Oh, Crop! Killer E-commerce Mistakes You Need to Conquer

10 August 2017

One of the most lucrative and fast-growing industries is the e-commerce industry. It has risen in popularity over the years due to the convenience and accessibility it provides for the consumers, and even for the sellers themselves.

A lot of people have been trying to start their businesses from home, yet they don’t know where to start, and they have no idea about the wide variety of industries they can invest in or the right tools they should use.

Aside from knowing what to do with your new venture, you also need to know the common mistakes and blunders you can commit. Lapses, no matter how small, can be highly detrimental to your business. But as worrying as it all sounds, don’t worry.

You can learn how to spot, avoid, and remedy these mistakes with this simple guide. Without further ado, here are five mistakes you need to avoid to keep your e-commerce business bug-free and in full swing.

Contents

1 Mistake #1: Forgetting Your Market
2 Mistake #2: Lack of Social Media Presence
3 Mistake #3: Neglecting Mobile Optimization
4 Mistake #4: Faulty Shipping Flexibility
5 Mistake #5: Failing to Measure Performance
6 Takeaway

Mistake #1: Forgetting Your Market

One of the biggest and most common mistakes online entrepreneurs make is forgetting what their market looks like or who their target audience is. Aside from spending most of your time and effort in honing the perfect product, without actually creating a need for your customers, you also have to know your customer demographic.

Wouldn’t it be ideal to have customers before creating a product, rather than having a product beforehand and then looking for clients? All of your efforts will be rendered fruitless. Know how to target your audience or your buyer persona. A buyer persona is a representation of your customer’s demographics, such as age, gender, profession, and social status.

To paint you a clearer picture, if you’re a designer in the print industry, you need to know your target audience before you begin selling. You won’t sell cheap business cards to upper-class professionals looking to spruce up their portfolios just as you wouldn’t sell overly-priced prints for low-quality products.

Mistake #2: Lack of Social Media Presence

The regular person owns at least five social media accounts. And on average, we spend about an hour and 40 minutes browsing these sites. Can you believe that the number of online shoppers in the United States alone will reach 224 million in 2019! Numbers aside, the stats are telling us to leverage social media in getting our brand out there.

Say hi to social media. Brands are using social media marketing for some highly useful and practical reasons. Some even devise different loyalty program for their avid followers on social media channels. Some of these are because it provides:

Low-cost solution. Social media platforms are an excellent way to get bang for your buck advertising and brand exposure.
Customization. From Facebook Insights to Google Analytics, you can customize your pages to your heart’s content and receive detailed reports on your customers’ demographics and browsing behaviors.
Excellent customer service platform. According to a recent study by Venturebeat, 51 percent of the respondents say businesses need to be available around the clock. If e-commerce brands are now adopting customer service chatbots with 24/7 messaging services, so should you.

If you’re still not convinced, you can think of your social media accounts as your company’s very own affordable business cards, showcasing your brand and the services you offer virtually.

Mistake #3: Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Mobile is everywhere, and the world is accessing the internet through their smartphones. With 80 percent of internet users owning a smartphone, failing to recognize the need for mobile optimization, could mean losing half of your potential e-commerce market. Poor user experience can negatively impact your conversion rates.

If you shift your focus on creating the ideal mobile user experience for your customers, you can increase your brand reputation and customer retention, and avoid losing 61 percent of your clients due to the poor website experience.

As an internet-based entrepreneur, use whatever tools you have at your disposal to provide an optimized user browsing and shopping experience. Bank on your best assets and give yourself an advantage over your industry rivals.

Mistake #4: Faulty Shipping Flexibility

When you first decided to run an e-commerce business, I’m guessing you did for the flexibility it gave you in doing your daily tasks. You didn’t have to meet people face to face, and you could make your timetable to suit your needs. You can now do all of your work at home, and nobody would have to see you in sweatpants.

The same principle goes for your consumers. All customers like to have options, especially when it comes to shipping. According to research, only 1 in 4 online shoppers complete a purchase? 44 percent of cart abandonment cases are due to high shipping costs, and a whopping 93 percent of online shoppers say they’ll buy more if they got free shipping.

