When starting a new e-commerce website to sell products, presumable the goal is to succeed and produce sales. All to often, this is not the case and entrepreneurs and business owners are disappointed, confused, and just simply baffled by the “why”.
Many companies hope to generate sales online due to the staggering forecast by most major players within the online commerce industry. Sales will grow 18.3% to $1.298 trillion worldwide, eMarketer estimates, as Asia-Pacific surpasses North America to become the world’s No. 1 market for B2C ecommerce sales.
Sales in North America grew to a world-leading $364.66 billion last year. A figure expected to increase to $409.05 billion this year as more consumers shift spending from physical stores to retail websites thanks to lower prices, greater convenience, broader selection and richer product information.
There can be numerous reasons to why an e-commerce website does not produce the desired sales. Given that the products are of quality, what can be the root of the problems that cause online stores to fail?
When reviewing many of these online stores and e-commerce websites some common elements can be found that cause a website to fail with online sales. To help a business avoid these common mistakes and pitfalls, here is a list of most common reasons why e-commerce websites don’t produce sales.
10 Reasons Why E-Commerce Websites Don’t Produce Sales
1. Long and Complex Checkout Process
Shoppers online do not wish to go through lengthy and complicated checkout processes. E-commerce websites have a high dropout rate with checkouts. At times this rate is as high as 50%. Adding long and complex checkout processes just increases this dropout rate and hurts online sales and customer acquisition.
2. Forcing Customer Registration
Websites that force their visitors to register in order to purchase a product will certainly loose online sales. Many consumers do not want to be forced to register just to buy a product. Online stores that require registration loose sales.
3. Confusing Website Navigation
There are still website that are being designed and developed with lack in quality, detail, and sound business intelligence. An online store has to be created with a sound navigation that makes sense, is easy to use, and not confusing to the website visitor. Confusing site navigation will cause an online store to loose sales and customers.
4. Limited Product Information and Reviews
Online shoppers want information about what they are shopping for. Online stores that lack product information and reviews will loose sales online. Product reviews are very important to convert visitors into shoppers as well as adequate product descriptions.
5. Lack of Payment Options
Many consumers use certain types of payment methods that they prefer. When websites do not provide popular payment methods such as PayPal, they can risk to loose sales. It is always advised to provide website visitors and shoppers as many payment methods as possible for convenience and customer retention.
6. Poor Shipping Options
For websites to produce sales, companies have to offer their customers a range of shipping options. With limited shipping options come also limited sales potentially. Customers like to have a choice when it comes to shipping. Poor shipping choices often cause a website to loose customers and online sales.
7. Lack of Customer Service
Yes, it is an online store, but customers still want to receive customer service. Websites that do not offer appropriate customer service options such as toll-free phone numbers, online chat, and other forms can quickly loose potential sales. Customer service information should be easily accessible from each page on e-commerce websites to reduce risk of loosing business.
8. Wrong E-commerce Platforms
There are many different types of e-commerce solutions from hosted to open-source applications. Often, online sales are not produced due to the use of the wrong technology and setup. Using leading e-commerce software application makes a difference to the operator and shoppers.
9. No Responsive Design
In today’s mobile culture, not having a responsive design website is bad. Customers research on the go, while they are waiting places, travelling, and so on. Websites that are not visible on mobile devices loose sales and potential customers. Responsive design websites assure a company that they are visible across all major devices to the customers and consumers.
10. Not Offering Incentives
Everyone loves a deal! E-commerce websites that are not actively giving website visitors and customers incentives to shop and buy products will loose sales. There are many types of promotions, sales, and discounts that can be offered by online stores such as seasonal sales, free shipping promotions, and other types.
For companies that wish to avoid some of these common mistakes made that cause online store to loose business can always work with experts to ensure higher success rates. Consulting services are always a great method to achieve this. Being able to work with a professional who is knowledge during the process is just smart business, avoiding costly mistakes and pitfalls.
Website design services with firms that have years of experience with e-commerce and certain industries can drastically help a company to launch a quality online store or redesign a poor performing website.
