Is your e-commerce not selling enough?
Let me guess:
Have you launched your e-commerce after months and months of study, planning and analysis; invested time, resources and energy to get your online shop off the ground but despite the passage of time, sales are lagging behind?
All this can be frustrating, I know, but fear not.
In this article we will look together at 1001 problems that could be jamming your e-commerce and related solutions you can implement to sell more online.
But first, a key recommendation!
If there is no market, there is no match(!)
Before I list all the potential reasons why your e-commerce is not selling, I would like to point out that this article was written considering that you have an e commerce built from in-depth market research and meticulous target audience research behind you.
Because if there is no market for what you offer at the base, all efforts may be in vain.
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS TO MAKE YOUR ECOMMERCE SUCCESSFUL
Net of the above, we want to help you identify potential problems why your e commerce is not selling and give you some tips to implement to increase sales.
Each cause-solution has been grouped under a macro catheory so as to make it easier for you to identify the problem.
1) UX/UI PROBLEM
Since May 2021, Google has decided to update its algorithm by placing User Experience more and more at the center.
This means that not only does it remain important to curate the content and all the indications until then communicated by Google, but it becomes crucial to focus on the experience that users have on our website or, in this case E-commerce.
Long story short: If the user has a negative browsing experience, your ecommerce will be penalized .
How is this point declined?
We identify some problems that might cause the user to have a negative experience:
1.1 Confusing layout and design
If your user lands on your website and gets lost between pages, it is very likely that they will not complete the purchase.
Design also plays a key role here. A design that is heavy and too rich can confuse the user by making them feel the urge to interrupt the navigation.
- Make your website easy to navigate and aesthetically light so the visitor will feel accompanied and unburdened;
- create specific Call to Action to let the user know what will happen when a particular button is clicked.
1.2 Poor photos
Photos are an intrinsic part of your ecommerce design, and if your ecommerce is not selling, they may count among the most impactful causes.
In this regard, I ask you a question: Would you ever buy a product of which you find blurry, shoddy and unprofessional photos?
Or
Would you ever buy a product or service on a website that uses stock images already used hundreds of times by other competitors?
- Use images that are authentic and created specifically for you and the products/services you offer;
- Avoid low quality and stock photos;
- if you have no other alternatives, customize the photos you have selected in some way.
Photos are an investment, not a cost, and using authentic photos could really make the difference between a successful and a failing e-commerce.
1.3 Lack of reviews or social proof
Social proof is one of the reciprocity principles that help most in converting visitors into customers.
If your e commerce is not selling, it could be because users are not familiar with the products/services you offer and do not feel reassured enough to make a purchase.
Social proof can be included in a website in the form of:
- verbatim reviews;
- video testimonies;
- an expert’s opinion;
- skills certifications;
- case studies.
- Enter testimonials and reviews in text or video form. Good practice is to take them directly from your business’ Google my Business profile;
- don’t use fake reviews;
- Use product reviews by placing them on the corresponding pages!
2) INFORMATION PROBLEM
Let’s get into another category of issues that could impact your e commerce sales: information.
It goes without saying that if an e commerce does not provide detailed information regarding the products/services it sells, it is very likely to fail.
Among the most important information to optimize in an ecommerce we find the information in the product tab.
2.1 Unclear or incomplete product sheet
If your e commerce is not selling, it could be a problem with the product tab.
The product sheet must provide all the useful information about that product/service to leave the user in no doubt about what you offer.
This will give an impression of expertise and competence about what you are selling and act as an additional reassurance to the user.
Ergo: The more relevant information you give on this page the better.
- Thoroughly describe the product, formats, features, and anything else that may be useful to know;
- Enter information about shipping method, possible return and payment method;
- Add related reviews to the end of the product sheet;
3) SEO PROBLEM
“If they don’t see you, you don’t exist.”
Unfortunately, this is the case.
You can be the most competent person on the face of the earth, you can count all kinds of accolades and certifications, but if they don’t see you, you don’t exist.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) dictates the rules to encourage indexing of your content, but it makes no promises.
Having an SEO-optimized ecommerce is one of the first aspects to take care of in your e commerce because, if done right, it can bring free traffic to your website/e-commerce and, as a result, increase online sales.
- Optimize your website by following SEO rules and do it as soon as possible;
- beware of do-it-yourself SEO. If you don’t feel confident about your competence in this regard, get an expert to take care of it for you.
4) NOT SO GOOD BRAND REPUTATION
We come to the hot button that no one ever wants to hear about: the bad reputation of one’s Brand .
It can happen to everyone to come across customers who, dissatisfied with their purchase or buying experience, leave a negative review or low rating of the product/service, and this can also be normal if it is sporadic and not repeated over time.
If, however, it becomes the practice, then something is wrong.
Brand Reputation problems may depend on:
- Poor quality of service;
- Shipping problems;
- Poor quality of goods/services offered;
- Poor or almost nonexistent customer service;
- to identify which issue negatively affects your Brand try surveying your customers. They are the direct stakeholders, why not ask them directly?
- Always respond constructively to negative reviews. Don’t get caught up in anger and instead preach them as cues to improve your product/service.
Difficulties can be opportunities: a Brand can take advantage of even negative reviews to demonstrate even more its closeness to the customer.
5) TECHNICAL AND PAYMENT PROBLEMS
Technical problems most of the time do not depend on the e-commerce owner but on those who created it.
