The Most Serious Ecommerce Mistakes We Have Observed

Failure to make use of category pages (online business)

When we presented the example from Home Science Tools before, we noted this: (online business)

As long as your eCommerce site sells numerous products, you must construct separate category pages as needed.

(Imagine how difficult it would be to identify the appropriate equipment on Home Science Tools if the site only had a single page dedicated to each item.)

Square L Group’s Kevin Strawbridge agrees:

“(One of the most common blunders made by eCommerce owners is) failing to establish a correct hierarchy and taxonomy for product groups at the outset…

(as well as) a lack of proper information arrangement.”

Not only do categories pages allow you to conveniently organize and exhibit your numerous items to your visitors, but they also allow you to include additional information to keep your visitors educated and involved with your business, as we’ll show in the following sections.

A lack of hierarchy (online business)

When it comes to categorizing your products, you want to do so in a method that makes sense.

(As previously stated, the purpose of category pages is to help your visitors find the things they’re looking for.)

On the one hand, being too wide contradicts the idea of having different category pages in the first place. You don’t want to be too detailed, though, because each category should contain more than one or two items.

Bad copy and design (online business)

Your category pages, like your homepage, must interest and engage visitors in order to entice them to look at your actual products.

Ineffective media mix (online business)

We don’t need to say much here because we’ve already discussed this in relation to your site.

Just make sure you have the correct combination of text, picture, and multimedia as your visitors anticipate.

This is frequently due to the way your products are normally used. If your buyers, for example, need to see your products “in action” before purchasing, you should definitely incorporate video on your category pages.

In a moment, we’ll go through that in further detail.

Pages with a lot of categories

There’s a good chance you thought our RevZilla samples were a little excessive when you first saw them.

To be sure, if your target clients don’t want you to, there’s no need to go overboard on your category pages.

Yes, you should use your category pages to provide additional information about the products included therein – but you don’t want to boring your visitors to death. You also don’t want to be so “in your face” with them that you annoy them.

To summarise, the purpose of your category pages should be to:

Organize your products in the most efficient way possible.

Make it simple for your visitors to navigate your site.

To keep your visitors going toward conversion, provide them more information.

Mistakes made when it comes to product pages

Incomplete product information and description

This is a big one.

Because your customers can’t engage with your products before they buy them, it’s your obligation to make sure they understand exactly what they’re getting.

Your product descriptions should now either focus on objective features and specs, or on subjective benefits to the buyer, depending on who you ask.

Ineffective product photography

Along with detailed product descriptions, it’s also critical to have high-quality product images on your product pages.

According to James Winter of AspireIQ (previously Revfluence),

“When people shop online, it’s understandably difficult to visualise how a thing would seem in a real-life setting. Brands frequently struggle to portray their products in a way that represents what a potential buyer might truly connect with.”

Winter goes on to claim that this flaw fails to “bring the product to life” in the eyes of the buyer (who, once again, is unable to engage with the product until they purchase it).

Insufficient social proof

As you probably already know, social proof – such as product reviews, testimonials, and referrals – are powerful motivators for prospects to convert.

So, where better to include this social proof than on your product pages?

Incomplete service information

As an eCommerce business, you’re theoretically not only selling a variety of things; you’re also selling a variety of services, such as shipping, returns, and customer service.

Of course, as your potential customers browse through your offerings, this may slip their minds. Even if consumers assume that these services come included with their purchase, it’s still a good idea to remind them.

Security certificates are lacking.

It’s no secret that even non-tech-savvy customers are concerned about keeping their personal information safe and secure when doing business online.

As previously said, the security of your eCommerce is critical for a lot of reasons.

(On a side point, eCommerce consultant Carl Hendy observes that many online stores “still run without HTTPS, with only the checkout page being HTTPS.”) Of course, this could have long-term consequences.)

In any case, the point is that you want to double-check that your visitors’ information is safe while they’re surfing your site.

Source: online business , online business ideas