Free shipping can increase sales and improve customer loyalty. According to a study from E-tailing, 73 percent of purchasers consider unconditional free shipping as a decisive factor in shopping online. But like all other business aspects, weigh the pros and cons of your business before making a decision.

Mistake #5: Failing to Measure Performance

If you want to succeed in the competitive world of e-commerce, you need to know how to gauge and evaluate your performance. Take note of your business habits, particularly regarding expenses and marketing. Use your business plan as a roadmap to help you steer your way throughout your business venture.

Check your statistics regularly. Update your ledger and see if your business is thriving or failing. Look at your consumer insights and keep up with the masses’ latest trends. Be as specific as you can with your data. Don’t inflate your figures and understand the areas you lack to improve them further.

By monitoring your performance, you are helping your business achieve greater heights compared to passive management. And the good news is, there’s always room for improvement, be it for you or your business.

Takeaway

As John Sagel said, “What we do know now is that the ‘E’ in e-commerce doesn’t stand for ‘easy.’ Opening an e-commerce business can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking, but it can also be a highly worthwhile and profitable venture.

There is no guarantee of overnight success. However, you can set yourself up for the best chance at succeeding. To do so, grasp the basics, learn from seasoned entrepreneurs, and watch out for their mistakes to avoid committing them yourself.

Lucia Patterson

Lucia Patterson is the woman behind TheLegalGuides, a blog solely focused on legal guides, tips, and advice. Lucia loves essay writing and blogs at EssayWritingGuides from her college days.

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How can you choose an Efficient Waterproofing Contractor?

It is very important for all homeowners to maintain the home basements, kitchen, bathroom and rooftop areas free from the leakage related problems. Professional waterproofing contractors can also help by providing a permanent waterproofing solution by getting the right mechanism installed. However, the cost for this task depends greatly on the degree of external and internal waterproofing required. Waterproofing can be done for kitchens, bathrooms, basements and also for rooftops, to keep these areas dry, in spite of the fluctuations of weather.Symptoms that indicate that waterproofing is required There are some common signs and symptoms that indicate that waterproofing is required. The possible signs and symptoms are listed below:Wet basement Leaking walls Unusual odor Damp room Presence of mildew and fungus Putrefying furniture Presence of pests and insects Fine cracks in the walls and floor basement areas Existence of an inner curve or an outer bulge on the wallsA single symptom or a combination of most of these cases points out that the particular zone needs immediate waterproofing to last longer. Proper waterproofing service would help the homeowner to get rid of the dampness, fungus, odor, cracks, etc. and would help in protecting the health of the family members. How to choose the right waterproofing contractor? If you are planning on getting waterproofing service done for your home, get in touch with the right contractor to prevent wastage of money, time and energy.Check if the company provides services for areas like terrace, walls, sunshades, skirting areas, bathroom walls, kitchen sink areas, ceilings, etc. Check if the company has expertise in providing treatment for the swimming pool areas, water tanks, sunken areas, etc. Find out if the company is a certified company and whether it provides a service guarantee to the customers. Find out the charges that are required for completing the task along with the time frame within which the contractor will finish the work. Search for the company’s rating, customer reviews, experience and complaints before hiring the company. Search if the company has consumer helpline for queries, complaints, and grievances. Check if the company is equipped with the right kind of tools and employees who can handle any problem related to waterproofing.There are many waterproofing agencies listed on the internet, so more information can also be found out on their websites. Customers can always compare the price before they assign the task of waterproofing to a particular company.Benefits of waterproofing: Waterproofing increases the shelf life of the property by reducing the costs of recurrent maintenance and repair. Waterproofing increases the resale value of the property by maintaining the exterior look for a long time. Waterproofing reduces the potential health hazards of the family members. Protects the property from leakage, and seepage problems and the excess moisture from building up. Waterproofing saves post-construction mental stress, time, and money if it is done in the new house. Waterproofing protects the rooftop from external influences such as rain and snow. Waterproofing facilitates both old and new constructions: With the rising demand for the waterproofing service, there are many companies that provide a range of different waterproofing products and services to solve the diverse needs and requirements of the customers. Waterproofing can be of various types such asCementitious waterproofing Liquid waterproofing membrane Bituminous coating Bituminous membrane Polyurethane liquid membraneEach of these types of waterproofing has different advantages and uses. Therefore, one must get in touch with experienced waterproofing contractors for getting the best solution for the property. Read More:13 Ways To Maintain The Coolness Of Your Air Condition Unit Use Floor Polishing For Keeping Your Flooring Looking New 5 Myths About Roofing Services To Avoid

