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Launching an E-Commerce Business? Here are 7 Web Design Mistakes To Avoid

Tag: online business

Launching an E-Commerce Business? Here are 7 Web Design Mistakes To Avoid
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

Launching an E-Commerce Business? Here are 7 Web Design Mistakes To Avoid

The growth of e-commerce is simply phenomenal. In 2017 alone, the ecommerce industry accounted for around $2.3 trillion in sales, and the number will grow to $4.5 trillion in 2021 according to Statista. In the U.S., e-commerce accounts for 10% of retail sales with a projected increase of 15% each year. But it is not all rosy because millions of ecommerce stores collapse within a few months of launch.  According to a Fortune Report, more than half of startups fail, and this should be a warning sign. One of the main reasons for such failure is poor web design. Now that all your transactions will happen online, you need a professionally designed website to meet growing demand from your customers. Many online retailers rush to set up stores only to experience hiccups arising from unreliable e-commerce designs.

This article highlights some of the most common design mistakes that online retailers make and proposes tips to avoid them. Read on.

  1. Poor Image Quality

The power of visuals in marketing cannot be overemphasized.  Your e-commerce website images are the first thing visitors will see and if they are not impressive, it is likely you will lose business. The online shoppers have many choices with other online stores competing for their attention. If you don’t display high-resolution product images, you risk turning off potential buyers because they will question your credibility. Investing in high-resolution images is similar to a brick-and-mortar store investing in lighting and other techniques to improve product displays.

  1. Confusing/ Scanty Product Descriptions

When potential customers visit your ecommerce store, they expect to get all the information they need about your products or services. A major pitfall in ecommerce web design is a failure to include clear, helpful product description or worse still, using scanty and confusing descriptions. Good copywriting and product descriptions are integral in your e-commerce web design to avoid high bounce rates and high cart abandonment rates. Provide relevant information but avoid overloading the product descriptions as this might confuse the readers.

  1. Limited Payment Methods

One of the most important aspects of a good e-commerce web design is seamless user experience. To provide this, you not only have to take payments online but you must make the process fast and easy. You should use a payment gateway that allows multiple payment options to deliver an enjoyable user experience. Your e-commerce design must integrate multiple payment options to avoid cart abandonment and to ensure the customer completes the purchase journey.

  1. Lack of Customer Support Information

While online shopping has increased tremendously over the years, most shoppers still need a lot of information before completing purchases. For this reason, your e-commerce web design must integrate a well-detailed contact page for easy communication. Include all communication channels including phone, email, social media networks, and live chat among others.  If a customer needs to contact your store, it should be a quick and simple process. For this reason, add your contact information in strategic places on the web pages.

  1. Failure to Include Shipping Information

A quick glance at most online customer complaints shows that shipping is a very critical issue. It can make or break your e-commerce store. If you want to create a seamless user experience, make sure you provide comprehensive shipping information on your e-commerce website.

Failure to include shipping details including proper shipping rates, timelines, product tracking and other details is a common web design mistake that you have to avoid. It leads to low revenues because shoppers need these details before making a purchase.

  1. Cluttered/Over-Crowded/ Complicated Design

Don’t fall for the temptation to include everything in your website because this will lead to loss of business. Online shoppers have a short attention span and they want to find whatever they need fast. Avoid an overcrowded web design as it is ugly and confuses potential buyers.

  1. A Non- Mobile-Friendly Web Design

Google has already indicated that mobile internet has surpassed desktop access and this is enough reason to invest in mobile-friendly web designs. A responsive e-commerce website helps leverage the growing mobile internet market. With Mobile First Index, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project and other initiatives emphasizing the importance of mobile, you can only overlook a mobile-friendly web design at your own peril.

There are many other web design flaws such as slow loading time, complicated sign-up forms, dated design, lack of clear call to action (CTA) among others. Avoid these web design mistakes to deliver a world-class customer experience which in turn leads to reduction in bounce rates, higher sales conversion, customer loyalty, and a good brand image.

