Online shopping is becoming the new normal for most customers. Everyone wants to get their products online and delivered right to their door. Many online retailers are thriving in the age of eCommerce, but creating your first online shop may not be as easy as it sounds.
Here are some common eCommerce mistakes to avoid at all costs.
Doing It By Yourself
Handling an eCommerce business is a large task and doing it yourself will cause eventual burnout. If you want to guarantee longevity for your business it’s time to outsource. Finding experts in the field to help you reach your goal will allow you to take a step back and watch your business grow.
eCommerce isn’t just about setting up an online store, it’s about keeping that store up-to-date, marketing, security, and much more.
Lack of pop-up offers
Pop Up example from USA Wine Traders Club
Having pop-ups on your eCommerce website provides you with valuable customer information that can be used to your advantage moving forward. If a customer is about to leave your site without purchasing anything, a pop-up offer can draw them back in.
Offering the shopper a 10% discount code if they simply put in their email will not only incentivize them to shop but now you have direct contact with them. Regardless of whether or not someone purchases something, you want their information. That information is pure gold for any eCommerce business.
What do you do with this information now that you have it? Well, it’s time to start email campaigns.
No Email Marketing
Email Marketing can be beneficial to your eCommerce business in two ways, retaining past purchasers and enticing customers who didn’t buy from you into loyal purchasers. Don’t let anyone “walk” away from your business, especially when it’s as simple as sending an occasional email.
Your return on investment can be much higher by using email campaigns as compared to other forms of customer acquisition. Essentially, you’re getting more bang for your buck.
As with everything, there are mistakes that come with email marketing. It’s easy to do too much or too little. Cobalt Media Marketing specializes in email marketing campaigns, we work to create engaging and efficient campaigns that entice your target market.
Through Cobalt’s testing, we’ve discovered what the most optimal times are to send campaigns and what wording will drive sales for your specific eCommerce business.
Store Design Is Just Plain Bad
Ask yourself which site would you buy from.
Site A:
Or Site B:
You probably said Site B, the sleek design and coordinated color palette let you know exactly what you’re getting while making it visually appealing. Site A on the other hand lacks any uniformity and looks cluttered, you don’t exactly know what’s going on.
A product can be great, but if it isn’t portrayed in a visually appealing way, customers will tend to click away. eCommerce stores should not only have cohesion but should let the customer know exactly what they are getting.
Always keep your product images and descriptions updated. Often times product descriptions can be too technical or on the other end of the spectrum, lack information. Think of your descriptions as an added sales pitch, what makes your product stand out and why should someone buy it.
Not sure where to start building an appealing eCommerce store, contact Cobalt Media Marketing. Cobalt can provide you with product photography, and product descriptions and we’ll also take care of building your store from the ground up!
Too Many Steps at Checkout
There are many ways to make the checkout process easier and eliminate an overabundance of abandoned carts. When building your eCommerce store work with a team of specialists to ensure that your store is working as optimally as possible.
Customers want the most seamless experience when it comes to online shopping. The checkout process should assist in that user experience. Limit the number of fields you are asking the customer to fill out, anything that makes it difficult for the user to complete a purchase, get rid of it. Put yourself in the shoes of the user, what type of online customer service experience would you be looking for?
Looking to start an eCommerce business or have questions about your existing one? Contact Cobalt’s marketing team to address all of your eCommerce needs.
