Mistakes are common in the eCommerce world. But, repeating the same harms the most. 

The eCommerce industry, being too lucrative, has its way of reaching customers. But, when the eCommerce store owner fails to understand the rhythm or the purchase flow, he/she has high chances of bouncing back within a short period. 

Unfortunately, even research confirms that. According to some random research cited from a magazine, it is found that almost 90 percent of the eCommerce store fails within 120 days from their launch period. Shocking, right?

Yes, of course, it will!! But, do not worry! We have covered you up with a fantastic piece of information. Probably, a long piece, though. Yes, understanding the struggle of many eCommerce store owners, we have framed this article with the set of mistakes that have been in a loop. 

But why don’t I try it on my own in the eCommerce store and learn from my mistakes?

If this is your question, then I am here to answer this. When you have no idea about your mistakes or whether it is, are you able to come up with it?

No, so learning starts from grasping and working on your mistakes. Let us get started. 

21 eCommerce Mistakes You Should Avoid in 2021

Now, you are in a phase where you might own an eCommerce store for years/months/or even days. But, that doesn’t matter!! Rectifying the mistakes and moving towards the conversion is a clever tactic that helps eCommerce businesses grow in the long run. 

Say, when you are supposed to own an eCommerce store, do you rely on copying your competitors’ strategy or work on your own track? Well, I would work on my own track and compile things/actions that they fail to do. 

Mistakes come under the same umbrella. When you rectify the mistake eventually done by your competitors, there are high chances that your store will the show-stealer on any campaigns or occasional dates. 

Alright, without any further ado, let’s break in the mistakes that probably have been done by most of the readers out there. 

Popup Usage Beyond The Limit!

Popups are the first or maybe the last thing you encounter on any website. Whether or not, popups are a great conversion-triggering agent. But, many eCommerce store owners fail to use it in the right way. For example, let us assume that you are a visitor who wishes to buy an xxx brand perfume in your abandoned cart in an XYZ online store. 

You are entering into the eCommerce store. If you get an irrelevant popup like “xx% OFF for Women Clothing”, for the first time, obviously the Cancel button speaks with the popup. But what if the irrelevant popup continues as a shadow all down to every product page you visit. 

Quite annoying, right? Now, let us get into scenario 2. Consider the same Perfume concept here. You are entering the store. At the moment you enter, assume you are getting an attractive popup with a bright CTA showing this text, “XX% OFF on XXX brand perfume, especially for you”. So, how will your reaction be? 

This is how popup can be used to trigger your audience’s expectations

Call To Action Phrases Fail To Call Your Audience To Take Action

Every eCommerce store owner knows the importance of a CTA used in the right place. Either it may be an email campaign or a website. The CTAs when used right always helps you to reap benefits out of it. But, when you fail to do so, you will never get the benefits out of it. 

For example, try to provide the CTAs wherever necessary. And, do not forget to provide the actionable CTA phrases in the email campaign you sent to your customers. If it is a referral marketing campaign, try to highlight the discounts using the CTAs. 

Added, you can also provide apt colors for it in order to give a specific differentiation to it. But, do not make it over impulsive or too flashy for the readers. Normalize your CTA phrases in the content naturally. 

Not Understanding Your Target Audience

Wait, I would also like to add another heading to it. Not understanding who your target audience is. Yes, both suit perfectly. Many eCommerce owners fail to understand their target audience and promote unnecessary stuff on multiple platforms.  The image explains to you how audience segmentation works. 

What if your target audience expects something different from your side? Yes, it may also be the scenario. Just imagine when you have a proper marketing strategy and a plan, but fail to understand the target audience. Understanding your target audience is more important and will help you to entice your store often. 

Ensure that your audience actually understands and gets benefits from your campaigns, takeaways, and discounts. Try to make sure that it has been well promoted and reaches your audience. Referral programs or any loyalty programs without promotion may not reach your audience. So, make apt promotions to deal with your target audience. 

