If you want to start your eCommerce store then you have to make sure that you avoid these mistakes.

If you don’t then you may find that you end up bringing about the failure of your store, and this is the last thing you need. If you want to do something about this then the only thing you have to do is take a look below.

Poor Understanding of Your Audience

Before you can even begin to develop your sales strategy, you need to know the people who you are selling to.

If you don’t do enough comprehensive research then you won’t be able to build a campaign that is relevant to the pain points of your customers. The more you know about your buyers, the easier it will be for you to appeal to them. Begin by creating a customer persona that embodies the various characteristics of your audience.  This could include their name, age and even income. If you’re not sure who your audience are then now is the time for you to change that. Send out surveys, get to know them better and make it easier to engage with them. If you can do this then you will soon see a huge improvement in your general engagement.

Choosing the Wrong Platform

Another mistake that a lot of people make is choosing the wrong platform. The platform that you choose is so important to your marketing success. WooCommerce and Shopify are great options here but do not rule out BigCommerce or even Magento. If you want to do away with all the setup that’s involved with these platforms then one thing you can do is look into Amazon. You can even register with an Amazon marketing agency if you want to make sure that you simplify everything while ensuring that you stand out from the competition. Of course, most eCommerce providers will give you a free trial or a demo of the service. If you want to find the right one for you then don’t be afraid to take this out, and make sure that you are happy with the features that are available before you proceed with creating your site.

Unattractive Design

Your website is the center of your digital presence. It is crucial that you build a site that gives your visitors the chance to get a positive impression. By utilizing design tools, you can ensure that you are making the most out of your brand and you can also feel confident knowing that everything is going to work in your favor.  It is also helpful for you to look into your competition, so you can see what their sites are like. Go through the site and put yourself in the shoes of a buyer. See how easy it is to create an account, pay for something and find the answers to your questions. If you can do this then you will be able to take note of any potential improvements, which you can apply to your site. As a general rule, if you can step up where other sites aren’t then this will help you to get the best result.

Weak Marketing

One of the main mistakes that eCommerce sellers make is assuming that they can improvise their tactics. The truth is that companies have to be consistent and they also have to be curated. The vast majority of businesses fail within a few months, and if you want to make sure that your business isn’t one of them then it helps to put effort into your marketing plan. You should define your approach and you should also set the benchmarks for your success. 

Poor Customer Service

Friction can easily pop up at any time during the sales cycle. You need to make sure that you have a reliable funnel that helps to guide your customers through. One way for you to do this would be for you to make sure that you have a top customer service team working with you. While employees can be expensive, they are worth it when you start to expand your business. If you want to save money here then one thing you can do is invest in a chatbot. When you have a chatbot, your customers can find the answers they need with ease, and they can also feel confident knowing that they can trust your site. In the event that someone does have to get in touch with you, you can still make sure that you have staff on hand, but thanks to the chatbot, you won’t need as many.

Lack of SEO

Search engine optimization is all about producing content that helps your site to rank highly on Google. Studies have shown that less than 10% of companies receive organic search traffic. If you are a vendor and you work within the eCommerce sector, then you won’t be able to get any customers if your site is not showing up in the search engines. The good news is that there are sites out there, such as Ahrefs that give you free access to a number of SEO tools. You also have the option to pay for a premium feature if you want. If you want your business to be a success, then establishing a solid backlink profile is so important. You also need to work to build your domain authority where possible. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is easier to build more traffic with time.

Checkout Processes

By the time someone reaches you in the checkout process, you will have probably done all the work you need to do when it comes to making a sale. Checking out might seem simple, but believe it or not, it is one of the driving factors behind cart abandonment. The best way for you to lower your cart abandonment would be for you to ensure that your customers can complete their purchases without having to make an account with you first. Vendors may require account creation during the checkout process as it helps to motivate customers to subscribe. That being said, this could push your customers away and this is the last thing you need. One way for you to work around this would be for you to give a customer the chance to create an account after they have purchased from you. By doing this, you can help them to track their order and you still get the subscription for your email campaign. The difference is that you will be able to increase the chances of a customer buying from you.

Lacking Reviews

If you don’t have any reviews on your products, then people probably won’t buy them. It’s a harsh reality but unfortunately, that’s how the eCommerce world works. If you want your business to be a success then you have to make sure that people are actively posting about how great your products are. It may be that you encourage people to leave reviews by giving them a discount in return, or that you ask them to share their thoughts on your social media page. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is easier for you to take your business to new heights. Just don’t be tempted to pay for fake reviews. If you do then you may find that people end up seeing right through it and that you lose a lot of trust as a result, which is the last thing you need when getting your business off the ground.