Marketing Director at Sellvia, developing and guiding promotion strategies for the company’s brands.
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In today’s ad-saturated world, getting an internet user to visit your website is an achievement on its own. Let's assume you’ve invested a lot into a sales funnel that finally inspired a user to click that button and explore your store. Now it’s crucial to make that interaction count!
Whether you’ve built your online store from scratch or used a ready-made solution, it's important to take a critical look at your website using a simple checklist and reenact the actual user experience.
As a digital marketer, I've spent 14 years working with brands and individuals across the globe to deliver the best possible results from their online businesses. So today, I'd like to share some recommendations to help detect three common flaws of an e-commerce store that can affect or even interrupt your visitor’s shopping experience—therefore, preventing you from getting a healthy return on your marketing investment.
Common Issue #1: Failure To Make A Positive First Impression
Imagine how many websites the average shopper visits every day and how many of them are user-friendly, up-to-date and eye-catching. Your store should look as good and stand out. This is especially true for users visiting your online store for the first time ever, who are typically not ready to make a purchase decision right away. You need to consider what will influence them to proceed with shopping or leave the site immediately.
How to fix:
• Review your visuals.
From navigation buttons to your product photos, all of your e-commerce store elements need to be designed thoughtfully to match your brand aesthetics.
• Look out for purely technical issues.
Things like broken links, empty pages, overlapping elements and unreadable fonts make the shopping process not only inconvenient but also seemingly unsafe. A user isn’t likely to trust their money with a store that seems to represent a sloppy, negligent business, and that’s not the reputation you’re aiming for.
• Check the mobile version.
Pay special attention to how your site looks on mobile devices. As most traffic comes from smartphones, optimizing for them is vital. Make sure the fonts are easily readable across all popular screen sizes, pictures are large enough and your banners and pop-ups don’t overlap.
Common Issue #2: Lack Of Details Crucial For The Decision-Making Process
With no opportunity to hold, touch and examine a product when shopping online, customers can only rely on the details you provide. If they're unable to answer their product questions using your website information, they will definitely not buy from you.
How to fix:
• Double-check your catalog.
Is your product assortment neatly organized and divided into understandable, easy-to-navigate categories and subcategories? It would be such a waste to overlook the perfect item simply because it accidentally landed in the wrong category.
• Enhance product page content.
Gather all product details in one place (i.e., on a product page) to minimize the time and effort required for visitors to find what they're looking for. The longer a client has to search for information, the more likely they are to move on without making a purchase.
These pages, therefore, should contain a comprehensive product description that includes all possible details like delivery options, materials, manufacturer, size charts (if relevant), technical specifications (if applicable), customer reviews, etc.
Last but not least, the most crucial element of the product page that can influence a purchase decision is the quality and quantity of product images. It is important to upload as many high-resolution photos as possible, taken from different angles, and make sure that the pictures show the product in great detail, from color to texture.
• Read the texts across all your store pages.
Make sure to review and edit all the texts across your website. Look for spelling errors and consider hiring a proofreader. This can save you from losing customers who may be turned off by poor grammar or spelling mistakes that are commonly seen as unprofessional.
Common Issue #3: Lack Of Information That Builds Trust
For a person who sees your store for the first time ever, your brand name doesn’t speak for itself. How can buyers be sure you’re a credible seller with no scamming intentions? That’s the final question to settle before you launch a wide-scale promo campaign.
How to fix:
• Introduce yourself.
An About Us page is a must to showcase the transparency of your business. Make sure it’s filled with authentic content true for your brand only. Let visitors know how long you have been in the market, who works on your team, what drives you forward and how you can help others through your initiative.
• Establish authority.
A News or Blog page is essential to inform visitors about new product arrivals, market trends, industry events and, most importantly, tips and advice for your potential audience and those already using your products. Even if a blog is a part of your site template, it’s most likely to be empty—and it’s you who needs to bring it to life.
• Be open to communication.
Take another look at your dedicated Contact page and make sure to include all the ways to get in touch with you (a phone number, messengers info, social media handles, etc.), as well as a feedback form and directions to your physical locations (if any). This is a proven way to demonstrate your business is legitimate and that you’re always up for talking to your buyers and followers.
Your online store should be attractive, informative and trustworthy. Now, it's time to bring in visitors! How about throwing a welcome sale or promoting a brand-new product?
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