The e-commerce industry is growing at a rate of knots. And it will continue to grow in the post-covid world as more and more people look to shop online and get the products delivered at their doorstep.
No wonder that we have a growing number of ecommerce startups. This growth is mostly due to the availability of the internet and computers to the bigger part of the population that anyone can start his e-commerce business. You don’t even need to purchase inventory. You can just use a platform like Gearbubble (check this gearbubble review) to work with dropshippers who will deliver products on your behalf.
Starting an ecommerce business is easy but it takes quite some effort to make it profitable.
Here is the list of the five most common mistakes that new e-commerce businesses make that you would want to avoid.
Inadequate market research
The worst mistake an e-commerce business can make is to start the business without doing adequate market research. Market research is important for the e-commerce business. you can’t just stand in one spot in the pool and wait for the fish to arrive. You have to find the fish yourself and then lure it into your pole. Just like that, you have to look for customers in their niche market, attract them through media campaigns and advertising, offer them discounts and promotions. Without gaining adequate market information from your research, it is impossible to maintain the prosperity of your business.
Not securing the website
Due to the massive increase in cyber crimes people are concerned about their online security, though some e-commerce businesses still don’t take it seriously. Your website must be secured through SSL certificates and install the fraud protection software. The security of your website should be your priority because it won’t only affect your store but also the customer’s private information could be leaked and misused. In that case, you will be held responsible and you could be charged heavy amounts in case of lawsuits.
Not targeting the right audience
For any business, you must target your media campaigns to the right audience. If you keep targeting the people who do not require the product, you will keep wasting your time and resources. It is necessary that during your marketing research you find people that would be interested in buying your product. For instance, if you keep sending your advertisements about cat food to a person allergic to cats, you will not only irritate him, but you’ll also waste your campaign that could’ve been used on potential customers. It doesn’t matter how good the quality of your product is, if you don’t target the right audience, your business will go down in a few months.
Making website difficult to use
Your website or application is your store that the customers would visit. It is important that the customers feel welcomed and can easily browse through your products. If you don’t make your website user-friendly and easy to use, customers will soon stop visiting your store. It is necessary for the business that the website is not too complex. Categorize products appropriately, put filters and price ranges, add valid and complete information. If you don’t do so, don’t expect your business to prosper as digital assets are important for the growth of a business.
Poor customer service
The customer traffic at your online store or website depends on how you treat your customers. The survey with online customers suggests that most of the people don’t shop from the same store if they have poor customer service. Customer service includes various aspects of e-commerce businesses. Poor customer service might include denying returns and replacement on faulty orders, no live customer service representatives, poor attitude of the customer care representatives, not answering queries, etc. these issues might cost you many customers. You can resolve these issues by having 24/7 live chat options with AI to answer the queries. Prepare a set of guidelines and terms and conditions for the return policy of which the customer, as well as the representative, must be aware.
Conclusion
The e-commerce industry might be earning millions for some people while making others bankrupt. It all depends on your business handling skills as an entrepreneur. We hope this article will help you avoid these common mistakes.
