With the evolution of the internet, it is incredibly commonplace for retailers to use e-commerce as a channel to increase their sales. It allows companies without physical stores to sell to the general public. Companies can target a whole new market and utilize multi-channel solutions to increase exposure. Although this can be very beneficial for companies, there are some mistakes that can be detrimental to the success of the business. Here we look at 5 common things that your online business should avoid doing…
5 things your online business shouldn’t be doing![5 things your online business shouldn’t be doing]()
1. Using a complex interface for your website
Although you want to impress your customers with a website that features a stand out design, try not to blur the lines between stand out and complex. Your customers will want to find out information as quickly as possible, they don’t want to be spending ages searching for this information and trying to find out how to use your site. Even if you have great products at a great price, if you have a complex interface, customers will struggle to navigate through the website which can lead to them abandoning the sale.
At the same time, remember to check, check and check again that everything on your website is correct. Spelling mistakes, bad grammar and incorrect product information are all signs of unprofessionalism. If the site appears to be unprofessional and you are not a well-established brand, customers are unlikely to give you their details. This also goes for images; ensure that you use images of the highest possible quality to portray your products in the best possible light. Customers are very picky don’t let them find a fault to pick on with your website.
2. Using unsecure payment methods
When customers are purchasing items, they will be entering sensitive information (credit card details, address etc.) and it is your company’s responsibility to keep these secure. If you do not have a secure method of payment available, customers will feel that the site is not reliable. Your site must have an SSL certificate (secure socket layer certificate) which encrypts sensitive information, helping to protect any data that is entered onto the website. Some companies are also using third-party websites such as PayPal, which allows a company to receive a credit card payment securely. Although they do charge a fee for the transactions, it means that the company does not need an SSL certificate. As the details are being collected by PayPal and not your individual website, there is no breach of data. It is incredibly worth having an icon on the payment to reassure customers of this security.
3. Not having enough delivery options
Different customers have their own individual requirements and therefore, it is crucial for a company to offer options. If a customer wishes to purchase something but cannot see a suitable delivery option, they may potentially abandon their sale. The first course of action that your company should take is to ensure that there are several different types of delivery available, from next day delivery to click and collect. Customers must be able to find and access the relevant information; otherwise you will lose out on a sale. The customer should be able to identify the best option that suits them. Offering free delivery is also a great incentive to attract customers, as they will feel more inclined to look around the website. You may also want to consider whether or not you want to offer international delivery as this allows you to potentially target a whole new market. However, this is dependent on whether there is a demand for the products that you are selling.
4. Not having any sort of marketing strategy
Marketing is one of the crucial aspects of multi-channel retailing. A website needs to be promoted to customers otherwise nobody will ever find it. There are many different online marketing strategies available which can help you generate traffic to the website. It is worth developing an effective SEO (search engine optimisation) strategy to improve your ranking on search engines. There are firms available that can help you with this. Your company can also use email marketing techniques to generate interest in your products. Social media is one of the main forms of promotion that major retailers are now using. This allows them to interact with followers, and receive feedback.
5. Not utilizing mobiles and tablets
More people are now using smartphones and tablets to browse the internet. Companies have recognised this and have progressed to creating mobile phone applications to allow customers to browse through items and make purchases. However, some companies are not optimising their websites for smartphone users, which means that they are missing out on an entire market. If a website is not mobile responsive, customers are not able to navigate through it. This leads to them abandoning the purchase that they were potentially going to make. It is crucial to ensure that your website can be viewed on a smaller device, and avoids using things like Flash and Java which are not supported by many phones.
This article was written by Qurratulain Zaheer, an expert in the field of multi-channel retailing as well as an avid online shopper. She recommends Prima Solutions for their multi-channel solutions.
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