Over the last few years, the world of eCommerce has evolved dramatically, providing huge opportunities for businesses to expand their reach and enhance revenues. Running a successful internet store, on the other hand, is not without its difficulties. There are various elements that might influence your eCommerce sales, and errors in your online store can be costly. In this article, we’ll look at 16 typical eCommerce store blunders that might harm your sales and recommend ways to help you avoid them – and optimize your WooCommerce store for maximizing sales.
1. Slow Loading Times
You have the best products in your inventory. And you’re confident that people will appreciate the work you put into making this thing. But loading your website takes a while. The facts below will help you realize why performance is one of the most important criteria for a higher eCommerce conversion rate if you don’t think it’s a barrier. The loading speed of any eCommerce store is one of the most important factors. Websites that take too long to load may lose visitors who expect a quick and seamless experience. To keep visitors engaged and interested in your items, speed-up your website.
Tools you can use to check if your website is slow:
| Tool | What It Does |
| Google Search Console | Monitors how your site performs in Google Search |
| Page Speed Insights | Free web performance analysis tool provided by Google |
| WebPageTest.org | Test the performance of your website from various locations around the world |
| Pingdom | Allows you to test the speed and uptime of your website |
How to Check if Your Website is Slow
Did you know Google Search Console has this cool feature? It can tell you if your hosting setup is giving Google’s crawlers a hard time. It’s like having a detective for your website! To check it out, just go to Google Search Console, click on Settings, then Crawl Stats, and finally, Hosts. This little report can give you the lowdown on whether your hosting choice is the right fit for your business. So, don’t forget to drop by and give it a peek from time to time. It’s your website’s way of saying, “Help me help you!”
Go to Google Search Console > Settings > Crawl Stats > Hosts to get the reports.
Actionable Tips
- Use Google Search Console to assess the impact of your host
- Inquire about auto-scaling options with your host
- Inquire about PHP workers with your host
- Regularly test with Google PageSpeed Insights
- Set up alerts for performance issues
- Integrate a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
- Enable Server Cache
Convesio: The Solution to Slow Loading Websites
Convesio provides lightning-fast managed WordPress hosting with the ability to manage multiple visitors at once and exceptional uptime. Among other features, Convesio provides you with PHP Workers, Auto Scaling, a user-friendly staging environment, security monitoring, and automatic backups. Read our full list of features.
2. A Complicated Checkout Process
When it comes to eCommerce, a quick and simple checkout experience is essential and has a direct impact on sales and cart abandonment rates. To ensure that you aren’t leaving money on the table, you need a user-friendly process that promotes quick and simple transactions by reducing the amount of stages, creating clear calls to action, and providing a guest checkout option.
Other tactics for improving the checkout process include optimizing it for mobile consumers, providing trust signals, and putting in place efficient error management. Your consumers should have a seamless and effective journey from adding things to their cart to completing their purchase – thanks to regular testing and feedback gathering that helps discover and address troublesome areas.
Actionable Tips: Make the checkout process easier. Think about developing a one-page checkout, or at the very least, reducing the number of steps required before submitting payment. In order to reduce friction for first-time buyers, allow guest checkouts. Finally, enable autofill on forms to make data entering simpler for users.
- Implement a single-page checkout or minimize the number of required steps
- Remove unnecessary fields and streamline form entry
- Offer a guest checkout option for first-time buyers
- Have a clear call to action
- Add Trust Signals – like a money back guarantee
- Enable autofill for customer data
3. Too Many Popups at the Wrong Time
Popups can be helpful for gathering leads or promoting exclusive deals, but too many of them can become obtrusive and turn visitors away. Popups should only be used rarely and deliberately to avoid annoying your clients. Same way leading potential customers from email platform or ads directly to your website.
Actionable Tips:
- Strike a balance with popups. Make sure they’re relevant to the user’s journey on your site
- Avoid using too many popups on a single page, and time them carefully to avoid disrupting the user experience
- A/B test different popup strategies to determine what works best for your audience
4. Asking for Personal Information too early
It is usually off-putting to ask customers for too much personal information too early in the purchasing process. If your goal is to increase sales, only ask for information that is absolutely necessary.
Actionable Tips:
- Throughout the checkout process, gradually collect personal information. Ask for only the most necessary details at first, such as an email address and a mailing address.
- Get more information as customers move through the checkout process. This methodical approach promotes trust.
- Initially, request only vital details like email and shipping address
5. Redirecting to an External Payment Site
By directing a customer to an external payment site, you run the risk of damaging the reputation of your website. This is a tricky issue and depends on the particular situation, but if you think about the most successful eCommerce sites, none of them redirect you elsewhere to pay.
In any case, an integrated payment gateway is simply more efficient and makes the checkout process less cumbersome.
Actionable Tips:
- Choose integrated payment gateways so that customers may finish transactions without being forwarded to other websites. This improves the user experience while also fostering customer confidence in your store.
- On-site payment alternatives are easily accessible through well-known payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, or Square
- Choose payment gateways that enable on-site transactions
6. Hidden Fees and Charges
For clients, hidden fees and charges can be a big turnoff. Be open and honest about all prices involved in the purchase so customers know what to anticipate.
