Why most E-commerce Site Fail

One of the most common reasons for building a Web site is to sell products. The internet offers unprecedented opportunities for the entrepreneurial-minded among us; all you need is a solid product or service and a functional website and you can get your business up and running. However, many (if not most) online stores fail to fully realize their potential. Successful online stores cater to all of their needs. Here are the summary of common online shopping mistakes and how to avoid them.

Shopper Complaints

Not Enough Information

• Inadequate ordering information -- shipping, handling, or tax information that is unavailable until well into the check out process.
• Inadequate product descriptions.
• Insufficient product images.
• Product photos that are too small (and no larger images are available).
• Insufficient or difficult to locate customer service or merchant information. No estimated shipping date.
• No price information available unless you enter the ordering process.

Confusion and Frustration

• Can't find the desired product on the site.
• Difficulty in locating desired information about products, pricing, shipping, or customer service.
• Frustrating, complicated, or time-consuming ordering procedures.
• Technical problems (especially those that necessitate starting over).
• Frustration with slow sites.

Lack of Trust

• Concerns over credit card security.
• Concerns about privacy issues.
• Concerns with product quality.

Tips for Online Store

 Here are some specific tips for designing sites that will turn shoppers into buyers:

• Provide detailed and accurate product descriptions.
• Make information about shipping charges and delivery available.
• Display the store phone number and an email link on every page, including shopping cart and check out pages.
• Include direct links to shopping cart and check out on every page of the site.
• Provide clearly visible links to contact information and policies.
• Attempt to recreate the off-line shopping experience by providing the option of viewing enlarged images, color or texture swatches, images of the product from different angles, images with zooming and panning capabilities, etc.
• Offer as many customer conveniences as possible (or affordable).
• Include a search function on larger stores.
• Adhere to good Web design principles -- strive for a quick loading, visually appealing site with logically organized and abundant content, and intuitive navigation.
• ALWAYS use a secure socket layer (SSL) for transferring private information, especially credit card transactions. (This may seem obvious but I have visited sites that take online orders without a secure server.)

Taken from esmithit