Top Ecommerce Mistakes made by Small Businesses that Cost them Big

On line shoppingLowering cart abandonment rates and successfully increasing profits in the ecommerce space involves utilizing numerous strategies to do so. Fast shipping, low shipping rates, and good packaging are all enticing but there’s more to it than just these bullet points. If you’ve been having trouble reaching your full ecommerce sales potential, look at the mistakes that other businesses have made and save yourself the hassle. 

Providing multiple shipping options for customers

Customers like to have choices. By not providing them shipping options, you run an increase in risk of cart abandonment. Customers with cost preferences or arrival time requirements should have the option. If cart abandonment is a big issue on your ecommerce platform, considering free shipping may be an ideal way to increase sales conversions.

Don’t ignore customer reviews

Customer reviews have the potential to permanently wreck the reputation of an online store. Customer reviews are where prospective customers get their info from. If there are complaints about delivery delays or damaged product, this amounts to a big problem that should be addressed immediately.

Using the right packaging

Consumer products need to be appropriately packaged to protect it from damages and to use it as an opportunity to establish brand reputation. By using lesser quality or inappropriately sized packaging, it may cost more in shipping. In response, some small business owners have chosen to skip on bubble wrap or other protections. No ecommerce company should be doing this. Always ensure adequate shipping protection is provided on any item.

Know what you are paying for with shipping costs

By neglecting to package correctly, you can run up shipping costs easily, especially when it comes to additional fees such as fuel surcharges, weekend delivery, residential delivery, etc. If you are paying for services that do not match your audience, you may be able to save here. Take the time to examine what your shipping costs cover and adjust accordingly.

Keeping track of shipping supplies

Even with expertise managing inventory, if you don’t have the shipping supplies required to get product out, it won’t ever leave the warehouse. Look at shipping supplies as a key component to inventory and ensure they are always replenished.

Automate the shipping process

Too many small business ecommerce companies attempt to manually manage every aspect of the inventory and shipping process. Creating labels is a heavy workload though and this combined with other responsibilities, it’s easy to get tired out. Through the use of ecommerce shipping software, you can automate certain parts of the shipping process, including the creation of customizable invoices and package delivery slips. If you’ve not already, getting in on this can make your job significantly easier.

Give attention to customer address validation

Any time a customer inputs an address, there is a small risk that it may be wrong. Always validate. By overlooking this important step, you may end up shipping to the wrong location or see your product returned. This leaves the customer immensely frustrated and likely demanding a refund, and you having to pay for this mistake in addition to potentially seeing you brand image damaged. If you’re using shipping software and/or are not already validating addresses, start. The value of this process is high.

By learning from the mistakes of others, you help save time and money in figuring out how to make your ecommerce business work for you. For more information on how to maximize profit opportunities for your ecommerce site and/or to launch a lead-generation marketing campaign, speak with Unlimited Exposure today.