Some of these problems can negatively affect the user experience and, as a result, may be some of the reasons why your e commerce is not selling.
5.1 Loading slowness
Your site is slow, very slow.
According to Google, for websites that load in 1 to 3 seconds, the bounce rate is about 32 percent, going up as the loading time increases.
Your e-commerce, therefore, should load within and not beyond this threshold.
- Monitor with Google Analytics where browsing is stopped to see if there is any technical loading problem;
- uses Page Speed Insights to know the loading speed of your e commerce site;
- Optimize all aspects that can make your website faster.
5.2 Problems at check-out
Another technical problem to be dissected is the problem at check-out.
If a considerable percentage of users arrive at the check-out page, it means that much of the work is well done.
The user experience, design, and information are good, and then the user gets to the page where they can complete the purchase.
But alas, it gets stuck there.
This may depend on:
- Requesting too much information all at once
- Unexpected expenses to be faced
- Delivery time too extended
- consult Google Analytics to see if your user gets lost right at check-out, and consider fixing this section by also following the advice in the next point;
- divide the information into several stages so that data delivery does not feel like an inquisition.
5.3 Few payment options
Giving the user a choice of payment methods is one factor that could boost your e commerce sales.
In fact, whenever the opportunity to make an online purchase happens, you do not always have your credit card in hand.
This is why “alternative” and “express” payment methods (such as PayPal), which have the card data already saved within them and only require authentication within the app to complete the payment, are increasingly being used.
If you want to optimize your ecommerce, try implementing these aspects:
- Give a choice of multiple payment methods;
- Include payment through PayPal or similar.
6) COMMUNICATION PROBLEM
Once they land on your e commerce, the user, in addition to liking the layout, has to understand it .
At the stage of market research and Brand positioning, it is crucial that communication is designed and created with a clear purpose by speaking to users interested in your products/services and expressing brand identity and customer proximity.
Here, at this stage, if your e commerce is not selling, the problems may lie in communication.
6.1 Communication does not speak to the target audience
The layout of your e-commerce is well thought out and well designed, but the communication is aimed at the wrong target audience.
Glaring mistake!
Let me give you an example:
If you sell Skateboards and in brand positioning you have identified Generation Z as your Target audience, then you cannot talk to them in an encyclopedic or formal way.
Instead, you will prefer an informal style, and u ToV that perhaps takes advantage of wordplay and youthful “slang”!
One of the mistakes most often made is to think that targeting communication specifically is a bad thing and risks cutting off important slices of users.
Yes, this may be true.
BUT it will also enable you to attract and retain precisely those customers who interest you by winning their sympathy.
Having a specific positioning and targeting a specific niche simplifies communication efforts because:
- You get to know more about the target audience
- The problems and needs of the target audience are known
- You can target communication by speaking to these specific needs and problems
- Identify your exact Target and speak directly to them;
- Invest in communication.
Remember: The investment in Copywriting and communication in general many times may seem high, but it is vital in creating a basic structure that works in favor of your Brand’s growth.
6.2 Do not use SOCIAL to channel users to the site
As we all know, in order to optimize an e commerce, one must also optimize all those related aspects that lie outside the ecommerce itself.
I’m talking about social networks.
Social is an integral part of the strategy to grow online and, as such, it must follow the following characteristics to work well:
- They must use the same type of communication that the website uses;
- They must follow the Brand Identity of the website (colors, fonts, geometries …)
- They need to push content that is already on the website;
- They must drive traffic to the website itself.
Social, if followed professionally and consistently, can really be a resource that makes a difference in the effectiveness of your E commerce.
7) SECURITY PROBLEM AND CUSTOMER CARE
An E commerce is a platform that handles sensitive user data at the purchase stage and therefore must be equipped with all the trappings to secure transactions and the user experience.
7.1 Terms and Conditions
The Terms and Conditions page governs the relationship between your online shop and the customer, and it is important that it is written with reference to related regulations and contains.
By reading the terms and conditions, the user should feel reassured about the quality of your service and should not find flaws that could undermine his or her shopping experience.
Legalblink, in this article, mentions all the aspects to consider when developing the Terms and Conditions page of an e commerce.
- analyze the Terms and Conditions page and see if the information given is comprehensive and puts the user in a position to feel safe.
7.2 Return policies
Return policies are the greatest incentive to purchase that you can give your users and an expression of efficient customer care that thinks about the needs of the consumer.
Amazon is the most successful example of customer care in recent decades, which, thanks to its unbeatable return policies, manages to sell anything with the assurance that it can then be returned without telling a nor ba.
By no means am I telling you to become like Amazon, but to pay special attention to return policies to give an incentive to buy.
In this Shopify article you can find everything you may need in writing your return policies.
- plan to grant returns for defective products or in bad conditions;
- Plan to grant refund if you consider it appropriate.
8) SUPPLY PROBLEM
If after trying them all, nothing works, it is time to make a constatation:
The sore point may be your offer declined in the following issues:
- There is no market for what you offer
- Your prices are not competitive
- The quality of the products is poor
- The quality of service is poor
- There are better solutions on the market
CONCLUSIONS
We have seen together all the factors that can be the causes why your e commerce is not selling!
I know you may find it difficult to determine for yourself what the pain points are in your e commerce.
Expert advice can be invaluable in saving time and resources that you could instead invest in optimizing it and selling more.
Do you need a hand?