6 years ago
5 Reasons You Need To Use a Fast Shipping Partner
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

5 Reasons You Need To Use a Fast Shipping Partner

The e-commerce landscape is changing drastically every now and then. With faster options of delivery, the shift is towards instant gratification and reducing the wait time.
Many e-commerce giants are bringing innovation to their delivery systems, so as to facilitate the curious new generation of customers, who want instant gratification. The drive to bridge the gap between physical stores and e-commerce stores is primarily responsible for speeding the vehicle of e-commerce.

Fast delivery is an essential element of fulfilling your business obligations, where customers give you a deadline. Gone are the days, when people would wait for 5 to 7 days for delivery. Nowadays, it’s considered too long a time except for a few categories such as books or software that are not easily available at the local stores.

Here are five benefits of using a fast shipping partner that will help merchants grow their online businesses further.

  1. Branding

Imagine that a customer is flying in the next three day and would like to order a dress on an e-commerce store. If the delivery option says that it cannot be delivered before 4-5 business days, it will be of no use. She will need an e-commerce vendor who can deliver it in less than two working days. And if you are such a vendor, it will not only help you gain competitive advantage in terms of branding and customer service, you’ll most likely attract more customers in future.

  1. More sales

There are many customer types these days and among them, people craving instant gratification form a sizable chunk. If you are able to deliver quickly, you will definitely be able to catch hold of this additional chunk. Besides that, you can also charge extra for faster delivery and that will definitely add to your revenues.

  1. Lesser inventories

When you offer faster delivery options, your inventory immediately goes down, making you a lean and thin organization with a short order cycle time. It will help you to manage your business more efficiently without having to worry about managing a large inventory base.

  1. Better service to urban shoppers

With same day delivery, e-commerce giants are already working hard to grab the lion’s share of the market often referred to as urban shoppers. Faster delivery will make life easy for time-constrained urban customers and this way, online retailers will get access to a large niche without spending a single penny in advertising. Major online retailers for example are working hard to improve their services in urban areas, where they have regular customers with purchasing power.

  1. Build customer trust

The other benefits of fast delivery include the customer trust you gain and the word of mouth publicity you achieve. Your ability to deliver much faster than your competitors will make sure that you get the required attention, and customers will start flocking to you.  Customer trust also translates into free advertising and referrals, which increases your sales in geometric progression.

In order to do it, your shipping partner should be reliable and fast. Orders should in no way get lost or confused in the process of speedy delivery. Make sure that delivery is not only safe and cost-effective, but is also transparent and customer-oriented.

6 years ago
How Shoppers Browse and Buy Products Online & Offline
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

How Shoppers Browse and Buy Products Online & Offline

Whether you are an online business or an offline one, understanding how your customer browses and shops can help you bring in more traffic and boost sales. Making the shopping experience enjoyable and easy is the first step to building your brand reputation and getting loyal shoppers who keep coming back to you. So, here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to crafting strategies based on shopper behavior.

Power of location

An offline shopper will usually go for a store that is near her home or on the way back from her workplace. Stores present in a shopping mall are also attractive. So, while picking a location for your physical store, make sure that it is close to your target audience and easy to find. But when it comes to an online shopper, location matters in a different way. This is because the shopper can buy products from anywhere in the world but they do prefer e-stores that have clearly mentioned shipping details. Those online stores that mention the location of the site, shipping rates, and where they ship, reel in more customers.

Shoppers want easy shopping

You need to make shopping easy for your customers, whether you are online or offline. Shoppers usually expect online stores to have a sensible layout, easy product categorization, simple checkout option, multiple payment modes and a safe payment gateway like PayTabs. The option of EMIs, the ability to shop round the clock and not having to carry purchased items home are other attractions of online shopping. In a physical store however, you need to have clearly defined aisles with properly grouped products for shoppers to like the experience. Express lanes and having more cashiers during rush hours can help too.

Everyone likes to have knowledge  

Buying any product without sufficient knowledge is something no one wants. Hence, in a physical store, the sales staff must be well-versed about all kinds of products. This is especially true in case of appliances, phones, laptops, baby furniture and so on. For an online store, shoppers find it easy if the products are well-described so that they can make an informed choice. Offering videos, blogs or guides are also great ideas to warm up to shoppers with information.

Looks matter!

