Top Reasons Ecommerce Websites Struggle With Sales

More than 200 million consumers shop in the United States online. Recent studies show that the average amount spend annually is over $3,000 US per individual consumer. We have shifted as a society to conduct more and more of our buying online. We pay our bills already online and most companies greatly benefit from having a strong online presence. With all these changes, why is it that ecommerce websites struggle with sales. What are the reasons ecommerce websites struggle with sales?

Selling through ecommerce websites is a great way to build revenue. It tends to be a very scalable business. You can generate around the clock sales, worldwide. Very little staff is required to operate the business. Most services are contracted out such as marketing services. Then, why the sales struggle for so many ecommerce websites and operators?

There are some common reasons ecommerce websites lack sales, struggle to gain momentum, market share, etc. It is difficult for many to acquire customers and generate sales. The most common question is why this is. Here, you will find an answer to this question. Here are the most common reasons ecommerce websites struggle with sales.

Poor Home Page Design

One of the main reasons there is a lack of online sales is due to the home page. Ecommerce websites require a highly strategic home page layout, design, and development. The majority of the site traffic starts their experience on the home page. Ecommerce home pages are differently created than small business websites. They are more complex and must incorporate multiple elements. All the relevant key details, features, and incentives must be highly visible, appealing to see, and easy to understand for best results.

Inadequate Product Pages

The product pages are critical. There must be sufficient information about the products. Well written, educational, and informative details. In addition, all relevant options, restrictions, and further details should be provided. This includes all disclaimers necessary. Any surprises for the consumer tend to end-up in shopping cart abandonment. Inadequate product pages contribute to lower sales and sales opportunities.

Site Navigation Is Not User-Friendly

The website navigation for ecommerce websites tends to be more complex. There are shopping pages, checkout, cart, and other pages which do not exist with non-commerce websites. Consumers shopping online require additional attention than regular site visitors. The navigation of an ecommerce website must be clear, easy to use and get to key pages. The more products a company sells, the more thought should go into how this will be organized online in the store and throughout the website.

Lack of Sales Incentives Or Not Displayed

There have to be lots of and frequently changed out incentives. Online consumers who shop are given incentives (reasons) to do so. Companies have gotten very creative with this. Incentives range from discounts, deals, specials, seasonal pricing, giveaways, freebies, raffle items, and more. Ecommerce websites must through eye catching visuals strategically display these incentives in key areas of the website. A lack of this results in lack of online sales.

Complicated Checkout Process

The checkout process is critical to sales conversions. Any lengthy or more complicated checkout process tends to result in lower sales. Furthermore, the checkout process should have the necessary details, by simple, easy to understand, and without any surprises such as additional charges, extra questions, or registration requirements. A fast, easy, and short checkout yields best results.

Shipping Costs Exist Or/And Are High

As consumers checkout, there should be no high shipping costs added. If possible, there should be no shipping charges. The cost should be absorbed in the pricing if necessary. Consumers are getting accustomed to no shipping charges. Many retailers offer no shipping charges at a certain purchasing level. Amazon Prime does not charge for shipping at all. Shipping costs should be carefully managed by retail companies selling online.

Website Visitors Are Wrong Target Audience

Not all website visitors are shoppers or interested in the product line. There are vast amounts of reasons individuals end up on a certain website. Attracting the right target audience as ecommerce website visitors is critical. Marketing services such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) allow an online retailer to generate highly focused site traffic. This drives sales conversion up and opportunity. The quality of traffic is simple superior in comparison to other forms of marketing.

Understanding Conversion Deductions

There is often confusion about how to properly and correctly analyze conversion rates. Conversion rates for most websites but even more for ecommerce is a deduction process. Ecommerce websites when reviewed correctly regarding traffic will yield often why there are low sales. There is the bounce rate for example which can be as high as 50+%. There is the shopping cart abandonment which the average is around 65%. There are all the site visitors that visit pages but do not shop at all. There are reasons for that as well, which should be understood. Understanding the deductions will quickly shed more light to the activity of an ecommerce website.

Companies that wish to improve their sales can work with experts that can deliver immediate results. Professional agencies can quickly review, suggest changes, and execute them as well for better results. Get a consultation and find out how an agency can assist with ecommerce websites and online sales. Ecommerce website design services are available by experienced professionals.