3 common areas where e-commerce businesses struggle

The world of e-commerce has continued to blossom, but that doesn’t mean online retailers are stress free.

While the marketplace may be booming, you may not be able to say the same about your sales.

Developing your e-commerce site is the simple part; managing and facilitating relationships to increase your sales is where the tides may turn. The question remains, what can you do to solve these problems?

Whether you’re starting a business or already in the market, it’s never too late to make some changes. Let’s take a look at a few areas where many online retailers tend to struggle, and what you can do to improve.

1. Website Security

No matter the size of your business, you can count on having a target on your back. Many business owners don’t take website security as seriously as they should.

The lack of time spent on website security will not only end up in monetary losses in the short term, but in the long run as well. How comfortable will your customers feel using your site again if their information gets leaked? Chances are, they won’t be too pleased.

Anticipate and prevent cyber attacks

About 52 percent of respondents to a 2015 survey believe they’ll “likely” be hit by a successful cyber-attack this year.

That’s up from 39 percent last year. And even more respondents, 71 percent of them, admit that they fell victim to a successful cyber-attack in the prior year.

Building a relationship and trust between you and your customer is a hurdle in itself. Don’t jeopardize all your hard work just because you underestimated the probability of being hacked.

Test your website several times to detect any possible weaknesses.

Do yourself a favor; don’t fall into that 71 percent. Act swiftly to decrease the chances of this happening to your business. Take the time to look up different apps and security systems that can help reduce the risk of a cyber-attack.

2. Customer loyalty and trust

Unless you’re a well-known brand with raving reviews, it is likely to be a challenge building loyalty and trust with your customers. Online businesses often struggle much more than storefront retailers due to the inability to meet and see the face behind the product.

While shopping online has its advantages, it often helps to have that tad of human interaction to build a relationship with your customers. A smile and a handshake go a long way in the world of sales.

Foster a relationship

There are other things you can do to help foster that relationship, such as identifying what makes your product unique over competitors, providing contact information other than a form such as email, providing your location and phone number, and putting your team on display.

You may not be able to meet in person, but providing pictures, bios and links to personal media pages such as LinkedIn can help your customer feel like they know who they are doing business with.

Make interactive content easily visible

Aside from supplying these details, make sure other content such as reviews and blogs are easily visible. If your customers are able to identify with your voice and can get a grasp of the quality of your service/product from the reviews it will make that transition from browser to customer that much easier.

Implement loyalty programs and personalized advertising

Making sure your customers feel special and prioritized will help build that loyalty and trust you desire.

3. Mobile

You would think by now all online retailers make it a priority to ensure their site is not only mobile responsive but provides a great look and feel for their customers. On top of the visual aspect, make sure to:

Make mobile shopping easy

Take into account the entire shopping experience from start to finish. Make the process as easy as possible for your customers; don’t make them have to start all over again on their computers.

The shopping cart abandonment rate alone is around 67%. Giving your customer a reason to ditch their cart will most likely result in not closing the sale, period.

If you want to go the extra mile, consider developing a specific mobile shopping app to enhance the experience that much more.

Optimize the checkout process

Although most transactions are still made through desktop, you should never exclude those who complete the checkout through their phones.

With just a few simple tweaks, you can bring your site from a six to a 10. There is enormous opportunity in the world of e-commerce. Don’t let your potential slip by not following through on a few areas that can make or break your business.

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