5 eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid

If you’re struggling to maximise ecommerce success with your business, you could be making common mistakes that are preventing your business from reaching its full potential. Luckily, we’re here to let you know what those mistakes could be, and how to avoid them.

Neglecting User Experience (UX)

Getting users to your site is important, but keeping them there and converting them into a buyer is the real challenge. If your site is difficult to navigate, unintuitive or has a confusing layout, you could be driving people off your site before they get the chance to explore the products and services you’re offering. Site visitors should be able to easily navigate from the homepage to wherever they want to go with ease. According to BigCommerce, “A bad user experience is like walking into a very messy and disorganized retail store.” Online shoppers have the same expectations as those walking into a brick and mortar store, so make sure your ecommerce site keeps user experience at the forefront.

No Guest Checkout

According to a study conducted by Baymard Institute, approximately 25% of people abandoning their cart do so because they had to make an account. In the world of online shopping, customers value efficiency and convenience above everything. The more steps the customer has to take through the sales funnel, the less likely they are to complete the purchase and go elsewhere.

Lack of Payment Options

With shoppers beginning to favour more efficient and flexible ways to pay, neglecting to offer your customers a range of payment options could be the reason for them to rethink their purchase and abandon carts. As well as the efficiency that payment options like Apple Pay and Paypal offer, Buy Now, Pay Later services like Klarna and Clearpay that allow shoppers to pay in manageable instalments are on the rise. Take a look at our blog post ‘The Rise of Alternative Payment Methods in eCommerce: Pros and Cons of Buy Now, Pay Later’ to see why lack of payment options could be a deal breaker for many consumers.

Low Quality Images and Lacklustre Product Descriptions

High-quality, appealing images are crucial when it comes to selling a product. Although it’s important to be honest when depicting your products, you should be showcasing them in the best light possible in order to entice consumers to click on your products. 

Product descriptions are equally important when painting a picture of a product. Copy that captivates the reader and addresses their needs is much more likely to result in a browser turning into a buyer. Check out our blog post ‘The Art of High-Converting Product Descriptions: Turning Browsers into Buyers’ here for a detailed guide on creating effective product descriptions. 

Not Leveraging Analytics and Reporting

In the world of ecommerce, data is everything. If you have an ecommerce website and aren’t utilising the analytics tools that are available, you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. There are a number of different places for you to pull data from when looking at analytics, all of which contribute to giving you a better overview of how your ecommerce site is performing. By reviewing these analytics, you can make a more informed decision regarding strategies for growth and engagement. Our partner, BigCommerce, makes leveraging analytics easy with their eCommerce Analytics tools which help with “reporting visitor metrics, identifying order trends, shaping merchandising strategies, and helping maximise the efficacy of your marketing campaigns.” 

At 5874 Commerce, we’re ecommerce experts and an elite BigCommerce partner, meaning we can help with making sure your business isn’t making these common mistakes. We’re passionate about enabling our clients to achieve success, so why not see how we can help your business by contacting us here.