What to Look for in a Transcription Service Provider

The demand for transcribers has been on the rise in the past few years. The challenge that most people who are seeking these services have is that they don’t know what they should be looking for in a reliable transcription service provider. Having a clear sense of your requirements is among the initial steps of getting it right. Are you striving to hit the timelines or you are looking for a cost-effective audio transcription service? You also need to ask yourself whether you are searching for value-ads to enhance the efficiency of your business or are you after the run-of-the-mill services. Each transcription company has its strength and weaknesses. You can get a rough idea of what to expect by looking at their website. You can also decide to send the service an inquiry about their specifics. Below are some of the elements you need to consider as you do your research. Accuracy and Quality : The first thing you need to evaluate is the quality of service that the company offers to its clients. You need an accuracy level of at least 99 percent if you are looking for reliable transcripts. The company can advertise high accuracy but its good to find out their guarantee about the same. For example, evaluate the quality control processes of TranscribeFiles.net audio transcription before you hire their services. Simplified Pricing : Check whether the company is providing a combined pricing structure for the services they offer. You may discover some hidden costs depending on the add-ons of your choice. Variable pricing makes it very hard for the customer to decide what he or she can afford. Value for Your Money :Ask yourself whether the transcription cost is realistic. Some of the charges that vendors impose are unbelievably cheap. However, you must be sure of the accuracy and quality before running for such cheap services. There is no need to take a cheap service that will force you to employ a second transcriber and waste a lot of money because of poor services. Confidentiality : Reliable transcription services should have rigorous internal processes. The company should have the ability to preserve the confidentiality that is contained in the audio subscription files to avoid any leakage of sensitive data. It's wise to choose providers who have the ISO information security certificate if you want to have some peace of mind. Qualified Personnel : You need to look at the qualification of the people who will be transcribing your files. Subject matter experts, native speakers, trained quality analysts, and top university graduates are the best transcribers. The experience they have will guide them to pick on the soft transcription elements such as enhancing the overall quality of the product, cultural nuances such as colloquialisms, slang, and dialects. Scalability : In case you have sizeable projects, then you could be searching for a bulk transcription service online. It is wise to pick a service provider who has been handling such orders. However, the transcripts may come your way late and with several errors because of the existing inefficiencies. Credibility : The transcription service you choose should be able to verify who it claims to be. Go through some of their previous assignments to know what they can deliver. Also, read their testimonials and referrals and those of third-party websites. Value-Adds : Check whether the transcription company provides any complementary or supplementary services. It can be more cost-effective and convenient to work with a provider that offers other services such as captioning, translations, copyediting, and even proofreading.In summary, choosing an audio transcription service is not an easy task. However, you can ensure the accuracy, quality, and security of your data by doing a lot of research. You will also be able to save yourself a lot of time and money in the process.Read Also : 5 Tips For Getting A Cheap Essay Writing Service Online The Importance Of SEO Based Digital Marketing Services Lawn Care Maintenance Services And Tips

