Ecommerce Web Development And Common Mistakes To Avoid
To effectively sell online, your ecommerce website should persuasively present your products, be appealing, be simple to use, and should easily guide visitors through the sales process. If it isn't doing all of these things, a few simple mistakes could be costing you major sales. Below is an outline of nine pitfalls that are highly common in ecommerce web development and detrimental for sales.
Requiring Login to Order
This is one of many e-tailers' favorite usability mistakes. Requiring registration is a clear barrier to sales and a definite no-no, especially when you have yet to establish a relationship with the customer. First-time shoppers aren't sure that they'll return, and demanding some sort of commitment may turn them away from making even the first purchase.
Vague, Hard to Find Return Policies
Ecommerce is a highly competitive industry, and often, the difference between a sale for you versus your competitor comes down to the return policy. Make the process as easy as possible for the customer. Don't hide the return policy deep within your site or require your customers to jump through hoops to complete the process. Rarely do e-tailers make their return policy a selling point or competitive advantage, as they should. Consider using the words "No-Hassle Return Policy" to reassure visitors that the process is quick and easy.
Poor (or Nonexistent) SEO
Often online retailers have a Build it, and they will come' attitude. This could not be more wrong (no matter how innovative the product is). Retailers tend to forget that search engines are the highways and byways of the Internet. An ecommerce site that is not optimized for search is equivalent to a brick and mortar store located underground. Let professionals who are trained and knowledgeable in the latest techniques perform optimization and Internet marketing services that will ensure that your site can be found by your audience.
Poor Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are the closest thing you have to a salesperson. Make them work for you. Improving your product descriptions is one of the easiest, yet most neglected ways to improve online sales. If your product catalog is large enough, hire a copywriter. Additionally, make sure each description is unique. Revise the manufacturers descriptions to include more keywords and to differentiate your website from competitors offering the same products.
Poor Merchandising
If you owned a brick and mortar store, you would probably walk your aisles every day to ensure that the products are merchandised properly. You'd also most likely have end-caps that feature certain products, signs or posters that highlight relevant products, and items placed at the point-of-sale to encourage last minute purchases. Many ecommerce website developers expect their online stores to run themselves and rarely take the time for this important implementation. You need to plan and implement merchandising techniques including up-sells and cross-sells to help boost online sales conversions.
Lack of Strong, Clear Calls-to-Action
Make your call-to-action buttons big, bold, and unmistakably clear (but be careful not to make them ugly). Any messaging on the website should stand out clearly to each visitor in an unobtrusive, inviting manor. Every page of the conversion funnel (landing page to product page to checkout) should overtly define the next step in the process.
Lack of Search, Filtering and Sorting
Product search is a must if your catalog includes any more than a few products. Customers simply expect it, and your website will look amateur without it. Visitors also expect to be able to filter down by criteria such as colors, sizes, or brand. Also, let them sort the listings by price, newness, popularity, etc.
Hard to Find Checkout Button or Add to Cart Button
Many online stores assume shoppers know that the shopping cart is the first step of the checkout process. To prevent confusion for your customers, always have a clear "checkout" button visible on every page and keep your Add to Cart' buttons clearly placed next to or under every product.
Inadequate Customer Service
Online retailers are typically not famous for their customer service. Phone numbers and email addresses should be listed prominently on every page, and a knowledgeable representative should be available for comments and questions.
Whether you are just beginning the ecommerce web development process, or you are monitoring and revising an existing website, mending these frequent mistakes can make a huge difference in online sales conversions. The best way to avoid them in the first place is to pair an experienced ecommerce web development team with reliable ecommerce web hosting solutions.
Requiring Login to Order
This is one of many e-tailers' favorite usability mistakes. Requiring registration is a clear barrier to sales and a definite no-no, especially when you have yet to establish a relationship with the customer. First-time shoppers aren't sure that they'll return, and demanding some sort of commitment may turn them away from making even the first purchase.
Vague, Hard to Find Return Policies
Ecommerce is a highly competitive industry, and often, the difference between a sale for you versus your competitor comes down to the return policy. Make the process as easy as possible for the customer. Don't hide the return policy deep within your site or require your customers to jump through hoops to complete the process. Rarely do e-tailers make their return policy a selling point or competitive advantage, as they should. Consider using the words "No-Hassle Return Policy" to reassure visitors that the process is quick and easy.
Poor (or Nonexistent) SEO
Often online retailers have a Build it, and they will come' attitude. This could not be more wrong (no matter how innovative the product is). Retailers tend to forget that search engines are the highways and byways of the Internet. An ecommerce site that is not optimized for search is equivalent to a brick and mortar store located underground. Let professionals who are trained and knowledgeable in the latest techniques perform optimization and Internet marketing services that will ensure that your site can be found by your audience.
Poor Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are the closest thing you have to a salesperson. Make them work for you. Improving your product descriptions is one of the easiest, yet most neglected ways to improve online sales. If your product catalog is large enough, hire a copywriter. Additionally, make sure each description is unique. Revise the manufacturers descriptions to include more keywords and to differentiate your website from competitors offering the same products.
Poor Merchandising
If you owned a brick and mortar store, you would probably walk your aisles every day to ensure that the products are merchandised properly. You'd also most likely have end-caps that feature certain products, signs or posters that highlight relevant products, and items placed at the point-of-sale to encourage last minute purchases. Many ecommerce website developers expect their online stores to run themselves and rarely take the time for this important implementation. You need to plan and implement merchandising techniques including up-sells and cross-sells to help boost online sales conversions.
Lack of Strong, Clear Calls-to-Action
Make your call-to-action buttons big, bold, and unmistakably clear (but be careful not to make them ugly). Any messaging on the website should stand out clearly to each visitor in an unobtrusive, inviting manor. Every page of the conversion funnel (landing page to product page to checkout) should overtly define the next step in the process.
Lack of Search, Filtering and Sorting
Product search is a must if your catalog includes any more than a few products. Customers simply expect it, and your website will look amateur without it. Visitors also expect to be able to filter down by criteria such as colors, sizes, or brand. Also, let them sort the listings by price, newness, popularity, etc.
Hard to Find Checkout Button or Add to Cart Button
Many online stores assume shoppers know that the shopping cart is the first step of the checkout process. To prevent confusion for your customers, always have a clear "checkout" button visible on every page and keep your Add to Cart' buttons clearly placed next to or under every product.
Inadequate Customer Service
Online retailers are typically not famous for their customer service. Phone numbers and email addresses should be listed prominently on every page, and a knowledgeable representative should be available for comments and questions.
Whether you are just beginning the ecommerce web development process, or you are monitoring and revising an existing website, mending these frequent mistakes can make a huge difference in online sales conversions. The best way to avoid them in the first place is to pair an experienced ecommerce web development team with reliable ecommerce web hosting solutions.
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