It’s a good time to be in the eCommerce industry. Not only are people increasingly comfortable buying online, but it’s a trend that’s expected to grow significantly in the coming years. Currently valued at $4.8 trillion, eCommerce revenue is expected to fetch a CAGR of some 14.4% in the next few years, resulting in a global valuation of more than $5.5 trillion by 2027.
Of course, while the underlying numbers may be impressive, that doesn’t mean that anyone with an eCommerce business can expect a slice of the pie to come their way. Competition and consumer standards are higher than ever, so it’s more important than ever that eCommerce store owners ensure that they’re giving the potential customers what they want/need/expect.
Good products and prices are just the starting point. In this day and age, customers notice a wide range of little and large details that influence A. Whether they make a purchase and B. Whether they become repeat customers.
In this post, we’ll outline some of the key details that should ensure your website has everything your target audience looks for when they’re assessing the merits of an online business.
Image Source: Pexels – CC0 Licence
Outdated Design
Things moved fast in the eCommerce world. A design that was ahead of the curve even three years ago might be behind the times today. Working with a web design expert to bring your website in line with modern trends can give your business an easy victory. It’s not always about completely overhauling your website’s aesthetic; even minor style improvements can make a difference.
Incomplete Product Information
You might know every detail about your products, but your customers probably won’t. In the online world, information is everything — after all, you won’t have the luxury of explaining the merits of your product face to face.
They can only work with the details they find on your website, so make sure they find plenty of them. It’s better to have too much information than not enough. Even small touches, like the weight and dimensions of the product, can be important for a potential customer to know.
Low-Quality Photos and Videos
Including the written details of your products provides a functional purpose. Having high-quality photos and videos provides an aspirational purpose. While you can entice people with the written word, they’ll be more likely to hit that ‘buy’ button if they can view stunning, crystal clear, professional photos and videos of the product.
Getting these photos and videos can take a little bit of time, effort, and money, but you’ll likely find it’s worth it. One study found that having a video, for instance, can boost conversions by as much as 86%.
Higher Than Average Shipping Costs
There are a couple of reasons why customers still like buying in person. One is that they don’t have to wait for the product to be delivered. The second is that they don’t have to pay for that delivery.
The best way to win over customers is to offer free shipping, but that’s not a realistic proposition for most businesses. You’ll need to charge something. It’s worthwhile, however, to find ways to keep your shipping costs as low as possible. Higher shipping costs really can be the reason why a website visitor decides against making a purchase. Also, be upfront with your shipping costs. Waiting until the last minute to reveal the charge is a subtle way to annoy your customers.
Underwhelming Packages
It’s the product itself that matters the most to your customers, but their experience of receiving the package also counts for a lot. A customer will likely feel a little underwhelmed if the item they’ve been so excited to receive arrives poorly packaged in an uninspiring box or envelope. While it’s easy to overlook, taking the time to think about your packaging really can make a difference, helping to potentially turn a one-time customer into a repeat customer. Many businesses use standard uline boxes for their packages, but custom packaging is the way to go. Branded boxes make a more powerful impression, helping to raise anticipation and contributing to a powerful all-around customer experience.
Email Spam
You want your customers to keep visiting your website and buying products, and sending them an email reminding them of how great your brand is can be an effective way to get them to take action. However, it’s also important to be respectful of their time. Sending too many emails within a short period won’t necessarily make it more likely that they make a purchase, but it will probably annoy them to the point where they unsubscribe. A couple of emails per week is usually the limit unless you have an especially amazing offer that requires sending more.
Poor Reviews
Good reviews can provide the final nudge a potential customer needs to make a purchase. Poor reviews, especially many of them, can have a potential customer running a mile. You can’t always prevent poor reviews — things will go wrong, and people will want to vent about it. You can, however, ensure that those poor reviews don’t have an overly negative impact by responding to any poor reviews you receive. You can also encourage your happy customers to leave a positive rating and a few words. Even if you can’t delete the poor reviews, you can at least drown them out.
Low-Quality Customer Service
Finally, if there’s one thing that both new and repeat customers notice, it’s poor customer service. Consumers don’t want to have to call customer service, and when they do, they absolutely don’t want it to be more difficult than it needs to be.
Note that bad customer service doesn’t just mean being rude. Your customer service could be extremely friendly, but if it’s not helpful, then the customer is unlikely to be satisfied. It’s also recommended to allow your customers to get in touch via as many methods as possible — in this day and age, that typically means via phone call, email, live chat feature, and your social media channels.
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