Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Launching a New Site on BigCommerce

Just because something seems easy doesn’t mean it won’t cost you — don’t make these mistakes with a new site on BigCommerce.

Image Source: BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a popular paid e-commerce platform that makes selling online easy. They offer various customizable models, allowing you to focus more on running your business than building it from scratch.

However, delving into e-commerce can be daunting, especially for first-timers. Many things can go wrong by making mistakes you could’ve prevented if you knew your way through your e-commerce platform.

Fortunately, I listed the most common and costly mistakes you should avoid when launching your new site on BigCommerce. I also included tips on how you can work your way around them.

Improper Understanding of ECommerce and Online Retail

The most common reason you can fail at e-commerce is if you still don’t understand what e-commerce is.

Since many online retail firms fall under some of the categories of e-commerce, the line separating the two is frequently hazy. This leads to the newbie’s confusion since the advantages of e-commerce are very similar to those of online retail. 

To give you a better perspective, let’s examine the two.

1. Online Retail

Online retail is more similar to traditional brick-and-mortar retail. Like the latter, online retail allows visiting customers to look around your website, examine products, and put them in a virtual shopping cart.

To be sure they’re ordering the correct size, customers can check color variations, read descriptions, and even refer to a detailed sizing chart. Some more established online retailers can even offer in-person and online shopping choices.

2. E-Commerce

While online retail is also a part of e-commerce, the difference is that many other non-physical services, such as online marketing, are more heavily used with the latter. E-commerce also utilizes fully online platforms that you can use to display their goods or services to customers virtually.

You can also use a strategy called “dropshipping” with e-commerce. This way, you give other merchants (usually your suppliers) a place to sell their goods to customers for a commission. 

Using third-party platforms like BigCommerce may rapidly enhance your brand image and enter the market to establish your reputation. These platforms also offer a wide range of pre-organized tools for creating a brand and other business-related necessities, allowing you to do your business without beginning from scratch.

They also offer helpful marketing advice and reliable customer service. 

Moreover, since these platforms give you access to other advertising channels, you can quickly increase your consumer base. You’re also most likely to succeed in niche marketplaces since customers in these areas frequently don’t know where to buy their specific needs.

Poorly Designing Your Website

You should invest in your website’s design early on if you want your e-commerce website to succeed. After all, customers tend to judge a website’s legitimacy based on its design.

Also, just because it’s an online business doesn’t mean you can arrange your products as you like. When BigCommerce customers visit your store, think of the overall experience you want them to enjoy.

By sorting your products into the appropriate categories, customers can quickly examine the many product categories you sell or see which of them are currently on sale. Try using a grid arrangement and marking the product descriptions and prices to keep the page layout organized and neat.

Also, choose large photos with fewer products instead of cramming many products into a single row. This good spacing makes your products more presentable and fresh to look at.

You should also remember that your online customers won’t be able to touch or try on things from your online one. To convey the appearance and quality of the products, you must instead rely on clear photographs featuring the best product representation available.

Moreover, your website’s images should be high-quality, without blurry areas that would diminish the overall impact. You can try making a gallery for each product so customers can view it from various angles while worn or used.

Finally, ensure your photographs convey a message consistent with your brand and encourage sales.

Lacking Payment Options or Currencies For Check Out

Customers now have more options than ever, and not everyone likes using cash or credit to pay. By offering more payment methods, such as popular yet unconventional services on mobile apps, you make it simpler for potential customers to give you their money.

1. Provide Convenient Options

Online customers like payment methods that are convenient for them, especially since most only have one preferred payment method. These customers tend to favor businesses that offer their preferred payment methods instead of one that forces them to use other methods.

2. Make Customers Feel Secure

Some customers will feel more secure with particular payment methods’ security features than others. Offering multiple options increases your chances of making each customer feel more at ease about completing a transaction.

3. Make Your Products More Affordable

Some payment options can be more expensive, such as credit card service fees, and the hassle of paying hefty amounts at once can make your products appear less desirable. You can ease their worries by providing more options, such as wallet and installment payments.

