8 common ecommerce mistakes

Do you sell things online? Nowadays it seems like every company is doing it. Currently, about 7% of total sales are made through ecommerce (electronic commerce), this was impossible just a few years ago. We know for sure that this trend will continue to increase in the future; perhaps it will even overstep face-to-face sales.

Nowadays, any product or service can be found online. Do you have a consultant’s office? A hotel maybe? A repair service company? A big shop? All these things can be commercialized through the Internet.

But wait; watch out, it’s not that easy. Selling things online can be essential today for your business to prosper, but you are also exposed to failures. In this article we are going to see some common ecommerce mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Your website doesn’t have a nice design.

It is one of the most common ecommerce mistakes. Your website has been created in a couple hours by your brother-in-law Pepe (who works as a YouTuber), but now things are not going according to plan. The webpage is confusing, overloaded, and in some subpages there are some photos of nice cars. Did you really think this would work?

There are very skilled people creating commercial web pages but they are not web development experts, this does not mean that it is easy to do so. Trust us, going to professionals will be the best way to start. There are thousands of them waiting for you to give them a call.

2. Your website doesn’t work properly.

Let’s assume that you have hired a great web developer, who has created for you a complete, functional, and very professional website. However, when your brother-in-law Pepe tries to access to generate your first sale, your website does not work. 10 seconds later, your brother-in-law gives up, and looks for another place to buy (yes, people can change their mind very quickly when buying online).

In addition to the design, there are other factors that influence the smooth running of your online business. One of them is the quality of the hosting service you have purchased. Although for very small ecommerce the requirements are not usually very demanding, you will surely want your business to grow, and in that moment you will need to have a very professional hosting service that does the job for your business. Think about it and search properly before you start; it can be the key to success or failure of your company.

3. Having a great website is not enough.

Maybe you’re a web developer, or maybe not, but you’re great at creating websites in WordPress, Prestashop or Magento. Or maybe you have the budget to hire an excellent professional, then choose the best one in your city. Okay maybe you already have a nice-looking website, but do you really think that’s all?

You still have a lot to do. You need to get to know well the products or services that you are selling, you need to understand the whole commercial process, to develop a good logistic system, to know all the legal business requirements to be fulfilled, to control your accounts and your financing, etc. Online selling is a business just like any other, and in some ways it is even more complicated than some face-to-face businesses, so don’t waste time and get to work!

4. You need to study your competitors.

There is nothing wrong with studying your competitors. Unless you are a true innovator – and there are very few of them – there will always be someone who has done it before you and probably better than you. It is not about copying, but analysing. How are my competitors doing it? Can I improve what they offer? Are you competitors lacking something that you could provide? Ask yourself these questions, and your business will grow.

5. You need to get your business name known.

Your website has a great design, is fast, professional, and it offers services and products that are unique in the market but wait, are you selling anything? . Why is your website not getting online traffic?

Getting visits is the main goal of ecommerce. There are many ways to achieve this, and there are professionals who expressly dedicate themselves to such noble art. Do some research, and you will see that it is a whole new world, and a key factor for the success of your business.

6. Giving bad customer service.

So you think it’s enough to sell and collect the money and that’s all? My friend, I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’re wrong! If you want to have a long journey in the world of ecommerce, your customer service should be excellent. Remember that it is much easier to maintain an old client than to get a new one, and that the publicity and reviews that your clients can generate based on how you treat them, both positive and negative, can be a key factor for the future of your business.

7. Having bad logistics and poor stock control.

Imagine this situation. Your brother-in-law has clicked on your website and has finally found the jumper he likes. He selects it and pays for it. When you receive the order, you realize that you do not have that jumper among your stocks. How awful! Immediately, you order from your supplier, but it turns out that it is placed in a country that is 4,000 kilometres away from you, so that jumper will take 2 weeks to arrive.

Because of your bad organization, now your brother-in-law doesn’t have a jumper , therefore he will catch a cold as soon as he steps out of the house. Do you really want that for you brother? Have you realised that this could actually happen?

Having a good control of stock -or of available services- and a good logistic organization is essential if you want to succeed online, so do not forget these things.

These are 7 common ecommerce mistakes that you should avoid if you want your dreams to be fulfilled online, but there are more common ecommerce mistakes out there. Do you know any? Do you want to share them with us? You can do this in the comments section that is located down below.

But, wait , before you leave. Do you know about Pandora ITSM? Pandora ITSM is software that has, among other features, an inventory tool and an incident management tool that can help you with customer service for your company. Take a look at Pandora ITSM.