There’s no better time than right now, to run or start an e-commerce business, having projected an escalation of 24.7% growth for 2020 - which equates to an estimate of RM 30.2 billion.
While it has been a pretty challenging 9 months, e-commerce businesses are feeding off a growing trend of Malaysians stuck at home and browsing through the internet to make purchases, following the country’s popular trend #stayathome.
As convenient as it is to shop online, there are many key mistakes repeated by online businesses that affect the rate of engagements, which leads to a lack of returning customers. So what 5 e-commerce mistakes should you, as a Malaysian online business, avoid?
1. Not Mobile-Friendly
Image Source: searchspring
With the way people are latching on to their smartphones, a user-friendly site increases the rate of engagement as it is easily accessible. If you saw a mobile version of an e-commerce business like shown above, how would you react? Wouldn’t you prefer being able to survey items and offers that you like, and make purchases instantly, rather than having to turn on your laptop to do all those?
Keeping your site simple-yet-engaging produces more satisfied customers that are surely coming back for more. Treat experiences on your favoured platforms as benchmarks for optimising your own business. What your customers feel when accessing your site via their phones will impact their decision to return.
2. Telling Prospects to “PM”
Images Source: New Straits Times
Like what you experience on Facebook Marketplace when you ask a seller for the product price and they tell you to “PM” which means private message, is actually a big mistake. According to the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC), the act of not providing the price and details of a product is illegal.
Under the consumer rights protection, information of products must be made known to the public to avoid online fraud cases, like hidden charges. Online sellers are required to produce details publicly as follows:
- The full price of a product
- Name of the business owner
- Registration number of business
- Email, phone number, or address of the seller
- Product description
- Payment method
- Terms & Conditions
- Estimated time of delivery
3. Neglecting Visitors
Not everyone that visits your site may be ready to make a purchase, but that does not mean that they should be forgotten. Especially for first-time visitors, site browsing enables them to engage the kind of product or service that you provide, and if you serve the purpose of what they seek, your business has made it into their consideration phase. That’s half the battle - and here’s how you should consider attracting them to your business, as shown below.
Now comes the time to nurture these prospects if you want to see a high rate of conversion into customers. Consider retargeting campaigns, which would also serve to build relationships with existing customers as well. Customer loyalty speaks volumes when it comes to marketing the reputation of your business.
4. Having Only One Payment Option
Everyone likes variety, and not only when it comes to purchasing something. Lack of payment options plays a vital role in a customer journey to completing a purchase. You can’t assume that everyone will have a PayPal account or a MasterCard. For example, if you have led them into a wall, they will most probably not want to continue that journey with you and may take their money elsewhere.
Image Source: WooCommerce
The example above shows payment options that should be considered, to avoid repelling potential repeated customers. In addition, you may consider providing the option of Cash on Delivery. The market today is filled with high school, college, and university students who are constantly shopping but not tied to a bank.
5. “No Free Shipping??”
This is NOT something that anyone would want to see - especially after having to spend a big amount of money to buy something on their wishlist. To gain loyalty from your customers and attract prospects to your business, remember that everyone loves one thing more than anything else, FREE stuff.
In order to increase sales conversion, capture your targets with a “dangling carrot” in the form of free shipping. Many businesses have even set a minimum spend per customer to receive the benefit of free shipping - which may have already covered the cost without painfully affecting your profit margin. Don’t let a few ringgit for delivery be a factor that keeps customers from engaging more with your business.
Conclusion:
Keeping people happy while growing your business online is surely challenging, and there are definitely more mistakes that you should avoid doing for your e-commerce business. Launchpad specialises in Inbound Marketing tactics that will grow your business and ensure that prospects recognise your online presence.
Come find out more about the Do’s and Don’t when running an e-commerce business by contacting us. We too are avid online shoppers, and our 7 years of experience in building an online presence for businesses may be what can skyrocket your business to the next level. Let’s get acquainted with a click of a button.
