7 Beginner Mistakes to Avoid on Your Online Store
While the majority of people grow up learning from books, most of us truly learn best from experience. Whether you’re starting something new, a hobby, work project, or business, you’re bound to make a few mistakes along the way — and that’s okay. Mistakes are more common than you think and they shouldn’t be something to fear. The majority of entrepreneurs agree that the process of innovating, failing, and learning are all part of what makes a business successful. There are always things you can do to improve your online store to create an even more satisfying shopping experience for your customers. In this article, we’ll reveal common mistakes that many first-time online store owners make and share advice on how to avoid them.
1. No definitive target audience
You may know your product, but do you know your customers? New business owners will often get excited about their product but suffer from tunnel vision and neglect their target audience. Researching your target market is an important step as it’ll let you know which customers will want your product or service. You’ll have better success targeting 100 customers in a niche market than 10,000 random users who have no use for your product. Defining your audience can also help save on advertising costs as well as increase your revenue. Gain insight by analyzing your current audience on social media platforms, evaluating your competitors, and conducting market research with a detailed Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis.
2. No social proof
Ever scrolled through an online marketplace and found a pair of headphones you like but there are no reviews or ratings? And then you begin to wonder if the product is even genuine. Many consumers go through the same thought process when shopping online. Reviews and testimonials are an important part of the customer experience are examples of what is known as “social proof”.
Coined by Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, social proof is the idea of “When others do it, it must be correct”. Having no social proof can build doubt and hesitation. Trustworthiness is a key factor for success after all, and one that any aspiring business owner should not neglect. Customer reviews, testimonials, certifications, and celebrity or influencer endorsements are some of the many marketing tricks you can use to optimize your store’s and products’ social proof. There are many ways you can utilize social proof on your Cafe24 store, one of them being the Review Talk Talk app. The app provides an avenue for customer reviews and can be customized with various layouts and adapted to your store’s overall concept.
“Having no social proof builds doubt and hesitation. Trustworthiness is a key factor for success after all, and one that aspiring business owners should not neglect.”
3. Brand visuals are a mess
You know something’s off, but you can’t quite grasp what’s wrong with it. A brand’s social media feed is filled with texts in different fonts, product images are slightly off-center, and the color palettes just seem to jump from monochrome to pastel with no reason at all. There are no redeeming patterns or white spaces for your eyes to rest. There seems to be no logic, just a pure chaotic marketing mess. If it’s the same for your website and your brand visuals simply don’t match, it can give customers a sense of unease and cause them to turn away.
In ecommerce, having a cohesive brand visual will include elements of great UI/UX design and brand identity. Brand colors should be in line with your company’s image to convey a clear message to viewers. For example, a hot red logo will look strange if you’re an environmentally conscious brand. For cohesiveness, an easy fix is to make sure that your text and visuals convey the same tone, style, and colors. This will also help define your product descriptions, social media posts, and website content. It’s also important to take note that while visuals are important, great designs should also integrate functionality. With Cafe24’s Smart Themes Editor you can maintain the integrity of your store’s functions while applying professionally-made themes (some of them free!) and customizing them to match your brand identity. You can find themes under your sector, whether it be food, cosmetics, or clothing, for both your PC and mobile stores. It’s incredibly easy to use, even for users who have no knowledge of coding.
“… an easy fix is to make sure that your text and visuals convey the same tone, style, and colors..”
4. Poor product descriptions
Great product descriptions have three things in common: equity, relevant information, and value-based propositioning. Equity is knowing when to use the right amount of words to create an impactful description that helps people understand your product or service. Having little to no description may leave your customers confused, while having too long of a description may make it tedious to read. Stick to a 125–150 word limit when summarizing your products, focusing on the essential features of your product or service. Providing relevant information is about sharing the important details of your product, like the materials or ingredients used, available colors, sizes, and variations. Finally, value-based propositioning is about delivering the promised value or adding value to your product. A strong and clear product description identifies its target market’s needs and wants. Aligning all three elements in your product descriptions will give you better results and can help you become a better salesperson too.
5. Lack of security
Just like offline spaces, fraud, theft, and other criminal activities are constant threats that require security and protection on your online store. No one wants to go on a website where their personal information might be leaked. An unsafe-looking website will also push away potential customers, so improve trust by displaying your security certifications. One of the best ways to secure your online store is to implement SSL. Secure Server Layer (SSL) establishes a secure connection between your store and customers, and encrypts data coming in and out of your website. At Cafe24, SSL certificates are free. Sensitive information on pages like sign-up, login, and checkout can be secured without any charge.
Other ways to improve security on your store include installing anti-malware software to protect against malicious attacks, avoiding storage of credit card information on your store, backing up data in case of hacks, using multi-layer security solutions, and conducting regular security checks for any apps and plug-ins installed on your store and computer.
“One of the best ways to secure your online store is to implement SSL.”
6. Questionable marketing tactics
No one likes a pushy salesperson. Likewise, unwelcome pop-up ads or descriptions with too many power words and exclamation points can be overwhelming for customers. Sometimes less is more, even more so when 3 seconds is all it takes for customers to make an opinion on whether they like your store or not. First and foremost, never write dishonest claims just to make a sale. Be clear about what you are providing — focus on the benefits for your customer rather than the product’s perceived features or claims. Customers will also want to be treated fairly, especially when they’re potentially making a purchase. You can reciprocate that fairness by reassuring them that their credit card information will not be stored or by providing risk-free money back guarantee if they are not happy with your product. Using responsible and consumer-friendly marketing builds trust and credibility, ensuring a positive experience for customers.
7. Choosing the wrong platform
Small, medium, and large businesses will all have different needs that require a different set of ecommerce tools. Luckily today, there are many ecommerce platforms to choose from, each with differing monthly fees, storage capacity, and key features. A commission-free platform may benefit a startup business, whereas a platform with unlimited storage may benefit businesses with large inventory like an apparel company. A food and beverage company may need a platform with dedicated delivery partners to deliver perishable foods. At Cafe24, all types of businesses, from boutique stores to restaurant chains, can be catered with our full range of scalable ecommerce tools. You can offer cash on delivery services through our logistic partners, optimize your store’s visibility with our search engine optimization (SEO) tool, and even list an unlimited number of products — all for free. Pick from a multitude of apps and themes to build a successful online store the way you want.
Making mistakes should never hinder your progress, especially if it’s your first time. After all, even veteran store owners will encounter issues from time to time. Learning from common mistakes will set you up with a stronger foundation to build your online store for greater success.
