5 Common E-Commerce Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Establishing an online presence is a tough task that requires a whole lot of guidance, and if you’re adding e-commerce to your company’s website, then there’s an additional, complex layer to consider.Owning and operating an e-commerce branch of your business is becoming a necessity. In fact, the majority of U.S. consumers prefer shopping online while 80 percent have made a purchase online in the last month.Without an experienced hand at the helm, establishing an online store can have disastrous results. So, before you take on the task and enlist the help of the professional at PBJ Marketing, consider the following pitfalls the commonly trap new e-commerce professionals.

1. A shaky foundationThere are many things to consider when first laying the groundwork for an e-commerce site. For example, the general theme, mobile capabilities, and analytics all need to be taken into account. Don’t worry, with the help of PBJ Marketing’s experienced e-commerce team, we’ll leave no stone unturned.
2. Too many productsConsumers want to have endless options when surfing your online store, right? Wrong! Expanding your product list over time is a good idea. To start, focus on core products while you get comfortable with the system and take it from there.
3. Clunky designThere’s so much more to creating an e-commerce platform than listing your products and giving consumers a way to buy them. A poorly designed online store will cause shoppers to look for alternate options. See what works and what doesn’t with the user experience. Over time, you’ll be amazed that the smallest design tweaks often yield the biggest results.
4. Stale contentMost shoppers want to research products before they complete a transaction. Posting through product descriptions is a good start, but over time begin to diversify your content. Consider video reviews and enticing photography that will really get consumers excited.
5. Complicated checkout processA shopper has your product in their cart, and they’re ready to checkout. The last thing you want to do is complicate the process. At present, digital shopping carts have an average abandonment rate of 69.2 percent. Don’t make it difficult to enter payment information and confirm orders.