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All e-commerce sites are designed to get the site visitor and prospective customer to make a purchase. Everything in the site must lead to that desired action. There are many issues that must be considered such as: How easy is it to navigate your site? How fast do your pages load? Can users find what they are looking for? These are a few of the most common mistakes ecommerce sites tend overlook:
1. Poor product images- Large images swallow precious time and increase FUD’s (fears uncertainties and doubts) because of the longer loading periods. So make sure to edit and optimize your pictures to minimize load times.
Also, don’t stick to a one-size-fits-all formula. Give your user a dynamic experience by providing multiple photos from different angles.
2. Lack of authenticity- Make every effort to show your customer that you are a viable and authentic company. An address instead of a P.O. Box and a phone number are helpful. However, becoming affiliated with organizations such as the BBB, verisign, and others will drastically help enhance trust within your customers giving them the incentive to make the purchase.
3. Poor Design-Design and content play a part in trust. A poor design gives off an unprofessional feeling. If a company can’t afford a decent website, or won’t spend the money on it, the user can’t be sure their order will be treated with the importance it deserves. If content is inaccurate or badly written, the same applies. The design does not to be extravagant by any means. Simplicity is often best. As long as it gives a professional feel.
4. Uncategorized products- No one wants to sift through lists and lists of products and product info. Categorize your products, especially if you have a large inventory, and make sure you’ve provided all the specs on color, size, material…etc.
5. Assuming the user knows too much- When you send out order confirmations, make sure to include all of the product details to re-assure the buyer that they’ve made the right selections. If I accidentally ordered size large instead of medium, I would want to know so I can fix it.
6. Lack of calls to action- The “call to action” in marketing refers to copy that sways the user to take action. When developing your website, think of all the desired actions you would like your customer to take. The obvious ones are “subscribe to our newsletter”, “buy now”, or “add to shopping cart”, and make sure to include them to your website in visible locations.A more subtle call to action moves the user through your website and gets them to stay there longer “read more”.
7. Long sign-up forms- Cut down on the long sign up forms. It’s one of the first opportunities the customer has to interact with your company, and it’s a common place for users to drop off because the company attempts to collect too much information all at once. Keep this part of the communication short and friendly and let your visitor enjoy their shopping experience.
8. More than 3 multiple check out steps-Don’t keep your user hanging. Too many check-out steps are not effective or efficient. Review the purchase, make the payment, and confirm the payment. 1-2-3 and you’re done!
9. Un-secure checkout- People are cautious about buying online, so give your customer every reason to trust you. It’s important that you host your order form on a secure server so hackers cannot get in and steal information. You can get a secure server though your ISP or setup your own if you have a server. You can also use a payment gateway to provide your customers with a secure checkout page.
Striking the right balance on your site of displaying your info, yet making the site extremely user friendly and client-centric is not easy. But in order to see more conversions, there are some basics that need to be considered. What other deadly mistakes do you find e-commerce sites tend to make?
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