5 Ecommerce Mistakes to Avoid

It can be challenging to stand out in the ultra-competitive ecommerce landscape, and mistakes and inexperience only make it more difficult. Jump ahead of your competitors in the online marketplace by avoiding common pitfalls and operating like an ecommerce veteran. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid to help your company maximize its online marketplace revenue.

Not defining your audience

As an ecommerce seller, you are not abiding by the principle of throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Define your target audience so that you can tailor your marketing efforts to reach them. For example, you wouldn’t want to market back-to-school supplies to 23-year-olds just out of college, because that would be a waste of marketing spend. Be thoughtful and targeted with your marketing efforts to ensure you reach your ideal customer.

Not understanding your customers

In addition to knowing who your target audience is, you need to know how to reach them. Find out which channels and social media accounts your target consumer spends time on, and invest more marketing spend accordingly. It’s also important to understand what your customers need, the pain points they’ve faced with similar products, and anything along their customer journey that can help inform marketing and product wins for you in the future. Learn this information and more by conducting focus groups, extensive market research, and post-purchase surveys with your customers.

Choosing the wrong platform

When it comes to the platform(s) you choose to sell your products on, research your options thoroughly before making a decision in order to avoid unnecessary headaches in the future. Many free or cheap platforms seem appealing at first, but then charge large fees as you scale your operation or add features. Some platforms don’t offer you the option to upgrade at all. Before you make the commitment to a platform, make sure it can cover all of your needs now and down the road.

Using lackluster product information

Spend time on your product listings. Poor quality photos, unhelpful descriptions, and a lack of social proof will drive customers away in the ultra competitive ecommerce landscape. Avoid tricks like keyword stuffing when writing your descriptions, and instead focus on making them as helpful as possible to your potential customers.

Not utilizing SEO and CRO

Even if you’re marketing and presenting your product correctly, you still might be missing an opportunity for exposure and eventual sales if you’re not taking advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO). SEO is an essential skill for online businesses who want to be competitive in their field. SEO drives organic traffic to your site, boosts your page authority, and gives you a better ranking on search engines like Google, which is a huge top-of-funnel opportunity for sellers. CRO measures how effective your page is at getting customers to make a purchase, and good CRO practices can help you close more sales.

Avoid these common online marketplace mistakes, and you’ll already be ahead of the curve as you launch or expand your ecommerce business. Looking for more ways to boost your online retail sales? TVCMALL is here to help small businesses thrive. Check out our array of services, from product customization, to sourcing, to dropshipping, and more.