Yes, it does, and for both offline and online stores. While offline shoppers like a store that is neat organized and has a stylish ambiance, online shoppers choose retail websites that have a smart layout and looks professional. If you have a physical store, introducing a particular theme that resonates with your products or using the right lights and right layout can help. For instance, a store selling beach wear can feature a storefront image that reminds you of a sunny beach vacation. Or a store selling kids’ items can be painted in bright and peppy colors to attract little ones. If you are an e-store, make sure your website uses elegant colors, a crisp font, a simple design and neat graphics. The customer should in no way be confused. Stay away from loud hues, different kinds of fonts, and too much information crammed onto one webpage.

Prices are vital too  

Make sure that your pricing strategy complements the kind and quality of products you sell as well as your marketing plan. Also, the prices you quote must justify the convenience of your store, its location, the kind of product knowledge it offers and how it looks. And this holds true for both online and offline stores.

Finally, though most businesses are going online these days to reach out to a wider audience, there are many brands that boast of physical as well as virtual stores. And by keeping the above points in mind, you can attract shoppers to all your stores!

6 years ago
7 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

7 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business

Starting an online business can be an exciting venture for any newcomer to the e-commerce industry. So while the thrill of setting an online shop and managing your online business with ease can make it seem like a walk in the park, it is important to refrain from committing the following mistakes that could set you back or ruin the chances of growing your business:

  1. Lack of planning:

The number one most important thing when starting an online business is having a business plan. Walking into a business venture without any action plan is risky and reckless.

  1. Paying attention to tiny details:

Little details can be very distracting from what’s important and can sidetrack your focus, this can lead to wasting valuable time.

  1. Not making money a concern:

You should always be wary and know where funding will be coming from, startups don’t profit from the beginning but experience a lot of losses. Financial plans are important.

  1. Not valuing your product or service:

If you are selling a product or a service, it is imperative to set a price that can end up gaining a good profit.

  1. Not prioritizing customer service:

Your customers are what will give you the profits you seek, ensure they have a good experience. Nobody wants to buy from the business with unimpressible customer service.

  1. Not hiring early:

Hiring early is a positive factor because it will allow you to match the skillsets and personalities and ensuring you have a solid team and company culture when the business picks up.

  1. Underestimating the focus and commitment needed:

It will take a lot of effort and focus to start your business, so you can only imagine the effort needed when running the business. Make sure your focused enough the achieve your goals, multi-tasking might not work for everyone. So dedicating the time for this is highly important for proper management.

All online businesses have the potential to succeed through hard work, dedication, smart planning and of course, the right online payment facilitator for their business. With PayTabs, we are dedicated to empowering and enabling our merchants with all the payment platforms required to accept payments and grow their business. To test the power of PayTabs’ platform, you can sign up for a free demo merchant account. For more useful tips and tricks, you can stay up to date with our posts by signing up for our blog alerts as well.

6 years ago
Your Revolutionary Payments Solution is now in Kuwait!
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

Your Revolutionary Payments Solution is now in Kuwait!

Kuwaiti merchant looking for a local and global payment solution for your online business? Look no further!

PayTabs has now launched its services in Kuwait following its efforts to expand its GCC reach. Kuwaiti merchants will now be able to enjoy a premium online payment experience using the latest technology that PayTabs offers.

Get your payments completed using local and international cards, and payment alternatives. Merchants will also be able to test out our free demo account to experience the simplicity and innovative approach PayTabs is best known for. With the support of multiple currencies, payments from anywhere in the world can be reached to your business at anytime. You can also settle all your payments in your local currency or in any currency you choose!

Furthermore, Kuwaiti merchants can enjoy our checkout services such as Express Checkout, PayPage and Recurring Payments to guarantee a truly seamless online shopping experience for your customers.

The starting process has never been simpler. All you have to do is to sign up for a free demo account, test how each function supports your business and payments, once you have been familiarized with the tools and functions, you may request to activate your account to “Go-Live” and  fully power your online business with PayTabs to start accepting payments.

Sign up today for FREE to explore the world of payments and offer your customers the best checkout experience using PayTabs. In the meantime, to keep up with the latest news and trends, you can sign up for our blog alerts here.

7 years ago