{"id":3130,"date":"2017-02-13T08:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/?p=3130"},"modified":"2017-02-12T18:01:05","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T01:01:05","slug":"5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things to avoid doing as an e-commerce business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-3131\" src=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318.jpeg\" width=\"600\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318.jpeg 7360w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318-300x172.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318-768x440.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318-1024x586.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318-624x357.jpeg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Despite the many benefits being an e-commerce business offers, (fewer overheads, selling products overseas and no closing period to name just a few), a huge number of e-commerce businesses are still struggling to be profitable, with some failing to survive. If you are the owner of an e-commerce store, or if you are planning on starting one, here are five things to avoid doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/#Wrongly_pricing_products\" >Wrongly pricing products<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/#Using_poor_quality_images_and_product_descriptions\" >Using poor quality images and product descriptions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/#Complicating_the_checkout_process\" >Complicating the checkout process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/#Not_creating_a_mobile-friendly_site\" >Not creating a mobile-friendly site<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/5-things-to-avoid-doing-as-an-e-commerce-business\/#Targeting_the_wrong_audience\" >Targeting the wrong audience<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wrongly_pricing_products\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Wrongly pricing products <\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">One of the main reasons customers choose to shop online is to find cheaper products. But when deciding how to price your products, you need to choose wisely. Price products too low and customers may think they are low quality, but price them too high and they are likely to look elsewhere. After all, customers are able to compare prices in seconds online. Depending on what you are selling, should also try to offer either free shipping or shipping for as low as possible on orders over a certain amount.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_poor_quality_images_and_product_descriptions\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Using poor quality images and product descriptions<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">When browsing physical products in store, customers are able to pick them up and take a good look before making a decision. Online shopping relies on images and descriptions, so you need to make sure they\u2019re good quality. Poor quality images and limited descriptions will, without doubt, lose your business custom. Your photos should display your products from multiple views and include detailed descriptions, rather than relying solely on a good price. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Complicating_the_checkout_process\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Complicating the checkout process<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">With e-commerce giants like Amazon simplifying the checkout process, customers now shop online with the expectation of being able to shop quickly and easily. A confusing, multi-step checkout process is likely to frustrate customers and may cause them to turn away and look elsewhere. You should give the option at the checkout to register and save their details, but do not make this a necessity. Some customers find this time consuming and will want to checkout as a guest instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Not_creating_a_mobile-friendly_site\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Not creating a mobile-friendly site<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">According to data from Google, four out of five smartphone owners used their phone to shop in 2015, and this number is only increasing. For this reason, it\u2019s important that e-commerce sites have a website that\u2019s both desktop and mobile-friendly. If your online store isn\u2019t properly designed for mobile, this will result in a difficult user experience for the consumer and they may choose to shop elsewhere. Make sure your mobile-responsive site is clean and professional-looking with easy navigation. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Targeting_the_wrong_audience\"><\/span><span class=\"s2\"><b>Targeting the wrong audience<\/b><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Regardless of the amount you plug into marketing campaigns or advertising, if you\u2019re not targeting the right audience, you are wasting your time. When starting your e-commerce business, one of the main keys to success is to thoroughly research your target market to find out the types of consumers who will be interested in your product. Once you have done substantial research, you can begin creating organic and paid search campaigns and social media management to boost awareness of your brand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>Need help creating an e-commerce site or with your existing site? <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/custom_quote.html\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Request a quote<\/b><\/span><\/a><b> today<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the many benefits being an e-commerce business offers, (fewer overheads, selling products overseas and no closing period to name just a few), a huge number of e-commerce businesses are still struggling to be profitable, with some failing to survive. If you are the owner of an e-commerce store, or if you are planning on&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":3131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,558,29,6,586],"tags":[682,696,347,665,699,340,698],"class_list":["post-3130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing-strategies","category-mobile-responsive","category-search-engine-optimization","category-visual-design","category-web-development","tag-e-commerce","tag-e-commerce-site","tag-marketing-strategy","tag-mobile-responsive","tag-mobile-responsive-site","tag-product-descriptions","tag-product-design"],"modified_by":"Emma Gibbins","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/AdobeStock_101828318.jpeg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}