Factors Affecting an E-Commerce Website

Online shopping has matured significantly. Whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want - we're ready to serve even the most discerning e-commerce company. They can even predict the next item on the customer's wish list. Others, despite having a similar product line, have been unable to impress potential customers.

So, what causes e-commerce websites to go downhill? Let's take a look:

1. No clear value proposition: Imagine you're a first-time visitor to your website. They like the way your website looks and admire its design, but they're not sure what your powerful brand proposition is all about. Perhaps the homepage lacks a strong brand message or the logo is incorrectly placed. Because the site only has a few seconds to make an impression, every element on the homepage is crucial.

2. Ineffective navigation: Buying habits are the same whether in a store or on the internet. For example, I'd like to know where to go in a store to find the right color and size of my favorite brand of jeans. An e-commerce site would be the same. I'm not likely to return if I have to scroll up and down or can't find my way around easily. Bounce rates are known to be high when there is a poor navigation structure.

3. No prominent "Search" button: In a physical store, a visible, easy-to-miss "Search" box is the equivalent of a friendly, expert salesperson offering to help you. Without this tool, you might end up feeling lost and confused. Or, if you're short on time, you might decide to skip the shopping altogether due to the apparent lack of such a feature.

4. Lack of contact number/email display: If a new ecommerce website's location, address, and contact details aren't visible, many online visitors may be suspicious of its legitimacy. Online businesses with contact information or email addresses prominently displayed on their homepage gain a lot of credibility.

5. Not enough promotion of new or hot-selling items: Let's say a company sells costume jewelry and one of its designs is particularly popular. To keep up with demand, production is being increased. Now, if the website fails to prominently promote this item on the homepage under its "hot-selling" or "most popular" category, it will miss out on capitalizing on the buyer's instinct to imitate popular behavior.

6. Difficult or time-consuming payment options: Different businesses use different payment methods, and product categories have their own set of restrictions. However, failing to state these clearly, causing a buyer to waste time, or forcing them to choose a different payment method due to a shortcoming on your part are all sure-fire ways to harm your ecommerce business.

7. There is no "Trustmark": Trust is the foundation of any business transaction, and nowhere is this more apparent than in an online system. Because of increased consumer awareness (which is a good thing! ), any customer shopping on the Internet will only feel secure if they can see a Trustmark, i.e. a safety guarantee from 3rd parties such as VeriSign, McAfee, and so on. The exclusion of such a seal on an e-commerce website would almost certainly lead to its demise.