7 common eCommerce business mistakes and how to avoid them

The eCommerce sector has experienced a considerable shift after the global pandemic in 2020, however, it is considered a positive change due to the transformation towards digitalization. In 2020 over two billion people purchased goods or services online, and during the same year, e-retail sales surpassed 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.
Therefore, it is the optimum time for any business owner to grow online and start selling through an online store. eCommerce businesses are currently striving, so if you are thinking about starting one here are seven common business mistakes to avoid.

Business mistake 1: Neglect market research

The market is precarious, changing fast, and has dynamic business activity. Therefore it is important to dig into research to study the location, the target audience, and your business idea before launching your eCommerce business. Market research will help you understand and identify the changes in your target market. You will be able to enhance market awareness, minimize the risk factor, and finally, it will provide you with a holistic picture of market trends.

Always try to find similar eCommerce businesses and compare your competition.

Related: 4 easy ways to make sure about your project idea before starting it

Business mistake 2: Poor payment gateway

Not only the customer is searching for a great product on your website, but also, they are looking for a good service such as a simple and secure payment process. The payment gateway that you decide for your eCommerce site ought to build trust in your customers as they make their purchase.
In 2018, a report published by cybersecurity firm Shape Security stated that 80% to 90% of the login attempts made at online a retailer’s eCommerce are hackers using stolen data.

GoDaddy E-store offers various payment methods to ensure a smooth and safe purchasing, such as PayPal, Stripe, and 2Checkout.

Mistake 3: Neglecting optimizing your website for mobile users

According to Cyber Monday ($9.2 billion in online revenue in 2019), 54% of visitors came from mobile devices, while around 33% purchases on their mobile device, up over 40% from the year before. Therefore, creating a mobile-friendly website design is important for sales and helps to improve your SEO-ranking.

Related: Why is mobile friendly design crucial for your website?

Note: GoDaddy’s Website Builder templates are mobile-friendly. You can try it out for free.

Mistake 4: No brand identity

One of the most common business mistakes is starting an eCommerce website without paying attention to brand identity or message. the quality of the product must be united with a strong identity which makes it unique and one of a kind in the market. To create a booming eCommerce business, you will need to construct a strong brand identity.

As mentioned above if you conducted sufficient market research, then supposedly you have a strong idea of what your target audience is searching for, and how to approach them. Focus on matching your logo with your business idea, pay attention to the tone of the content, and even the format of your email address.

Having a solid brand identity increments client dependability and increments your potential for broad brand awareness.

Related: A beginner’s guide to branding your business 

Note: Build trust with your audience using a professional email address to match your domain and business name.

Mistake 5: Not secure warning

The “Not Secure Warning” pop-up message is a red flag for any new customer visiting your eCommerce website.
One of the most crucial elements in any eCommerce website is securing the transactions and the process of collecting sensitive data such as banking data and personal information. Google formally endorse securing websites with HTTPS, since it is not only significant for business owners, who need their websites to perform sufficiently but to increase traffic.

You can do that in two-step steps:

• First, make sure that you have an SSL certificate properly installed on your website.
• Second, confirm that your pages are being forced to HTTPS versions of the URLs.

The SSL certificate is a must-have for your eCommerce website.

Mistake 6: Poor User Experience

User experience is the customer’s experience in your website from arrival to checkout. Business owners use it to monitor how fast, and flexible your eCommerce website functions for your visitors when you purchase your product or service. UX research will help you provide the best solutions for your customers —because you can know exactly what they need.

Create simple and smooth navigation to be easy to use the mobile. It is better to create a search bar for customers to find products easily. And finally try to avoid unnecessary complexity.

Related: What is user experience and why it is important for users and websites

Business mistake 7: Inadequate post-sale customer service

Creating an eye-catching e-store that drives sales may seem enough, but you must also keep in mind tracking your customer’s satisfaction after the purchasing process. Inadequate post-sale customer service is when a client is confronted with a negative purchasing experience, or when the customer must explain his issue to different operators since the company does not have an attentive and organized support team. It is important to remember how a poor service experience would affect your eCommerce website negatively. In fact, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience.

There are sites such as survey monkey that provide information gathering platforms for building and compiling surveys and questionnaires. It is always important to use positive language while dealing with customers. Appreciation emails are acknowledged and paramount, as they can remind your clients why they choose your business. Saying thank you after each purchase is one of the least demanding ways to make your customer satisfied.

Ready to start selling online?

Any successful eCommerce business is built upon satisfying its customers. This article will help you identify the most common eCommerce business mistakes and how to avoid them. So, remember to always be careful and keep an eye open to different factors that need to be considered.

Image by: Myriam Jessier via Unsplash.