Common Mistakes in E-Commerce: Part 2 of 3
By Sam PascuaPart 2 of 3: The Customer Shopping Experience
Previously, we explored the common mistakes that e-commerce sites make in e-commerce store/site design and which may prevent customers from completing their first order. But site design is only half the battle. You also have to analyse the customer shopping experience from the customers’ perspective. Are they satisfied with the service and products? Will they order from your site again? Be sure to avoid the following common mistakes in the customer shopping experience so that you can increase your retention rate and attract repeat customers.
Mistake #1: Hiding Contact Information
Customers want to know that they will be taken care of if difficulties arise. However, if they do not know how to contact you, then they will not feel reassured. Keep your company contact information easily accessible from each page of your e-commerce site. Your homepage should have a link to “Contact Us,” which should include, at a minimum, your company’s (1) phone number, (2) email address, and (3) mailing address.
Mistake #2: Poor Customer Service
Any interactions that upset your website visitors constitute poor customer service and will drive potential customers away to competitors. These interactions can include not responding to emails, not answering phone calls, ignoring complaints, not resolving issues, and delaying shipments unnecessarily. Customers need to have confidence that they are working with a reliable company with customer service representatives whom they can count on if they experience problems.
If you have the capability to provide 24/7 telephone service, then do so. Obtain a toll-free number and display that number in a static location on your e-commerce site. If 24/7 service is not feasible, be sure to list the days and times (including your time zone) when your customers can reach your service staff. Determine a timeline (i.e., 24 hours or two business days) during which voice mails will be returned. Notify your customers of this timeline and stick to it!
Emails should be returned within a specified timeframe as well. Consider an immediate automatic response to all customer emails, letting the customer know when he or she can expect to receive a personalised response from a customer service representative.
Be sure your site clearly lists the company’s return policy, including which returns will be accepted, what portion of the purchase price will be refunded, and which party is responsible for any return-shipping charges. This will simplify the return process and minimise the potential for conflict with unsatisfied customers.
Mistake #3: Not Including Shipping Rates
Shipping can be confusing, both for the company determining shipping rates and for the customer choosing a shipping option. Keep the options and rates clear, and be sure that final shipping charges are confirmed on the confirmation page of the ordering process.
One option to simplify shipping rates is to charge a standard shipping price per order size. Calculate the shipping rate you should charge based on average freight rates to different delivery zones from your warehouse. With this system, you can avoid the process of calculating freight for individual orders. However, this may not be a good option if your products vary significantly by weight, as heavy products cost substantially more to ship.
Regardless of how you charge for shipping, be sure to confirm the charges on the confirmation page. Unconfirmed or unexpected shipping charges that appear on a customers’ statement do not ensure a positive customer shopping experience, and may result in charge-backs.
Mistake #4: Poor Order Fulfilment
A customer’s basic expectation is that an order will be delivered on time and in full. Shorting an order or delivering the product after the confirmed delivery date will greatly contribute to a poor shopping experience for your customer, resulting in fewer (if any) repeat customers.
On the confirmation page of the checkout process, be sure to include the estimated delivery date. This will depend on which delivery service your company chooses to use, as well as your customers’ location. Be sure to take into account any weekends and holidays, when delivery companies may not offer shipping services. Consider offering your customers the option to pay increased freight rates to receive faster delivery service.
Inventory management is a difficult process, but to ensure a good customer shopping experience you must have precise, up-to-the-minute information about the available inventory for your business. Consider using software that links your company’s inventory directly to the shopping cart in your e-commerce site and automatically decreases your inventory levels each time a product is purchased. If a product must be backordered and will not be delivered on time, your customer should be informed of that fact during the checkout process. If the order has been confirmed, but for some reason there is not enough inventory to fulfil the order in full, the customer should be notified right away.
Mistake #5: Lack of Payment Options
To make online shopping as easy as possible for your customers, don’t limit them to only one or two payment options. Customers have multiple ways to pay for their purchases these days: with major credit cards, PayPal accounts, electronic checks and directly from their bank account. Use a payment service for your e-commerce site that provides a variety of options, and thereby guarantees an outstanding customer shopping experience.
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