When it comes to eCommerce, there’s almost always a way to tighten up your efforts and material to maximize sales. Some of you might think you’re doing okay, but are actually still leaking leads and sales left and right.
Even those who are doing the right things, like having a solid follow-up email strategy, may not be able to optimize it due to their lack of in-depth understanding of the medium. This is why you should always try to find new ways to improve your marketing, online presence, and service to improve your results. Here are some of the most common reasons why eCommerce sites are leaking revenue.
Not Segmenting their Email List
This is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. Sending everyone the same message makes no sense from a marketing standpoint, but perfect sense to lazy marketers. Imagine how powerful your campaign could be if you could send a different set of text to regular customers and those you’re trying to win over? Or, one to those who simply refuse to spend and a different one to big spenders?
How about sending a special message to someone you may have not seen in a while who just visited your website? Or a bunch of them if you just happened to launch a new campaign? Sweetening the deal could allow you to bring some of these people back. Segmenting as much as you can based on previous purchases, time zones, demographics, and importance will make your efforts that much more efficient and could end up actually saving more time.
They’re Scaring People Away
There’s nothing worse than attracting someone to an offer, convincing them to opt-in, only to scare them away by asking them for a sample of blood and a photo of their grandmother’s puppy. Cumbersome checkout and verification processes are one of the biggest reasons why eCommerce sites are leaking revenue. There is really no reason to ask for so much information, and, if you’re going to ask for information, try to make it in a non-intrusive and digestible way. Ask a few questions at a time across multiple steps, and avoid asking for sensitive information on the first one.
They Keep Everything In-house
You might have one or two people in-house that have some understanding of web design, but absolutely none about online marketing. You might think that understanding the basics of PPC, while probably getting results, is enough. But you’re wrong.
If you don’t have the talent in-house, you should at least consider working with a retail marketing agency. Agencies like Cake commerce for example, can help you by looking at every aspect of your website from the landing page, to markup, to your email marketing strategy. They will be able to quickly identify holes and work with your team to establish new practices and procedures. They can also help completely redesign your site for optimal user experience and conversions. Working with people like these will help you avoid crucial but simple mistakes that many website owners commit and build on solid ground.
If you’re finding yourself committing any of these errors, it’s your responsibility to turn the situation around and take steps to correct it immediately. Also, consider asking for help if you feel like you and your team are out of their element.
