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Common eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Business

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Robert Johnson
Common eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Business

Starting an eCommerce business might look like a simple process, but there are many small procedures that can ruin your whole idea if you are not careful.

The most important thing when starting an online store is preparation. So, if you still haven’t launched your business, you are in the right place.

In today’s article, we will highlight some of the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when starting an eCommerce store and see how to avoid them.

  1. Choosing the Wrong Platform

Your eCommerce platform is the base of your online store. This means that you have to do a ton of research in order to find out which platform goes along with your goals, knowledge, and experience.

There are plenty of options available on the market, but the most popular are WooCommerce and Shopify. Unsurprisingly, 87% of merchants use Shopify, and there is a good reason for that.

The platform is very easy to use and provides all the popular payment gateways you need. Additionally, it comes with thousands of useful apps like HelpCenterApp that will enable you to have exceptional customer support and helpdesk software.

Remember, not all platforms will go along with your store type and requirements. You need to dig deeper and find which platform is the best for you.

  1. Not Understanding Your Target Audience

Just like in other businesses, your target audience is crucial for success. Your target audience is defined by the type of products you sell. Not having an idea of your target audience is like running a marathon blindfolded.

Most of your money invested in advertising will go to waste, and you’ll never get enough sales as expected if you don’t target your audience properly. You need to make sure that your audience has a need for your product and that you are able to communicate your offer in a language they understand.

  1. Not Going For Scalable Website Design

Most entrepreneurs want to start with a small eCommerce website, but they don’t know that things move extremely fast in the digital world. Building a small website that cannot be scalable is one of the biggest mistakes you can make with your store.

This doesn’t leave you the opportunity to expand your store in the future. There are thousands of pre-made store designs on the market, and make sure you choose an expandable theme that you can grow into.

  1. Having a Complex Navigation

No matter how good your products might look, it all goes to waste if people cannot find them. Complex navigation menus have been a problem for young entrepreneurs for a long time. That’s why you need to simplify things and avoid going overboard with categories and subcategories.

Having a simple menu layout and clear navigation will make your website more appealing and help you increase your sales.

  1. Complicated Checkout Process

Most people are surprised to see the number of abandoned carts right after customers land on the checkout process. There is a good explanation for this.

Most users usually test your website to see if there are any hidden fees or to find out the payment method and supported shipping addresses. Additionally, people might abandon their carts due to the complex checkout process.

First of all, you should install a checkout process on your website. Avoid redirecting people to third-party websites. Also, don’t include any hidden fees like shipping, VAT, or false prices.

You should only ask for information that is necessary for the transaction. For example, all you need is their name and address. Asking for anything else is a waste of time for customers, and they might abandon their cart.

Having a simple checkout process is crucial for increasing your conversion rate on your Shopify store.

Final Words

These are some of the common mistakes that people make when they start their eCommerce store. Don’t worry. Most of these mistakes are not devastating for your business, and you can learn the process from trial and error.

Still, establishing research before you launch your eCommerce store will save you a lot of time and money further in the process.

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