Avoiding High-quality Images

Images speak louder than words when it comes to an eCommerce website. Every visitor tries to understand the quality of the product with the images and the reviews out there. When you fail to provide a detailing image, there are high chances of your visitor bouncing back from your store. 

Do you want it to happen? No, right? Then, why not try to improve your eCommerce store’s UX and all product images with high-quality images. When the product image seems attractive and illustrative, customers will not mind the rate. There are customers who have never purchased a product without seeing the reviews of the customers.

So, the images and the product reviews go hand in hand. Do not foreplay with it. Try to bring up your site with quality images along with a better user experience. 

Lack Of Social Proof Or Testimonials

As discussed earlier, both images and testimonials play a crucial role in your eCommerce store. When your store’s reviews are bad, no matter how old your store is, ready to face a storm in your business history. On the contrary, when you have as many good reviews as hell, you will never get disappointed in your sales curve. 

But, in order to gain social proof or testimonials, you must be sure to take things in hand. For example, there are many stores that have been known to very few of their customers. Here, they lack promotion. On the other hand, there are stores that promote their brand on the wrong platform or in the wrong way. 

Apart from these two, there are stores that will not value their customer reviews much. They are the ones who have to make a point here. No matter what, try to get reviews (probably in the form of star ratings) to showcase the brand visibility to your audience. And, do not forget to add it in your campaigns or even adding in the product page works well.  

Not Promoting Your Brand When Required

Every eCommerce store has a history or an interesting story to share with its customers. Though the eCommerce store doesn’t have one, you can introduce your brand to the audience visiting your store. But, how?

You can use the About us section wisely and promote your brand without any effort. You might have come across the success stories of eCommerce store owners who have just started from scratch. Build your brand and own your customer’s decisions. 

It is not necessary to have a strong background. Instead, it is always necessary to build your brand among the audience. Your brand must become the familiar part of the audience. Start doing it now!

No Logo No Recognition

Same as brand awareness and promotion, having a unique and separate logo for your eCommerce store is necessary. But, many eCommerce stores focus on increasing their conversion rate without a logo. Is it even possible to buy a house without a name? Impossible, right?

This is why the logo plays an important role. Make sure you are sticking towards a unique and easily rememberable logo with its structure (illustrated in the image) that attracts your audience. In order to come up with a logo, try to mix your store’s first name. At times, you can also give an image (unique) as your logo. In order to design a logo, you do not need to spend huge bucks. Instead, go with the flow and mix a little creativity in it. 

Too Many Discounts And Offers Also Turn Into A Nightmare

Who says people love too many discounts? No, I am not denying the fact that discounts are life-savior for many eCommerce stores. But, when you over inject the discount concept in your eCommerce store, either the customers feel dump or they start expecting more from your store which leads to disappointment. 

Offering discounts when necessary suits every eCommerce store. But, the misunderstood concept here is, “more the discounts, more are the customers and so are the conversions.” Do you actually think it is good to go?

No, right? Too many discounts or coupon popups may annoy the customers and make them abandon their carts without completing the purchase. Try to provide minimal offers or recurring discounts that actually boost the customers to enjoy shopping on your site. 

Resolve Broken Links And Page Not Found Issue

How annoying it would be to encounter a broken link at the time of checkout? Many customers face the same thing when the eCommerce site owner fails to rectify the broken links. Many eCommerce customers encounter a problem with the store they wish to purchase. It may also lead to bad reviews or negative social proofs.

It may lead to an increase in the cart abandonment rate which further leads to delayed or progressed carts. Moreover, it also damages the reputation and credibility of the eCommerce store. This is why it is always essential to fix the broken links and redirect them to the right landing page.

Try to go through all the links of your eCommerce store and make sure everything works fine. Importantly, check whether the checkout and the payment page works well. Make sure they receive order notifications and the status. 

Crosscheck Whether Your Coupon Works Well

Yes, it happens in many eCommerce stores! I have even encountered the scenario. Recently, I got a coupon from a popular apparel store. Like a normal buyer, I too had tons of dreams to buy with that coupon (though the coupon doesn’t cover up my dream). 

