From year to year, the number of new online shops that appear on the market is growing. However, not all of them prosper well enough to stay on the market. What makes some shops maintain a high level of conversion, and with other customers leave before finalising the transaction? Let’s look at the most common mistakes made by online shops!
24-hour availability, a larger range and the ability to compare prices – these are the main reasons why online shopping is very popular among consumers. However, there are a number of factors that effectively discourage e-consumers from finalising purchases. Below are 10 mistakes by which online shops usually lose customers. Be sure to check whether they also apply to your e-commerce!
A wide range of products and their competitive prices are not enough to enjoy the success of the online shop. To gain the trust of potential customers, we must provide them with access to a fast and convenient site. One of the typical and more costly mistakes is the lack of attention to correct navigation in the online shop. The buyer, who is lost in the jungle of illogically named and arranged subpages, quickly closes the page, unable to find what he needs. According to accepted practices, a well-designed online shop is one that allows the user to finalise the purchase in no more than 3 clicks.
How to improve navigation in the e-shop?
Above all, take care of the logical link between the product categories. By creating this structure, think like a client. Think about how they can look for a given product. Certainly, “breadcrumbs” will help, which support navigation on websites by enabling the user to track the current location within the site.
Just like navigation, so the search engine plays an extremely important role in the online shop. In the case of its design, both the right visibility on the site and correct matching of results as well as hinting of passwords that visitors can search for is important.
The standard today is also the recognition by the search engine of potential errors and typos. The lack of these elements can effectively spoil the customer’s shopping experience. It is also worth paying attention to the implemented product filtering and sorting system.
If the customer is looking for a specific product, then there is a high probability that immediately after entering the online shop, they will want to use the search engine. If it is properly configured, it will certainly increase the number of orders placed in your e-shop. What’s more, the analysis of keywords entered into the search engine is a valuable source of information. Customers will tell you what they are looking for. It is useful, right?
One of the key decision-making factors when shopping online is the opinions of previous buyers. The lack of so-called “social proofs” is a mistake for which e-shops pay with the loss of potential customers.
In order to gain their trust and create the image of a reliable seller, it is worth presenting positive reviews of people who have already benefited from our products and services. It is also worth presenting case studies, placing the logo of partners on the website, “brag about” awarded prizes, or displaying the number of fans in social media.
Internet users love shopping online because of the time savings. The requirement to register, and thus to complete long forms, can effectively discourage them from finalising the transaction.
Many buyers also prefer not to provide their data for fear of unwanted spam. So how do you best solve this situation? Obligatory registration on the site could be replaced by the possibility of placing orders without creating an account. At the same time, emphasise the benefits of having your own account – a quick preview of your current orders or tracking delivery.
In the online shop, customers are not able to see the product they are interested in. They only have photos and descriptions that should be prepared very well to effectively encourage them to buy.
Meanwhile, in many e-shops, we can meet very general or, even worse, duplicated descriptions and photos of goods, which are low quality and which do not reflect the character of the products. The correct display of the offer – both verbal and graphic – is indispensable today in the fight for the online client.
Speed and convenience are some of the advantages of online shopping. Meanwhile, in many shops, we can still meet with an intricate order process that can dissuade a potential customer from shopping. Therefore, the fewer steps needed to finalise the transaction, the better.
A simple and one-page form requiring the basic data necessary for the shipment of goods is today one of the standards. Thanks to this, we will avoid the confusion of the buyer, and we will influence his positive shopping experience.
Another of the problems that contribute to the abandonment of the shopping carts are too high delivery costs. In order to increase the effectiveness of sales in the network, it is worth creating a diversified offer of orders.
For those for whom delivery time is not a priority, we can offer a cheaper package. More expensive options will be appreciated by customers who care about the efficient delivery of selected products.
In addition to high costs, limited forms of payment in the shop may also contribute to the resignation of purchases. Also, in this matter, we should provide our clients with the possibility of choosing several different payment methods – from traditional transfers, through online payment systems to cash on delivery.
There is a huge number of online shops operating on the market. Which one to choose? It is a dilemma that affects many consumers. Owners of online shops face the challenge of winning consumer confidence. Not only the opinions of existing customers help here – the information about the company plays a similar role, its history or achievements in the industry.
You should also take care of the credibility of the online shop from the technical side by placing special SSL certificates on the website. They confirm the secure connection between the user’s browser and the shop’s server.
Many Internet users avoid shopping online fearing that selected products do not actually meet their needs and expectations. Thinking about them, online shops should ensure the development of a simple and transparent return policy.
The lack of possibility of quick and easy termination of the contract, which consumers are legally entitled to 14 days after purchase, works definitely against the e-shop. The rules for making returns should be displayed both on the subpage of the product and in a special tab available from the main page.
The number of people buying online using smartphones and tablets is growing rapidly from year to year. In order to keep up with the needs of modern consumers, the shops need their responsive version, which is the one that matches the content to the type of device on which it is displayed. The lack of a mobile, fast-loading version is still a problem for many online shops that disregard the expectations of today’s consumers.
We hope that the above errors do not apply to your online shops. However, if you have any doubts, get in touch with us – we will carry out an audit for your e-commerce.
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