough.” – Having only one product image
Provide multiple images from multiple angles, including variations in color and specific features. Again, customers can’t pick up and examine your product online; every product image is another opportunity for customers to experience your product.
13. “No product descriptions necessary, they can see what it is.” – Providing no or poor product descriptions
Product descriptions are another way for customers to experience and familiarize themselves with your products online. They can be short, as long as they’re descriptive.
14. “No product reviews necessary.” – Not including product reviews
Customer-generated product reviews can be one of the best forms of product promotion. They’re free product promotions and people trust them; plus, you can gain valuable feedback about your products.
15. “We don’t need a blog.” – Not having (and using) a blog
A blog is the easiest way to regularly add fresh content to your site and establish yourself as an authority in your industry. It’s also another way to engage with customers and push your brand forward.
16. “Our online customers don’t need to contact us.” – Hiding contact information
Nothing looks shadier than hiding contact information. People are handing over valuable information; they want to know they’re dealing with a real company who will keep it secure. Making your contact information visible and easy-to-find is a small, easy way to do this.
17. “Our checkout process is fine the way it is.” – Having a long or confusing checkout process
The checkout process needs to be as quick, easy, and secure as possible. Include a single page for customers to check their order and enter billing/shipping information, and a confirmation page before they submit their order. In most cases, any more than that is not added security, it’s an obstacle.
18. “Our customers have to have an account to order from us.” – Requiring an account to order
If it works with your business, allow customers the ability to purchase first and then offer them an option of creating an account afterwards. Requiring an account to order only complicates the process – the more complicated the process, the more likely a customer will abandon their cart.
19. “No site search necessary; customers can find what they need.” – Having an inadequate site search engine
This one is all about user experience. If a customer knows what they’re looking for, let them find it quickly and easily.
20. “Any shopping cart will do.” – Having a poor shopping cart design
This is how customers buy from you, don’t settle. Your shopping cart should allow customers to add multiple products, revise quantities or other options for those products, and remain transparent too, so they can remain or return to the page they were on. Customers should be able to edit quantities/remove items and preview shipping charges before even beginning the checkout process.
21. “One payment option is sufficient.” – Lacking payment options
If customers want to give you money, make it easy for them. Give them several different options, as many as is practical, in order to reach as many customers as possible. It’s simple; if they go through the buying process, make it as easy as possible for them to complete it.
22. “We only list the product customers are looking for.” – Not including related products
Talk about missed opportunities! By showing related products, you can take advantage of the grouping strategy brick-and-mortar stores use. These are your cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
23. “Customers will click around to find what they need.” – Confusing navigation
Confused customers easily turn into frustrated customers that leave the site and aren’t customers or potential customers anymore, at least not yours. Use categories that make sense with enough products to sustain them. Keep navigation easy and straightforward, and let them use the back button.
24. “We calculate shipping and then e-mail for approval.” – Not including shipping rates
If you can help it, don’t make your customers wait to complete an order – a lot of them won’t. Most shipping companies have shipping calculators and most major shopping carts have plugins/widgets available.
25. “We don’t need to list our store policies on our site.” – Not including store policies
When customers hand over valuable information, whether it’s online or over the phone, they want to know they’re dealing with a real company. Listing your store policies lets everyone know what to expect and it can help avoid potential problems down the road.
26. “Our site’s so pretty! – Not putting the focus on products
If your site is not focused on products, it doesn't matter if it has a lot of functionality and is really pretty. It’s okay to have a beautiful site, just make sure it’s focused on a great shopping experience too. Make sure your design helps you sell, instead of hindering the process.
27. “SEO is dead – we don’t need it.” – Ignoring SEO
SEO is not dead; it is constantly evolving and changing. Following best practices, providing relevant information, and having an awesome experience for your users is not dead. Selling products online means doing everything you can to ensure your site stays online; if you ignore SEO and the guidelines, you risk your site not showing up at all.
Your business isn't a joke and neither are these foolish lines. By learning from your mistakes and those of others, you can make the necessary updates and changes you need to keep your business top-of-mind to your customers and ahead of your competitors. Throughout the month of April, we’ll be breaking these down into categories and digging in for a deeper analysis, so make sure you come back to check it out!
Part 1 & Part 2 of Analyzing Common Ecommerce Mistakes have been posted!