Once I got the coupon, I have cross-checked the expiry date. It is something around the end of May. But, when I proceeded with the coupon in the mid of May, I may not figure out why my Coupon code is invalid. Dropping up all the dreams, I ended with “Your Coupon Code Is Invalid”.

Do you still think I will purchase in the same store again? Who knows? There are many customers who are as crazy as me.

So, crosscheck your coupon codes. When it is automated or you are relying on any coupon or discount plugin, you can rest a while. But, pick the right one to avoid unnecessary chaos.

Lack Of Multiple Payment Modes

Do you still believe that your customers prefer COD rather than credit/debit cards? If you nod your head, you have to indulge in knowing more about your audience. Nowadays, customers are even ready to pay their bills with cryptocurrency or bitcoins. 

In that case, when you provide only one/two modes of payment, there are high chances that your customers will abandon their carts. So, it is always advisable to provide more than three modes of payment. The customers will go with the one they are flexible with. 

And, ensure that you provide a highly-secured payment gateway for your eCommerce store. It helps in increasing the trustworthiness of your store among the audience. 

Guest Checkout – Why Force Customers To Create A New Account?

Do you know what annoys the customers the most? Forcing the customers to create a new customer for a single product purchase they undertake in your store. It is not always advisable to make customers your subscribers. 

Instead, you can provide them the best alternative for creating an account or providing their personal details. As an eCommerce store owner, you must be aware that every individual cares about their privacy and hesitates to share their information at the first interaction with your store. 

In order to rectify it, you can provide a guest checkout option that literally helps customers to show with your store at a single shot. And, you do not want to leave them as such. You can engage them frequently with your store’s new launches or referral programs. It helps them to become your potential customer in the long run. 

Lack Of Communication Between Your Store And Your Customers

Communication between your customers helps you improve your engagement rate. But, some stores fail to do so. In the end, nobody knows why the customer has left the store without completing their purchase. Instead of discussing it on your own, you can indulge in building communication with your customers. 

But, how? Do I need to meet them in person? Is that even possible? No, I am suggesting you meet them virtually. Try to be in their daily routine. For example, try sending wishes on their special dates, invite them for your referral program, and provide them extra discounts if they are your potential customers. 

Not Using Your Email Subscribers Wisely

Email subscribers are considered a valuable lead for every eCommerce business. But, what if you are not using those leads progressively? Many new eCommerce stores have reached millions of subscribers as they have been using and engaging with them wisely. 

Many abandoned cart emails have never met the customers’ expectations. When you provide a really compelling discount or offer to your customers, there are high chances of them returning to the site. 

When you are out of your mind about email marketing ideas, get help from an expert. Nothing wrong with it. Try to enrich your customers with a new concept daily. Either it may be promotional or informative. Make them remember your store at least once a day. 

Failing To Come Up With Attractive Email Copy

After going through the importance of email subscribers and their impact on your store, now it’s time to grab some information about your email marketing copy. Are you sure that your email copy attracts your audience?

If yes, obviously, you would have had an impact on your sales. If you are not sure about it, cross-check the click-through rate and the open rate of your emails. An attractive email must include a catchy subject line and attractive CTAs that help the customers to navigate to the page once they are triggered enough. 

An attractive email copy doesn’t need to be colorful and full of images. Instead, you can also bring an elegant and triggering email copy that helps you in your conversion. Do not forget to personalize your email that always works well from the customers’ point of view. 

Selecting Unnecessary Software/Plugin

Coming up with the above-mentioned mistakes, here is the most prominent mistake done by many eCommerce store owners. Yes, choosing the wrong eCommerce platform or irrelevant plugin for your store. 

Choosing the right eCommerce platform has a huge impact on your sales. Do not rely on the platform that does not integrate with the existing trend or does not offer you high-level customization to your store. If left unseen, you may face many difficulties to raise sales in your store. It may lead to revenue loss, lower conversion rate, security issues, website errors, website traffic, etc. 

