Starting an eCommerce business is a great idea, with relatively low set up costs and overheads, it’s easier for entrepreneurs to build a brand and grow business via these channels. However, like any kind of business, eCommerce trading doesn’t come without its challenges, and so it’s important to be prepared for things that might go wrong.
If you have recently opened an online store, or are in the process of doing so, here are 4 issues you need to watch out for to make sure things run smoothly.
1. Lack of Advertising
Advertising and marketing strategies are a big part of making a business a success, but these things take time and money to implement. As a small business, you might not have a huge budget for this, but there are cheaper marketing tools and methods that are just as effective as larger campaigns. Make sure you’re utilizing social media and other digital marketing tactics to draw interest from potential customers and make sales. Make sure posts on your social media accounts are relevant and regular and seek other channels that are appropriate to promote your brand. Consider hiring a professional content writer or marketing agency to help you with this.
2. Seller Account Suspensions
A lot of eCommerce businesses sell on other platforms, as well as their company websites. Amazon Marketplace is a great example of this, and there are over 2.5 million active sellers accounts on it. However, while these external selling platforms are fantastic for business in many ways, occasionally, there might be issues that lead to your account being suspended. Often, it’s problems such as missing information regarding your business, missed account payments, copyright infringement, or customer complaints. If this does happen to you, there are ways around this. You can appeal the suspension of your account directly yourself, or get help from experts at riverbendconsulting.com who have helped many sellers get their accounts reinstated.
3. Website Crashes
Occasionally, you might find that your eCommerce site has crashed, and this can affect your sales and delay orders. This is a rare occurrence, but it can happen, and you must make an announcement to your customers about this as soon as possible on social media and give them updates on the situation. Usually, these problems are resolved quickly, but make sure you get in touch immediately with whoever designed your website or contact the relevant people who run the website building site you have used and notify them of the issue.
4. Data Breach
eCommerce sites are big targets for hackers, and it’s vital that you keep your data and that of your customers safe. Concerns regarding data harvesting and stolen information have increased in recent years, and you must do everything you can to keep this secure. Invest it top security programming, only collect relevant data and use encryption as a good starting point. It might seem like an additional cost, but it’s worth it in the long run. If there is a data breach, this could damage your business’s reputation and lead to a loss of customers.
Make sure your eCommerce business keeps running smoothly and be prepared for the possibility of these 4 issues that might affect your sales.
Check out my guide on how to start your business right with tons of useful tips I learned by successfully starting, building, and selling multiple companies.
