You're doing a little online shopping. You found what you are looking for but you're a little unsure that it's exactly what you need. On top of that, the website you are on is frustrating. Combine that with the uncertainty and you're done. Now it's back to Google to find an ecommerce website that can sell what you need on a site with a seamless shopping experience.

Your ecommerce website has one purpose: to turn visitors into customers. There are a few mistakes commonly made by ecommerce websites that disengage visitors. 

Your website is not responsive.

Your site should be responsive. Why? The amount of shopping done from a mobile device grows steadily each year and Google continues to rank responsive/mobile friendly sites higher in search results. When browsing the web on a mobile device, finding what you need is much easier on a responsive site vs. one that is not responsive. A site that is not responsive is flat our frustrating and likely to lose sales. 

Your checkout is sketchy and cumbersome.

As many as 19% of shoppers abandon their carts due to security concerns. Take every possible measure to not only assure shoppers that their data will be kept secure, but also take every reasonable step you can to keep it safe. Work with the person in charge of maintaining your website to determine what those steps need to be. Remember the backlash that occurred when Target's credit card data was breached? You don't want to deal with that.

If you are not a web security expert, it is a good idea to rely on a third-party ecommerce platform with a proven track record. Shopify and BigCommerce are two good ones. These platforms also offer a seucre and uncomplicated checkout experience. 

A frustrating checkout experience is a common reason customers abandon their shopping carts. In fact, most shoppers give up during the first step of a cumbersome checkout process. Not requiring a login, asking for shipping information first, and matching the look and feel of your site are recommended for a good checkout experience. 

You need a manual to navigate your website.

A hard to navigate website will result is visitors spending only seconds on your site and not buying a single thing. Users should be able to intuitively navigate the site, find what they need, and buy it. Ecommerce Platforms has good tips and tricks for optimizing the layout of your site.

Your product images were taken on a digital camera from 2003.

 Online shopping is a purely visual experience. Shoppers cannot touch or inspect the product themselves so great visuals are key.  In fact, 92.6% of people surveyed said that visuals were the top influential factor in the decision to purchase.

Multiple images, preferably taken by a pro, should be included that show views of the front, back, top, bottom, left, and right of the product. The goal of this is to assure shoppers that the product is exactly what they are looking for, increasing the likelihood that they will make a purchase. 

A smooth shopping experience is imperative to converting visitors into customers. If you are unsure about your skill level in any of the areas mentioned, we are happy to chat about it. Your website only gets one chance to make a first impression with a new visitor. Don't waste that opportunity.