13 Common eCommerce Mistakes You Must Avoid

Updated on January 21, 2023 in Ecommerce by Nishant Shrimali

“To err is human”, meaning humans tend to make mistakes. But it’s also never too late, to correct them and start fresh. Keeping other things aside, in this article we are going to discuss some of the most common eCommerce mistakes that one may do.

But we got you covered. Along with the mistakes, you will also find the best way to grow your eCommerce.

So take out your notes and get ready for some real insight on the world eCommerce mistakes you must avoid.  

13 Common eCommerce Mistakes

1. Lack Of Research

We live in 2023, a time when everything can be interpreted by the data. And when it comes to eCommerce, you can literally see every action of your potential customers through the right research.

If you are starting an eCommerce, or if you are looking forward to growing your eCommerce, we highly encourage in-depth research.

Research on what?

Everything related to your eCommerce, customer, and growth. A simple way to get started is by looking at the top competitors. Understanding what they are up to and following in their footsteps will help you learn a lot about the industry preferences.

Some key points you must learn from your competitors are:

• Keywords they are using
• Their best selling products
• Most Common CTA’s
• Source of traffic

2. Targeting Wrong Customers

This eCommerce mistake is mostly the main reason why an eCommerce fails to gain sales. It is very important that you know who are your ideal customers are even before you launch your products.

The best way to get over this mistake is to reverse engineering your customer psyche through the buyer’s persona. In it describe a person who has bought your product. Answer simple questions about him as what is his age, what profession might he be in, why will he buying this product, and everything that can help you know your customer better.

3. Keeping Work Load In-house

There is no denying that in the past, work that was kept in-house was profitable due to the lack of means of communication. But we are in the digital era now. And having a dedicated in-house team just means a toll on your monthly budget.

If you are just starting out, the best model of work for your eCommerce is outsourcing. Don’t make the common eCommerce mistake to take all the burden on your shoulders.

You can outsource most of your eCommerce work that doesn’t require continuous monitoring to manage important tasks and achieve new goals. In addition, we would also like you to learn about PixelPhant.

4. Not Pricing Your Product Right

Let us keep it simple. What will be your main reason to prefer one product over the other? The value it is offering for its price, right? The same is the case with 60% of your customers. 

The other 40% are loyal customer who needs more than just features and price tags to choose your product

This is why you must make sure that you are pricing your product right. How to determine the right price for your product?

By being truly critical of your product. Initially, if you are offering more than anyone in the market (which you should), keep the price the same as your competitors or lower than your competitors to attract new clients.

If you are selling a standard product, try keeping the pricing low and focus on bulk to stand out. Avoid this common eCommerce mistake and lookout for the next one on the list.

5. Lack Of Technology

Running an eCommerce means 24*7 work not just for you but even for your team. This is why you need to hand over your efforts to technology. Some field where most eCommerce fails to merge technology is inventory management, product personalization, order management, customer care, etc.

6. Ignoring Security

Making sure that your eCommerce is up and running in a protected manner is crucial. Not just for you but also for your customer’s data privacy. Hence take all the measures to keep your eCommerce protected. this is most of the common eCommerce Mistake. Some common security measures that must keep in mind are:

• Having SSL certificate
• Working with secure payment methods
• Protecting your eCommerce from spambots

7. Not Building Trust

You will be facing competition from around the globe and you have to build trust among your customer, even before they make a purchase. Some ways are to make sure your website looks and feels professional to build trust are

• Use high-quality product images
• Have great content
• Are sharing customer testimonials
• Are active on major social platforms
• Have earned review on bookmark sites
• Have reviews on Google

Make sure you checklist all these points which are crucial to building trust among your customers.

8. Genric Product Description 

This is the most common eCommerce mistake to avoid at any cost. Your product description is a key factor in helping your customer learn about you as well as the product. Non the less, filling it with genric information only showcases that you don’t value your customer at all (which we know is not true).

To overcome this misconception, use your product description wisely. Showcase why the following product is different from all, why one should be buying the product and what benefits will they be gaining.

Along with this use bullets, statics, and pure data to support your claims. You can also read our amazing guide on 10 Things you Should Remember While Writing Product Description.

 9. Uncategorised eCommerce

Another common eCommerce mistake that you must avoid is uncategorized eCommerce. If there is one thing that your customer values the most is his customer experience. And an uncategorized eCommerce is just another step that can force your customer to bounce off your site.

Make sure your eCommerce is properly categorized. Make specific categories that make it easy to navigate from any point of your customer journey, use generalized categories which are easy to understand, and lastly don’t overcomplicate them.

The aim of categorizing is to make sure your eCommerce is well organized. Too many branches can result in cluttering of your eCommerce which again is a no-no.

10. Not Using Guest Checkout

Ever been on a site where you can’t make a purchase without signing up? Frustrating right. There is just one product that you need, and for that, you will have to trade your data as well as the capital to purchase it.

Simple answer. Don’t be that eCommerce, and avoid this common eCommerce mistake. The goal of your eCommerce here is to sell. The more friction you add, the lesser your customer gets interested in making a purchase from you.

So keep the check out simple, allow them a guest check out, and don’t force sign-ups.

11. Holding Back On Product Photography

If you have been part of the PixelPhant blogs, you might already know the importance of product photography. Don’t make this common eCommerce mistake. Product Photography is a key to attracting as well as engaging the client and showcasing what your product is.

So make sure you are not holding back on using high-quality product photography as it will directly be affecting the way your customer interacts with your site.

12. Duplicating Your Competitors

You have to stand out. You have to make your own brand that people remember. And this can’t be done if you are just duplicating what your competitors are doing.

Sure, take the key points which are helping them and use ut in your own way. Copying their content, making the site look like them, and duplicating their brand as it is will always harm your brand in the long run.

While looking out for your competitors, also find out the gap between them and the market that you can fulfill on your site. Use this simple trick to avoid common eCommerce mistakes.

13. Lack Of Payment Options

Lastly, the most common eCommerce mistakest is keeping the payment options limited. By now if you have taken care of all the points mentioned here, your customer would be pleased to pay you for your product.

But lack of payment options can harm their customer experience and cause a serious dent in your conversion rate. Ensure that your eCommerce accepts all major payment methods to ease the customer journey.

Wrapping Up

And with this, we wrap up the common eCommerce mistakes that you must avoid. It’s been a long list but it’s all worth it. Ensure that you are not falling prey to any of these eCommerce mistakes and are growing your eCommerce as it should.

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