Starting an online store is easy.
You’ve signed up for your sales platform of choice, taken pictures of everything you sell, followed along step-by-step to get your products online, and launched your online store among the thousands upon thousands of other online stores.
Now you can sit back and wait for sales to roll in.
And wait.
And wait.
Starting an online store is easy, but running a good online store is much harder.
What most platforms won’t tell you is how much extra work you have to put in to make your online store perform at a higher level. You can post your products online, but if search engines can’t find them, you’re missing out on huge sources of traffic.
On top of that, selling online isn’t the same as selling in a physical store. Your customers still expect certain information and standards, but the way of giving them this information is different. You’ve also got a limited amount of time to catch their attention and create an experience that stands out from all the other online stores.
The good news? We’ve rounded up the top four reasons we’ve seen e-commerce stores underperform.
1. Your customers are overwhelmed with choices
Is the setup of your online store driving customers away? The Nail Polish Principle will help increase your sales and keep your customers from being overwhelmed.
2. Your product descriptions need work
These two key points are the difference between product descriptions that flop and product descriptions that WOW.
3. Your shop page layout isn’t optimized
Physical stores strategically display products and focus on merchandising to increase sales. Why aren’t you doing this on your website?
4. You aren’t keeping up with the seasons
How do you sell hot chocolate in July? By changing the way you market your products, you can turn seasonal offerings into year-round profit-makers.
This is all stuff every store should be doing. Realistically, when you’re running a business, you have competing priorities that mean these details get left behind, even though they can have a huge impact on your bottom line.