Actionable Tips:
- Be upfront about all fees right away
- Before buyers go to the checkout step, all costs—including shipping fees, taxes, and other expenses—should be clearly displayed. Nobody enjoys being surprised during the payment process, so being honest here can increase trust and reduce cart abandonment
- Display shipping fees, taxes, and all charges upfront before reaching the checkout
- Avoid hidden fees to build trust and reduce cart abandonment
7. Confusing Navigation
Customers need a simple navigation menu in order to find the things they want. The user experience can be enhanced by menus that are clear and well-organized, includes search capabilities, and displays product categories in a logical manner.
Actionable Tips:
- Simplify the navigation on your website
- Utilize distinct categories and labels to make it simple for clients to find what they are looking for
- Establish a logical structure and make sure your search engine is reliable
- Real users should test the navigation of your website to identify any problems and potential improvements.
- Use clear and descriptive categories and labels
- Implement a logical and user-friendly hierarchy for menu navigation
- Improve search functionality for easy product discovery
8. Product Descriptions are Too Complicated or Hard to Understand
If product descriptions are unclear, customers may get confused and uncertain about their purchase. Always provide detailed, clear information about your products.
Write concise, in-depth product descriptions that draw attention to key benefits, features, and specifications. Use clear images, and when appropriate, consider incorporating video demonstrations. Always keep in mind that your product descriptions should give customers the details they need to make informed buying decisions.
Actionable Tips:
- Create concise, informative product descriptions that highlight key features and benefits
- Include high-quality images and, when relevant, video demonstrations
9. Leaving the Coupon Field Open
One of the most lesser-known errors that can harm your checkout conversion rate is leaving the coupon code field open and visible. Imagine a scenario where a customer is ready to purchase your product, diligently filling out the checkout fields.
Just before finalizing their purchase, they see coupon code field, and since they don’t possess a coupon code, they stop the checkout process to search for the coupon online. Chances are, they will simply abandon the cart and not finish their purchase.
Actionable Tips:
- Hide the coupon field or display it in a less noticeable manner to reduce the likelihood of distracting your customers during the checkout process
- Avoid prominently featuring the coupon code field during checkout
- Give specific links for discounts instead of using coupon codes
10. No Trust Signals
Gaining your clients’ trust is crucial for the success of your online business. To reassure customers that your store is trustworthy, use trust indicators like secure payment icons, customer reviews, and trust badges.
Actionable Tips:
- Display trust badges
- Use secure payment icons
- Display customer reviews prominently
- Include links to your privacy policy
11. No Social Media Presence
Social media is an effective medium for communicating with your audience in today’s digital age. The visibility of brands and customer interaction can both be improved by an active social media presence.
Actionable Tips:
- Build a community around your brand by interacting with your audience, showcasing your products, and sharing client testimonials
- Establish and maintain active social media profiles
- Engage with your audience, share products, customer reviews
12. Ignoring User Reviews and Feedback
Customer testimonials and feedback offer insightful information about your goods and services. Ignoring or removing the feedback could make it more difficult for you to satisfy your clients and make improvements.
Actionable Tips:
- Actively encourage customers to leave reviews and feedback.
- Respond to both positive and negative feedback promptly
- Use feedback to make ongoing improvements to your products and services
13. Lack of Payment Options
Offering a range of payment choices, including as credit cards, digital wallets, and other substitutes, helps accommodate your consumers’ different tastes and increase conversion rates.
Actionable Tips:
- Provide a range of payment options, such as credit cards, online wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay, and burgeoning choices like buy now, pay later services
- Pay attention to your consumers’ preferred payment methods to ease the checkout process
14. Poor Customer Support
Poor customer service can result in unpleasant experiences and lost sales. Make sure that your customer service channels are responsive to requests and problems.
Actionable Tips:
- Offer responsive and efficient customer service over a variety of channels, including live chat, email, and phone
- Respond to client questions and concerns in a timely and professional manner
15. Poor Website Design
A website that is physically unattractive or poorly designed may leave a bad impression. Invest in a professional, eye-catching design that successfully conveys your brand.
Actionable Tips:
- Invest in professional web design to build a visually stunning, responsive, and user-friendly website
- As more people shop from their mobile devices, be sure your website is mobile-friendly.
- A well-designed website not only draws visitors, but also engages them, promoting return visits
- Invest in a professional and visually appealing web design
- Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
16. No Return or Refund Policy
A major barrier to gaining and keeping clients in your eCommerce store can be the absence of a transparent and user-friendly return or refund policy. This oversight could damage customer confidence, turn away future customers, and eventually affect your revenue.
Actionable Tips:
- Create a Clear Policy without using jargon
- Include details on the return window, conditions for returns
- Ensure your customer support team is well-versed in the return and refund policy
Wrapping Up
In the ever-changing world of eCommerce, success is dependent on avoiding typical errors that might harm your sales. We looked at 16 significant flaws that could be hurting the functionality of your online store and presented effective strategies to fix them. There are numerous ways available to improve the performance of your eCommerce store, ranging from resolving slow loading times to optimizing your checkout process, striking a balance with popups, and gradually gathering client information. Furthermore, adopting trust-building strategies such as straightforward pricing, responsive customer assistance, and a visible social media presence can develop client loyalty and increase the legitimacy of your online business.
You’ll leave a lasting positive impression on your visitors with an eye-catching and mobile-friendly site design, as well as a clear return and refund policy. Remember that eCommerce success necessitates ongoing adaptability to changing market trends and consumer preferences. By implementing these tips, you will not only correct these typical eCommerce errors, but you will also pave the path for increased sales and a more enjoyable shopping experience for your clients.
