Here’s an excellent article submitted to Women in Ecommerce about how to become a more savvy online marketer by avoiding mistakes in your ecommerce strategies:
10 Common E-commerce Mistakes You Can Avoid! By Nedra Rezinas
Are you in the process of setting up an online store? Here are some of the mistakes that might happen along the way. By being aware of them and focusing on how to solve them, you are already on your way to a more successful online business.
#1 Not budgeting enough money for marketing
Build in a marketing plan and budget while designing and building your e-commerce website. No one will come and visit your website if you don’t announce and optimize it for new and returning customers.
#2 Understanding the commitment involved for your customers to purchase products
It takes a special experience to keep attracting customers to come back and purchase from you again and again. The experience is much more unique than someone signing up for a newsletter on a website. There can be a lot of steps in purchasing a product and it’s up to you as the business owner to make sure to keep it as simple as possible. Reduce obstacles, add value to the customer’s shopping experience, and build trust that it’s safe and easy to shop on your site.
#3 Remembering that your customers can’t feel/touch your products
Don’t forget to account for zoom-in photos, product descriptions, and other features to help your customers get to know your products. Pay close attention to your competitors and how they are marketing similar products for ideas.
#4 Ignoring how to set goals for the design revisions
It’s easy to want to keep tweaking the design layout or framework of your website since it’s less expensive than a print catalog to create and maintain. Don’t let yourself get caught up in that cycle. Turn to your web designer or web development firm and have them help you discover which would be the best plan and direction for your site. Don’t expect perfection, but aim to achieve your branding and personal touch as much as possible.
#5 Reusing print material for online marketing
The same flyer you used for a trunk sale may not translate the same as an email newsletter online. Work with a graphic designer who can help set up or deliver marketing assets both in a digital-online and print format that is appropriate for each distribution channel.
#6 Displaying out of stock products
Don’t disappoint your customers, set expectations and list a product that you no longer have in stock. Have your inventory set up so it’s synced with your online store. Manage expectations of your customers, it can build trust!
#7 POP-UPs Annoy
Many websites use pop-ups to lure in customers, but they usually repel them. It’s intrusive and slows down page load time. Don’t make your customers want to hit the back button or run away from your site. An easy-to-use and friendly website interface is a much better tactic to attract buyers.
#8 Asking for too much or unnecessary info
Sure, sometimes you are tempted to gather information from your customer for marketing purposes when they are registering, but if you attempt to ask too much, they may abandon the whole process. Just stick to the necessary details to complete the purchase:
Delivery Address
Contact Number
Credit Card/Payment Details
#9 Poor Customer Service
Treat your customers with the golden rule. Listen to them and be there for them which includes answering emails, helping with returns, and returning/answering phone calls. Providing a FAQ and and a return policy on your website that’s easy to find can go a long way as well.
#10 Plan for Growth
Before you begin selling anything online, talk to your web firm and web hosting about how to prepare for:
-high traffic on your website
-high sales
Consider what the costs are to upgrade your current web hosting plan and know at what point in your business’ growth that you will need to upgrade. Plan for peak sales around holidays and sales. Know how to avoid traffic and bandwidth problems. Learning what your options are early on will help your business grow faster.
Nedra Rezinas enjoys working with women businesses! As owner of Blue Deer Designs, an e-commerce consulting and web development firm, she teaches and promotes e-commerce solutions, saving businesses time and money. She also provides wind-powered web hosting and wrote a book “5 Steps to a Successful Online Store”.
Want to become a Women in Ecommerce Expert? Learn more about what we are looking for in our post WOMEN IN ECOMMERCE IS LOOKING FOR EXPERTS .
Drop Heidi a note with WECAI EXPERT in the subject line and a description of your expertise in the body of an email. Better yet, send us an article! Who knows WE may use it in an upcoming blog post or in our bi-weekly newsletter, WECommerce News .
