5 Costly Mistakes eCommerce Sites Make & How to Avoid Them

Find out if your eCommerce site is making mistakes that cost your business money!

From our 12 years of designing eCommerce websites, we’ve seen more than our fair share of costly mistakes made by companies trying to do business online. Some are easy fixes that were skimmed over during site development, while others require an entire site rebuild to correct. Either way, there’s no way of knowing how much these mistakes are costing the company in lost business. Is your business committing any of these mistakes online?

Using low-quality images 

In the consumer’s mind, a low-quality image means a low-quality product. High definition images that allow the user to zoom in on every little detail of the product helps take the guessing out of online shopping. We often suggest hiring a photographer to take lifestyle shots of the products to bring them to life.

Not featuring customer experiences

For a small to medium sized ecommerce site, trust is everything. If the site doesn’t gain the trust of its visitors, then no one is going to want to put their credit card information into it. An easy way to help visitors relax and enjoy their time online is to include testimonials from past customers or reviews listed for your products. We suggest that our clients reach out to their favorite customers and give them incentives to leave reviews for products they’ve purchased. Send follow-up emails to customers to remind them to share their own experiences and photos of the products on social media, and then display them on the site. Showcasing the customer experience with the product will build trust and word of mouth.

Poor website design

Coming from a web design company, you had to think this would come up. But it’s true! A poor website design hurts any company’s credibility and stunts what can be accomplished online. If a site was designed 10 years ago and hasn’t been updated, visitors will wonder if it's even worth their time. Employing a site that draws in visitors with a design that compliments it's products will lead to better experiences and better sales.

Failing to show the value in what you offer 

People want to buy something because they feel the value they will get from it will be at least equal what they are spending. No one wants to spend money on something and think they could have gotten a better deal on a better product elsewhere. Using the site to showcase why it's product is better than the competitors’ will help close sales and keep people coming back.

Poor website functionality

Great eCommerce sites don't allow visitors to get bored. If the site runs slow or is difficult to navigate, visitors are more likely to find something better to do with their time. Commerce sites all over the internet are competing to get visitors to visit them, but what good are visitors if they can’t find the products they want? The website should be each company's best salesman. It works 24/7 and never calls in sick. Professionals in the eCommerce industry make sure their sites are optimized to funnel visitors to make buying decisions.

Does your eCommerce site make these costly mistakes?

The award-winning team at efelle creative in Seattle can help. Our team includes website designers, web developers, SEO copywriters, and digital marketing specialists that will help your business maintain an SEO content strategy that gets results. Call us at 206.384.4909 or use our online contact form for a free consultation.