Setting up an online store actually puts your business in good contention with brick and mortar shops. You are open 24/7, customers can shop from home, expanded customer base, unlimited geographical reach. Sales should just keep coming in, or does it?

If you administer an E-commerce site and want a continuous trail of returning customers and revenue to ensue, you should note these 15 big No-Nos :

• 1. Limited product information
• Detailed information will provide a multi-dimensional experience for the consumer. Failure to engage users will just encourage them to seek for other ecommerce sites.
• 2. Hiding contact information
• Consumers need a credible website in order for them to entrust credit sensitive information willingly. Contact information needs to be easily viewed so consumers know who exactly they are purchasing from.
• 3. A cumbersome checkout process
• A lengthy procedure would just bring about a higher probability of consumers leaving your site without completing their purchase. consumers are enticed by hassle free transactions.
• 4. Requiring an account to order
• This ties in with the third point, offer customers an option of registering at the end of an order process. This makes placing future orders easier as well.
• 5. An inefficient site search engine
• You might offer a large variety of products but the consumer needs to be able to sieve out information according to their needs. Your site search engine results should group products by different categories or features.
• 6. A lacking customer support system
• It is all about customizing to a user’s needs. If an e-commerce site fails to deliver a system that caters to individual needs, their clientele would be limited.
• 7. Tiny product images
• An e-commerce site needs to match up to the physical experience of being in a store. When a consumer is unable to visualize the product, it is likely they will dismiss it altogether.
• 8. Single product image
• Multiple images offering different angles would provide more intricate details of your product. Consumers like to know exactly what they are purchasing.
• 9. Poor shopping cart design
• Users need to be able to add multiple products while simultaneously revising the quantities and options. If navigating around this is difficult, consumers would hesitate to proceed to the checkout process.
• 10. Restricted payment options
• Different folks, different strokes. Do not limit your site to MasterCard or Visa, offer alternatives like PayPal. This will optimize the number of orders you get.
• 11. Not including related products
• Consumers in the buying process might still be doing their product research. They might start out looking for a specific product, but end up reviewing others. Look to increase your sales quota by suggesting related products on the description page.
• 12. Higgledy-piggledy navigation
• Confusing navigation is just plain unnerving. Categorial and navigational aspects need to be carefully planned before providing a product catalog.
• 13. Not including shipping rates
• Consumers would want to factor in all costs before making a purchase, immediacy is the key. Excluding this is almost equivalent to leaving the price unavailable.
• 14. Vague store policies
• Being upfront from the get-go would save you many headaches when consumers start facing difficulties in the later stages.
• 15. Not putting focus on the products
• The design of your website might distract you from your primary goal. You aim to sell, showcasing your products is important but do not get carried away with unnecessary frills.

If I just threw a wrench into the works (or shall we say 15 monkey wrenches into your e-commerce creation), placed you further from your goals, maybe you should wash your hands off this, leave it up to us instead.

We can help you with your e-commerce website problems, contact us!