Content Marketing: Tips For Better Results

Content marketing has been around for quite a long time, and it is the go-to marketing strategy for many businesses nowadays. But everybody uses it, and the results they get are more or less along the same lines…in terms of the time they take to materialize.What if you’re looking to get better results from your content marketing endeavors? What if you want to do some smart work rather than hard work?In this post, let’s take a look at some answers to this question. What Is Content Marketing? Content marketing is basically defined as the type of marketing that involves creating and publishing/distributing content to a certain audience. The purpose of distributing this type of content is to increase awareness of the product/services so that they can be sold more. While “content,” in this context, refers to the content of all types, mostly written stuff is utilized for marketing purposes.This type of marketing takes different shapes and forms.Some people can engage in content marketing by writing and publishing blogs regularly. Others can utilize their product pages as a medium to engage in marketing, i.e., by making the descriptions and the visuals, etc., appealing and attractive.Actually, instead of mentioning them here somewhat haphazardly, let’s look at some of the content marketing methods in detail before moving on to the tips. What Are Some Common Methods Of Content Marketing?Here are a few of the common ways in which content marketing is employed.Blogs: The main purpose of blogs is not to promote a certain product or service. Rather, it is to educate readers so that the overall readership and audience of a brand grows. This increased audience and readership then automatically get attracted to the brand itself after consuming the helpful content it puts out. This ultimately means more business for the brand. Emails: Email marketing is technically a marketing strategy on its own, but since it almost always utilizes content of some sort, it can also be mentioned in content marketing. In an email marketing campaign, individuals are reached out separately by the brand. These emails can either inform the recipient about some sort of new product release, a sale or a special discount, etc. Newsletters: Newsletters are technically emails, but they are not like other messages that are typically used and sent in an email marketing campaign. While the latter, for the most part, directly promote the offerings of a brand, newsletters are geared toward educating the readers. You can think about them to be a type of hybrid between a blog and a typical email marketing message. E-books: While this one is a more elaborate step than what brands usually do, it is a good way to engage in content marketing.Now, with all that out of the way, let’s take a look at some tips that you can follow to get better results from your content marketing endeavors. Tips For Getting Better Results From Content Marketing As we mentioned earlier, while content of all types can be employed in content marketing, written content is the most common…and perhaps the toughest to create. That is why our tips will be geared towards it in particular. Don’t Write Like A Robot, And Don’t Write For Robots In that rather wordsmith-is line, we’ve summed up one of the most important principles of writing online content.Firstly, when you write content for marketing purposes, be it of whatever type and kind, you should make sure that your tone is friendly, communicative, and human-like. Mind you, there are exceptional cases where a totally opposite tone would be more suitable, but we are talking about the common cases here.This is what we mean by not writing like a robot.Here is what you can do to make your writing tone fall into this criterion. Of course, depending on the situation at hand, some of these tips may not be very applicable.Try and refer to the reader as “you” and yourself as “I” or “we.” This is one of the basic and simplest ways to make your tone look more natural and human-like. Since you have to make your written content look more like a conversation than a piece of written text, you should reduce your overall use of passive voice. People hardly use passive voice when they speak. I mean, I could have just said, “The passive voice is hardly used by people when they speak,” but I did just make my point. Keep sentences short. Keeping your sentences short can also give a natural touch to your writing and make it more reader-friendly.The second part of our tip was Don’t write for robots.We should actually clear this up a little before moving on.Nowadays, a lot of content marketing is done via search engines. When people write blogs, they channel them to their readers via search engines. The same goes for a lot of other types of content, like product descriptions and e-books, etc.Now, in a bid to make their content look nice to the search engines, a lot of people can end up making it look too mechanical, erratic, and awkward for human taste.Consider the following example:We offer the best ramen in Tokyo. Our quality ramen store in Tokyo is very good. Buy quality ramen near me in Tokyo. (Note the atrocious keyword usage)Good content? For the search engine, maybe. For the reader? It’s just gibberish.You have to avoid doing this sort of stuff when writing content for your audience. You should strike a balance between making the content appealing for SEs as well as your human readers. Do Proper Research…And Use It When it comes to content marketing materials such as blogs and newsletters, your aim should be to provide reliable and educative content to your audience. This can only be done if you do proper research and then utilize it when writing the content itself.In this part, let’s look at how you can do research properly and what benefits you can get from it.Here are some things that you can do for effective research:Look for popular and reliable sources on the internet. Before you start gleaning information from anywhere, you should establish its reliability first. Once done, be sure to find out relevant facts and figures to add to your content. This tip is, of course, subjective. In some types of content, adding facts and figures may not be very suitable. However, it can be a good idea in things like blog posts, emails, and the like. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to use some material from a source verbatim in its actual form.(More important than implementing theoretical and conceptual information is the utilization of the data you get from audience research. In other words, you should conduct audience research and then use the details that you find to adjust your content as per the needs of the audience. When we say “audience research,” we basically refer to using analytical tools to find out necessary information and details about your audience, such as the details about their age, gender, location, and so on.)Now let’s look at what benefits you can get by doing and incorporating research into your work.Authority: When your content is backed with research, it comes off as authoritative. For example, when you present a stat for a certain situation or occurrence, it looks more grounded as compared to an opinionated guess. Up-to-date information: Conducting research can also get you in touch with up-to-date information. By not researching your material before writing it, you can get stuck with old, outdated information that can neither help you nor your readers. Value: When your content is based on research, it provides value to your readers. For problems, it can provide solutions. For choices, it can provide expert opinions. This sort of content is a lot more potent in building a better readership and for growing your brand.Aim For Content Perfection Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.Vince LombardiIt’s a bit of a dramatic way to start off this heading, but it does make the point that we want.No content is perfect because perfection (least of all in written content) is not achievable. But if you aim for the bullseye, you can land somewhere close to it.That is why you should make all the effort possible to remove all types of imperfections from your content.Grammar errors: Grammar errors are by far the most common and most harmful errors that you can make in your content. You should be proactive about avoiding such errors during the writing phase. And once you do write the content, you should take steps like proofreading the content and using an online grammar checker to weed out the remaining ones. Clunky readability issues: Readability issues, such as confusing words, long-winded sentences, and weird phrase choices, can also adversely affect the quality of content. you can remove these types of imperfections from your content by using an online AI-driven paraphrasing tool. A good AI paraphraser can improve the readability of the provided content during the rephrasing process. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is like the diamondback of content imperfections. You can’t spot it quickly enough, and it can kill the quality of your write-up without you realizing it. Removing this imperfection is necessary and tricky at the same time. The best way to go about it is to use an online plagiarism checker and then analyze the results to take the steps you need.Conclusion A lot of brands do content marketing nowadays. But, to bring yourself a cut above the others, you have to follow some best practices. We’ve outlined a few of those in the post above. Read Also :How To Monitor The SEO Health Of Your Website Best SEO Tools For Ranking The Website Get A Return On Investment With Your SEO

