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The eCommerce industry is booming, and for good reason. We’re living in a time where we can purchase anything we want to buy with the click of a button. The convenience of shopping online has been so successful that it’s even starting to take over brick-and-mortar stores as well. But running an online business isn’t always easy. Today, we’re going to talk about 10 problems that many eCommerce businesses face — and how you can fix them!
1. Lack of Branding
One of the biggest things that can hold a business back is a lack of branding. If you’re not putting any effort into marketing your brand, then nobody’s going to know who you are or why they should buy from you instead of all your competitors. It’s important that the design of your site, logo, and content match the quality of the products you’re offering. You also need to be actively promoting your brand on social media and other channels.
2. SEO Mistakes
Using keywords in articles and blog posts helps your site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO drives 1000%+ more traffic than organic social media. But if you’re not doing it correctly, you could be doing more harm than good. Stuffing your content with keywords will get you penalized by Google, and it won’t help your ranking at all. Make sure to use them naturally throughout your article, and focus on providing valuable content that people will actually want to read.
3. Not Offering a Variety of Payment Options
One of the reasons that online shopping has become so popular is because it’s so convenient. People don’t have to leave their house, and they can pay for things with a variety of payment methods. If your eCommerce site only offers one or two payment options, then you’ll lose out on a lot of sales. Make sure to offer the most popular payment methods, including credit cards and PayPal. Currently, digital wallets are the most popular form of payment in Asia with over 58% of all transactions being made that way. However, the practice is becoming more widespread in the United States with 23.7% of payments being made via digital wallet.
4. Lack of Marketing or Sales Funnel
A lot of businesses make the mistake of thinking that good marketing is all they need to succeed. But without a well-designed sales funnel, you won’t be able to convert your website visitors into customers. Your funnel should start with attracting people to your site with great content and strong SEO, then move them through a series of steps until they’re ready to buy. If you’re not seeing the results you want, then it’s probably because your funnel isn’t effective enough.
5. Poor Customer Service
Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business, and eCommerce businesses are no exception. If you’re not providing good customer service, then you’ll lose customers in droves. Make sure to have a system in place for responding to customer inquiries, and always aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
6. Inconsistent Product/Service Quality
If you’re not maintaining a high level of quality with your products and services, then customers will notice. They’ll start to doubt the quality of your products, and they may even stop buying from you altogether. It’s important to have a process in place for ensuring that all products and services meet your high standards. This is also the number one way to tank your review rating online.
7. Lack of Trustworthiness
Customers are reluctant to buy from eCommerce sites that they don’t trust. If your site doesn’t have any reviews or testimonials, then there’s no proof that you’re a credible business. If your product or service doesn’t live up to the hype you’ve built around it, then nobody will buy from you ever again. You need to build a process for soliciting honest and unbiased reviews from customers — and dealing with the negative ones.
8. Poor Site Navigation and Design
A lot of eCommerce websites have a problem with poor site navigation and design. Sites that aren’t easy to use will turn customers away, so you need to make sure yours is intuitive and user-friendly. You should also be looking at your competitors’ sites for inspiration on what makes good design elements in an online store. UX, user experience, should be a big priority for your eCommerce business.
9. Lack of a Mobile-Friendly Site
More and more people are shopping on their smartphones and tablets, so it’s essential that your eCommerce site is mobile-friendly. If it’s not, you’re going to lose out on a lot of sales. 59% of shoppers surveyed say that being able to shop on mobile is important when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from. Make sure to test your site on different devices, and look at your competitors’ sites to see what they’re doing. Your site should be easy to navigate with a touch of the finger on any device.
10. Poor Product/Service Descriptions
People can’t buy products or services that they don’t understand, so you need to spend the time and effort to write good product descriptions. Make sure your copy includes details about what makes each product unique, as well as any other relevant information customers might require before making a purchase. Your customers should be enticed by every aspect of your site.
How To Fix These Problems
Some of these issues are simple to fix but some may take some more help. EYStudios can help you address any of the above ten issues including website design, website maintenance, SEO, content writing, social media, and more! Reach out today to get started with a site consultation!