Creating a complete online store is not that difficult when there are a large number of platforms available, including Magento, Shopify, WooCommerce or Zencart. However, considering the fierce competition in the eCommerce segment, starting an online business is more about building credibility and getting things just right to drive conversions. For online retailers, success is a sure shot only if they know how to consistently get new customers and fill in all the gaps on the website. At every step, they must be careful not to make the costly mistakes most retailers make and ruin their profit margin.

Whether retailers want to launch an eCommerce store or optimize their existing store, these are the most obvious mistakes to look out for in order to deliver an exciting user experience to their visitors.

#1 Not having a proper plan for orientation

For an eCommerce site, one does not need a formal strategic plan, but rather a simple plan on how to proceed and target the specific segments. You don’t need a business plan as a road map to success, just be aware of who your customers are, what they like, what you can sell to them, and how much customers are willing to pay for the products you offer.

#2 Not having a defined value proposition

Research has shown that most shoppers spend a fraction of a second on any online site before deciding whether to buy or move on to another shopping destination. The only thing that can affirm your decision to stay is a unique value proposition from your store. Your value proposition will set you apart from other sellers and showcase what you have on offer to them. More precisely, the value proposition is a promising perspective from the point of view of retailers to provide specific benefits to customers and tell them why they are the best.

#3 Hide product details and information

Most online retailers make the mistake of hiding many details, such as add-on items, sales or discounts, certain less important features, or surcharges required for delivery. They think customers will love surprises and might get excited after ordering. But, the truth is that customers feel cheated in cases where they have to pay more and they didn’t know it. So even if you have the best intentions to hide some information, don’t do it, as people like to be upfront, especially about shipping and pricing.

#4 Ignore the after-sales customer service

You just can’t forget the customers who have bought something from your store because they might be the ones coming back for their next purchases. So, make sure you give them a good experience even after the product is sold. For this, retailers need to promote some prominent form of customer interaction afterwards, such as email, messaging, push notifications, live chat, etc.

#5 Not emphasizing SEO strategy with market understanding

SEO for e-commerce or any website involves efficiently studying the competitors in the market and what are the keywords or key phrases they are targeting. You shouldn’t be foolish and only consider keywords relevant to your business, but rather consider those quality keywords that can raise your search engine rankings above your competitors.

It is always better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own. These illustrations above are to make you and all aspiring retailers aware of the widespread mistakes that can occur in eCommerce development. This will likely cause your mind to race with different ideas on how to avoid these mistakes and improve your store’s revenue reach.