In no time, adding multiple payment methods will make your e-commerce business experience an increased conversion rate. More options allow customers to utilize their preferred payment methods without transferring money or signing up for new services, increasing conversion rates.

You’ll also suffer fewer cart abandonment issues since customers are less likely to hesitate to make a purchase immediately when a customer’s preferred payment option is accessible. Customers will also be more inclined to return and make additional purchases from shops that simplify the payment process, leading to a higher number of devoted, repeat customers.

If you want to add more payment options now, some of your best choices are Helcim, Stripe, Paypal, Square, PayCafe, ProMerchant, The Merchant Solutions, 2Checkout,  and Payment Depot.

Overlooking Your Site’s Mobile Optimization

Your website’s mobile optimization plays a crucial role in your e-commerce business. Considering how mobile use exceeds desktop use, it still shocks me how some websites have poorly designed mobile pages.

Google said visitors are five times more likely to leave your website if it’s not optimized for mobile use. Your website also shows up lower on search results, which makes you lose indirectly.

Ensuring your e-commerce has a mobile-friendly layout ensures you won’t lose out on sales. 

Make the design as straightforward as possible for mobile visitors to buy whatever you sell. If you haven’t thought of mobile optimization since the beginning of your website’s conceptualization, this could mean a total overhaul of your website’s mobile design.

We can’t stress enough how important it is that you provide your customers with a well-designed and highly-efficient mobile experience. Try putting yourself in your customer’s shoes– wouldn’t you leave the store if you find it hard to look for things you need? 

That said, navigation should be simple, and pages should start almost instantly.

According to an article by the Nielsen Norman Group, customers only typically give you ten seconds of their time when they see your page for the first time. If, for any reason, you lose their interest during those crucial ten seconds, you’ll likely lose them forever.

If you manage to keep your mobile visitors, they still probably won’t convert during a single session. However, if you simplify the process, they might convert later.

If you need a reference to see how to do a practical mobile layout, check out how more prominent companies do it. Fortunately, BigCommerce offers mobile templates, so you won’t have to start from scratch.

Focusing on Little to No Third-Party Platforms

Online forums, blogs, and social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook are just a few venues where people have conversations. Some of these websites will cover your area of expertise. 

For instance, if you sell sporting goods, you can find many online threads regarding related topics. Feel free to talk about your company, products, and services if you contribute appropriately and offer helpful advice.

If you do it well, people will ask you for information on what you sell, which may be the modern version of handing out your calling card.

Of course, make sure you follow and read the terms and conditions of each site to prevent damaging your reputation.

Not Boosting Your Website’s SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential requirement for e-commerce websites. A high SEO score makes your products rank higher than your rivals, allowing potential customers to find your site in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

E-commerce optimization techniques also help your pages meet a potential customer’s search intent, allowing you more organic interactions. Your e-commerce sites will also have a continual and sustainable free stream of organic traffic to your website that can boost your overall conversion rates. 

As an added result, you’ll be able to rely less on aggressive advertising and, in turn, lessen your overall marketing costs.

Not Having a Solid Customer Support

Customer support is a critical aspect of any business, especially online-based.

Not only will solid customer support help get new customers, but it will also help you retain previous ones. This part is essential since a study from Small Business Trends found that 65% of transactions come from the latter customer group.

Customer satisfaction is a key element of risk management, so you should balance the two. This will help your business run more efficiently.

You can build solid customer support by investing in your website’s built-in, real-time chat support system. You should train your in-house customer service representatives or hire them from a reputable business process outsourcing agency.

Alternatively, you can compile a list of FAQs and an informative About Us page your customers can look at even for more fluid transactions. You can also ask them to sign up for a newsletter to keep in touch better. 

Moreover, even if you think you’ve fostered a good relationship with your clients, this doesn’t mean you can now be complacent. Remember, customer retention comes at a lower cost compared to customer acquisition.

Final Thoughts

Venturing into a business, you know nearly nothing about can cost you lots of money. After all, e-commerce, much like brick-and-mortar businesses, comes with its risks and rewards.

Fortunately, platforms like BigCommerce exists to guide you on your journey. All you have to do is adapt to whatever changes your company needs and rise above the challenges you’ll face.