The internet is a world where many believe that simply by creating a basic e-commerce webpage or website all the incredible benefits of online marketing will happen in a few weeks. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, you might be wondering, why isn't my store selling?
Not getting any or very low sales in an online store can mean a lot of things. For companies that offer quality products as well as services, it usually means that their marketing and sales efforts are not achieving the goals set.
This unfortunately turns out to be very common, especially when companies are starting their digital strategy.
So, we formulated this article with some probable reasons for the difficulties encountered, in order to clarify the main factors that influence low sales in the virtual scenario. Good reading!
sales mean a lot
Sales not only mean short-term profit, they also improve your brand, your brand visibility, and your website reach. Improving sales is key to a successful business and brand.
Often, at this juncture, e-commerce companies will seek professional assistance in online marketing, website building, and the digital strategy that transforms their e-commerce project.
And this is really recommendable, but before that, let's list some of the main factors that influence the number of sales, in which entrepreneurs need to dedicate their efforts:
Digital Marketing Strategy
A digital marketing strategy is the first thing to consider if you're wondering why your ecommerce store doesn't sell. We build digital marketing strategies from scratch, focusing on your strengths but also appealing to the right audience through the right means.
Importance of Organic Traffic
Low traffic means low sales. While high traffic doesn't always mean high sales, it certainly increases the odds. Your website needs to be easily accessible, which also fits into your digital marketing strategy. Search engine optimization forms a big part of that, and SEO experts can sort it out for you.
Without targeted traffic, your store won't generate any revenue. You need to create an inbound marketing strategy that uses social, content, and even paid marketing. Once you start building your customer base, let user-generated content and testimonials build more social proofs and promote your store.
Public
If your e-commerce doesn't sell, you also need to think about your audience. Google Analytics can help with this, and you should adapt accordingly. Make sure your site is attracting the right kind of customers and make changes if it isn't.
Marketing Channels
The channels through which you market also dictate your sales. Using marketing channels that are better with younger buyers when selling a product aimed at older people, for example, will not help.
Product
Is your product ready, does it offer something new, or is it priced correctly? If your marketing strategy is solid and your website is down to scratch, the problem could be with your products.
Presentation
Bad presentation can easily mean no sales on stores and ecommerce platforms. Are you making your products look good?
TESTIMONIALS
Does your website tell people what others think of your products? If not, that may be why your e-commerce doesn't sell! Don't forget to tell people what others think of your products.
Poor quality images and product descriptions
When customers buy online, they don't have the ability to pick up a product and inspect it. They are forced to trust the images you provide, along with any descriptions you have.
Images and descriptions must be designed to attract buyers to the item. If you have bad photos or just rely on technical descriptions, you will lose a lot of sales because you won't be able to generate interest in your products.
Show your products from multiple angles, with quality images, and create unique descriptions that show buyers the value of products and how consumers can benefit from them.
Missing contact information
Contact information may seem like a small detail, but limiting it on your website is a huge red flag for consumers. They want to know they can talk to you if there's a problem. If you're not displaying your location information (even without a retail store) and phone number, you'll have a hard time establishing trust with your customers.
A complex checkout process
A complex, multi-step checkout process is a frustrating experience for customers. It's like going to Walmart for a single product, only to find that the store has only two working records, plus lines that are huge.
Eliminate frustration by creating a very short checkout process. Likewise, never require registration for a checkout. Let customers go through the process and choose the option to register and save their information at the end, in case they want to come back again.
Hidden shipping fees
Many people abandon online carts because shipping costs were hidden until the end of the checkout process, when only then do they discover high shipping fees that they are unwilling to pay.
Some customers don't even make it that far. Shipping fees are one of the biggest reasons for shopping cart abandonment, but it's an easy problem to fix.
Provide your customers with a shipping calculator that works based on the items they are interested in, but also their zip code. Most ecommerce platforms offer plugins that make it easy to adopt a calculator like this.
Bad browsing in your online store
If your online store has tiny buttons, small product images, or a cluttered design, navigation can be incredibly difficult.
Small touch targets make it difficult to pin the destination link or button on a shrunken mobile screen, which can sour the shopping experience and thus send a consumer elsewhere. So make sure your mobile design is responsive, with large images and properly sized buttons. Google recommends tapping targets as well as buttons that are at least 48 pixels high/width.
Customers don't know what to do
Even with an e-commerce site, you need to make it very clear what you want the customer to do on your site. Pages must direct the customer using an obvious call to action. The most successful e-commerce sites tell customers exactly what to do, so never let them have to guess what the next step is.
Engage your customers and followers on social media to attract them to your online store
Use content marketing to engage past but also current customers to keep them coming back as you promote your content to new prospects.
you're targeting the wrong audience
You may be spending time as well as money on content marketing or spending on ads that aren't generating any business. Make sure you do your audience research so your marketing is targeting the right crowd.
The price is not right in your online store
Product pricing can be difficult: If your prices are too low, customers may think your products are of lower quality. Also, put too high a price, and they will shop elsewhere. When you factor in tax and shipping costs, it's even more challenging. Market research is trial and error can help you find the sweet price point you need to gain (and keep) customers.
Need help? Do not worry! With the Colors Agency, we guarantee much more than just an attractive look and a modern layout for your website. Our main focus is therefore to offer companies around the world effective solutions to generate visibility on the internet.
Our agency develops SEO strategies and brand positioning for multinational companies, large, medium as well as small, all projects are important to us.