Ecommerce stores can be difficult to manage. There are many components that have to work in unison to effectively drive conversions. Even when they’re working properly, there are still plenty of things that can go wrong. The website copy may not be compelling enough, the images may be off, or the checkout system may be giving issues to customers.
In an effort to help you avoid some mistakes, we have compiled a list of the top 5 common mistakes that can kill conversions that we see from online retailers. Whether your eCommerce store just launched or it’s being optimized, be aware of these common ecommerce mistakes to provide a better user experience to all your visitors.
Common Ecommerce Mistakes
Not Collecting Emails
Although we have newer technologies and other channels to drive sales, email marketing is still one of the top revenue drivers. It’s so powerful that for every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. Its potential lies in the power to bring recurrent orders from existing customers and create conversions through nurturing emails.
You can easily start building your newsletter list by encouraging your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter with an email lightbox or popup. These popups usually encourage visitors to subscribe by providing a special offer such as a discount code like the one below:
When installing a newsletter popup, test different retrieving rules to tailor your content and get a higher chance of converting the visitor. You can set rules for specific channels, pages, or interactions with your site. For example, you can set up a popup to show when people are most likely to exit the site. This light box can say something like “Don’t forget to get your discount before you leave.”
To optimize your email marketing strategy even more, you can create an email drip campaign according to the type of email signup you received. This type of campaign will allow you to send a set of emails according to the user’s action. Sending the right email at the right time will improve your email open and click rates.
Not Nurturing Customers After Their Orders
Great news! You got an order … now what will you do? Will you just patiently wait until they decide to make another order? No! You need to work at staying at the top of their mind so you can convert a one-time buyer into a loyal customer—otherwise, your lifetime value of customers will decrease and your investments will yield more limited results than they should.
Also, repeat customers spend more than first-time ones. A Harvard Business School study found that a customer’s 6th purchase was an average of 40% higher than their first, and the 8th purchase was an average of 80% more. It makes sense, considering that repeat customers already trust your products and your overall brand, which would make them more eager to buy from you.
For these reasons and more, you should aim to cultivate a close relationship with your customers. Starting from the moment they receive their first purchase, you can follow up with them to get their feedback on the products and, it is hoped, get a good review on your site.
Afterward, keep sending your customer emails, mixing up the content. Maybe one week you can send a how-to article, and the next week you can send a promotional email. In this way, your customers won’t become annoyed and unsubscribe from your list.
Not Offering Appealing Shipping Options
Okay, let’s face it. Free shipping is not much of an option, anymore. Thanks to Amazon and its Prime program, consumers’ expectations have shifted. They expect to get products faster and cheaper than ever before.
Although offering free shipping on all orders may not always be an option, due to costs, you can still offer attractive free shipping options for your domestic and worldwide consumers. When crafting your offering, keep in mind it has to be fairly easily attainable; otherwise, you may discourage your customers from buying.
For instance, if your average products are around $10, and your free shipping offer is for purchases of $100 or more, it may be perceived as too hard to attain. Customers would need to buy at least 10 different products before getting free shipping, which can be tough.
Not Showing Enough Product Details
Product images and content are your salespeople online. If either one of them is weak, you’ll risk losing a potential customer. Site visitors, especially first-time visitors, need detailed product pages to gain the trust necessary to make a purchase. Without these, your brand can look untrustworthy or unreliable.
Luckily, there are many easy ways to provide product details to users. One of them is showcasing optimized product images. They have to be of high quality to show details when you zoom in. Also, using multiple images is recommended to show products from different angles and in different contexts. See below how Target shows their wall decor in context:
They even go one step further and show alternate product images upon hovering SKUs. Another great way to show product details in an even more engaging way is by using videos. Amazon, for instance, has started implementing videos in its product listings. If you don’t have time to make a video of every single product, you can opt for creating videos for each product category like Society6 does:
These videos showcase product features such as materials, dimensions, and quality. Besides images and videos, make sure to include detailed information about your products in the description. It will help avoid customer confusions and potential returns.
Having No UVP
Your Unique Value Proposition is what differentiates you from the competition and shows what you have to offer to potential buyers. Think of it in terms of benefits and how they can help solve a specific problem, rather than a list of features. For example, iPad Pro uses the copy “anything you can do, you can do better,” pointing out how you can do everything with an iPad that you do with a regular computer, but better.
Your UVP has to be clear to anyone visiting your store; otherwise, what would compel a visitor to buy from you instead of going to another retailer?
In hopes of appealing to a broader audience, many retailers miss the importance of this message and neglect it completely—in turn, affecting sales and making their brand unmemorable.
Avoid this mistake by staying true to what makes you unique for your specific target market and what they consider important. There is no point in offering a UVP that has no value to the customer.
While delivering your unique value proposition, also keep in mind your brand image. Show your unique style in every single point of interaction you get to have with a customer. Whether it’s with a thank you email or a product delivery notification, showing a unique flair will make your brand memorable and more attractive to potential buyers.
Now, over to you. What are the top mistakes you’ve made that have affected your conversions? Comment below.
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