The launch of an online store is not difficult… Maintaining it is difficult, attaining new traffic on the website, and generating new conversions. How to do this unhindered and without any hiccups? Obviously, everyone makes mistakes, especially at the beginning of a new business enterprise. The important thing is to always learn from these mistakes. So, what are the most frequent mistakes made in eCommerce? Read about what is better not to do when running your own online store.
Most frequent mistakes made in eCommerce:
Poor budget management
– Very often what our Partner wants does not coincide with what they can afford. The Magento platform, sales through Allegro and Amazon… – these solutions are not always suitable for every online store. They are mainly appropriated for the largest eCommerce players. Small and medium-sized companies should thereby manage their budgets precisely and wisely from the very beginning. – Jakub Nadolny, CEO Fast White Cat.
Let’s assume that a newly created eCommerce business wants to implement Magento – their mistake is a poor tailoring of technology to their business. Fast White Cat, as an experienced eCommerce house, is tasked with making their Partner aware of the fact that this solution will not be effective for them. – We thoroughly verify the needs of the Partner and decide whether it is the right time to implement Magento. If not – we recommend the choice of such a platform which will bring the best effects. You might say that there are specific levels of technological solutions for specific eCommerce levels. There is not one solution which is good for all stores. – says Jakub Nadolny.
The list of required implementations is not a wish list
When wanting to implement new functionalities in your store, these must first be very carefully thought out. Many companies make the serious mistake by giving access to the list of implementations to all company employees. This creates a so-called wish list. Things significant from the perspective of an employee, speeding up their work, will not necessarily have a positive influence on the quality and functionality of an online store. What is more, this only causes increased costs – disproportionate to what can be achieved.
More does not mean better
The most important function, which should be provided by every online store is trouble-free shopping. If a customer comes across even one obstacle along their shopping journey, they will probably leave the site. That is why at the very outset of launching an online store it is necessary to focus on well-functioning payments and postage. Only once having the basic functions, which have the greatest influence on profits, can addons be implemented. Doing everything at once is not a good solution. Initially, focused on should be one element to later add further elements. When entering eCommerce, worth verifying is your business model and whether you understand the target group well. How to do this?
In this instance, a good example is the cooperation between Fast White Cat and Jean Louis David. You may think – what do hair salons have in common with online reality? They do, a lot … During the pandemic, the owner of Jean Louis David came up with the concept of selling cosmetics and hair salon products online. He came to Fast White Cat for help in this matter. We decided that at first, we should test whether this idea will work at all on the Polish hairdressing market. And so, we created an online store with basic functions within five days. And what came next? It turned out that after three weeks the online store achieved sales higher than the best traditional salon. Does it work? It works!
Lack of respect for customers
You can have beautiful products, a functional store, but if you do not respect your customers then you will not sell anything and will not earn anything. Customers’ emails must be answered, their orders processed quickly, and a clear returns policy offered. Customer service and building a society is the basis. Good relations build trust toward a brand, consequently continuously expanding the group of regular customers.
The world is developing but your marketing is stuck in one place?
You have built your online store, made a few sales, and that’s it. Where lies the problem? In marketing! If you do not invest in good advertising for your store, do not use marketing automation and retargeting – then regrettably – your website will be filled with hot air. Technology and digitization are constantly moving forward. Appearing are so many possibilities and tools for advertising websites that it would be a shame not to use them. Try and test a few solutions to choose the most effective channel to reach your potential customers.
Also, worth noting is that the majority of online stores do not have staff who could deal with marketing activity, thereby making mistakes in their eCommerce which only influence budget losses.
Tests? What for? Mine works fine!
The fact that a website works correctly for you does not mean that in a different browser, or on a different device, it will also come up correctly. Many people are of the opinion that one test is enough and that nothing will change. WRONG. Even an update of one plug-in could, e.g., significantly slow down the site. This refers to both stores built on Magento, and those on other platforms.
If you want to integrate your store with an external tool, you add new modules and plug-ins, then test the platform each time – thoroughly! Check that each purchase path definitely leads to sales, whether there appeared any difficulties or obstacles in its course. Draw particular attention to the shopping cart page. Whether the CTA compelling purchase definitely works? Whether all the elements display correctly? Test your cart once in a while – even if you are not introducing any new implementations to the platform. Through this you will have the certainty that no changes have taken place in the payment system or with your carrier.
Lack of Google visibility
If you are not visible on the Internet – you do not exist. Your brand will not become recognizable overnight. Building good Google visibility is a complex process which requires time. Also, it is you who must create the opportunity to be seen! Unfortunately, many stores still forget how important SEO and SEM activity is. These two factors influence the evaluation of your store by Google and a high position in the search results.
Summary
Mistakes in eCommerce are not made only by those who do nothing. What is important is to notice and eliminate these mistakes from your business in time. At Fast White Cat, we often admit to making mistakes, always treating them to be new experiences and lessons for the future.
We definitely will not repeat mistakes already made!
You, however, should not make the mistakes of others and seamlessly lead your eCommerce to the top.
If you have any questions, contact us!
We will gladly ADVISE YOU AGAINST ineffective actions.
info@fastwhitecat.com