The same factor is applicable to the irrelevant plugin or software. When you ought to choose a plugin, say an abandoned cart recovery plugin, do not waste your time stalking your competitor’s store. Because not all plugins for you. Go for something that suits your requirements and most probably increases your sales after installing it. 

Poor Customer Service Is Not Advisable

After all your marketing efforts, a customer enters your store for purchase. Successively, they are at the urge to buy the product. But, what if they bounce back due to your poor customer service. Either it may be chat support or customer service. It may be anything. But, it is always necessary to provide top-notch customer service that makes the customers bring back to your store often. 

Having customer chat support in your store always works out well. It helps the customers to get their doubts resolved. But, be more cautious about replying to the queries. As customers expect instant replies, make sure you are doing that in order to avoid further chaos. 

At times, you can also rely upon the customer chat support software that helps you to deal with the customers instantly. Most often, customers get doubt at the time of their renewals or during your referral programs. Make sure you are more attentive during these days. 

No Optimization for Mobile Users

According to a recent survey, almost 79 percent of Smartphone users have purchased online using their mobiles in the last 6 months. Added, 40 percent of the eCommerce purchases during the holiday season were made on smartphones. 

I hope you have understood how well our online market has changed. Instead of standing in queues, people have been making instant purchases using their smartphones. But, my question for you is, whether your eCommerce store is optimized for mobile users?

If not, optimize it now. Optimizing your eCommerce store especially for mobile users helps you to increase your conversion rate considerably. As every individual owns a smartphone today, it helps in instant purchases when they encounter your social media ads or marketing campaigns. 

Avoiding Seo Strategy Is Not Good For Your Store

SEO is important for every business and every online store. When you have planned to launch an eCommerce store, consider adding SEO relevant and ranking factors in your store. If you haven’t considered it yet, optimize your store according to the SEO factor now. 

Avoiding the SEO factor is literally equal to ignoring immense traffic to your store. Leaving other inorganic or paid traffic aside, gaining organic leads from the search engines brings more benefits to your site. And, it also has chances to bring more potential customers to your store. 

Try optimizing your product pages with relevant keywords with high volume. Focus on your product descriptions. Having a detailed product description alone will not work unless you add a relevant keyword to it. Optimize your store’s speed that brings a major impact to your store’s ranking. 

Having A Dull And Unclear Website Design

There is no doubt that an individual entering your store obviously gets taken away with your design. It lays the foundation for your store’s success. So, in order to make it happen in your store too, try to come up with an innovative design that helps in your conversion rate. 

Do not overuse the CTAs and make the site too complicated. Focus on the navigation bars and the popups that tend to direct the customers to your desired page. If the popup you use is simple, you can go along with the floating bar or sidebar that brings a different look to your website. 

When it comes to website design, UX plays a huge role. Do not forget to pay special attention to your UX design that helps in smooth navigation. Your design must suit your functionality and performance of your store. It helps in high conversion rates. 

Giving Less Weightage To A/B Testing

Remember, every single thing you optimize in your store gives a major impact on the conversion rate. But, you may not be sure whether it is a good impact or not. So, whenever you optimize your store, do not forget to test it right away. 

Additionally, when you come up with an email copy different from the past ones, try to send the copies to only half of the customers. Try to see the results and conversions out of it. It helps you to personalize your emails more effectively than ever. 

You might have come across a few eCommerce stores using a plugin that really benefits them a lot. And, you also wish to have one. Nothing wrong with it. But, try to test it before you apply it. Testing the plugin or any new customization to your store helps you to make changes if necessary. 

Final Thoughts

And, the mistake list ends here!! I am not sure how many of you are making these mistakes in your eCommerce store. Probably, no more!! Take time to understand what your store actually needs and blend the strategies with your next move. 

Do not forget to accomplish your mistakes before you and try to come over with the solutions. It helps you to witness drastic changes that positively impact your conversion rates. Cheers!!

Monisha Thangavel is an ardent writer and a blogger carrying years of experience in different realms including eCommerce, Tech, and SEO. Her brevity-rich writings flash a light upon the uncovered yet important points about WordPress and eCommerce plugins including Retainful.