Oh, Crop! Killer E-commerce Mistakes You Need to Conquer

Mistake #1: Forgetting Your Market

Mistake #2: Lack of Social Media Presence

Mistake #3: Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Mistake #4: Faulty Shipping Flexibility

Mistake #5: Failing to Measure Performance

Takeaway

How to Get What You Want at Work By Strategic Negotiation

Transacting Safely In Craiglist

Tags

Lucia Patterson

Lucia Patterson is the woman behind TheLegalGuides, a blog solely focused on legal guides, tips, and advice. Lucia loves essay writing and blogs at EssayWritingGuides from her college days.

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Related

How can you choose an Efficient Waterproofing Contractor?

What to Look for in a Transcription Service Provider

Content Marketing: Tips For Better Results

Oh, Crop! Killer E-commerce Mistakes You Need to Conquer

Mistake #1: Forgetting Your Market

Mistake #2: Lack of Social Media Presence

Mistake #3: Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Mistake #4: Faulty Shipping Flexibility

Mistake #5: Failing to Measure Performance

Takeaway

Share this Article

How to Get What You Want at Work By Strategic Negotiation

Transacting Safely In Craiglist

Tags

Lucia Patterson is the woman behind TheLegalGuides, a blog solely focused on legal guides, tips, and advice. Lucia loves essay writing and blogs at EssayWritingGuides from her college days.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Popular

Follow Us

Recent

Related