Running a successful e-commerce business can be very rewarding, yet challenging at the same time.
Even if you sell a great product, it can become difficult to get the word out about your business if you don’t have a well-designed website or marketing strategy.
Despite the challenges of running an online business, there are still many opportunities available. In 2013, e-commerce retail sales were at $263.3 billion. These sales are projected to grow to $434.2 billion in 2017. This is why online retailers need to address their challenges now so they can become successful in the future.
Let’s take a look at four of the biggest challenges e-commerce businesses face:
1. Implementing a content marketing strategy.
Although content marketing has been a buzzword in recent years, not many online businesses know how to implement it effectively. In fact, only 42 percent of B2B marketers believe they are effective with their content marketing efforts.
Content marketing includes a variety of tactics such as social media, blogging, e-newsletters, videos, mobile content, and so much more. In order to be at effective content marketing, e-commerce businesses must understand which tactics work best for them, their customers, and brand.
2. Building trust through your website.
Especially for e-commerce businesses, your website is the very first impression customers have of your product. If you have a poorly designed website, there’s a high chance you’ll lose traffic and even customers.
To build trust through your website, make sure it’s easy to navigate, include contact information, create a clean layout, and provide clear descriptions of your product. These basic design elements will drastically increase the trust between your website and your customers.
In addition to website design, you should also focus on how you build trust with you customers. Google recently updated its quality ranking guide, which emphasises the concept of E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness). This concept helps businesses make sure they’re creating content that positions their brand as a trusting expert in their industry.
3. Using big data to gain insights on customers.
Big data is a growing trend in e-commerce and online marketing. Big data enables businesses to gather insights about their customers through monitoring their purchasing habits and decisions.
By using big data, businesses can focus more on customization and personalization for their customers’ shopping experience. This can be done by tracking customer browsing patterns and monitoring loyalty programs.
Big data is also very beneficial for creating sales forecasts. E-commerce businesses should pay attention to sales, website performance, and customer behaviors to determine what they need to improve in the future.
4. Integrating mobile into your website.
Research shows mobile shopping accounts for nearly one-fourth of online purchases. Last year, mobile commerce sales reached $4.7 billion in the second quarter.
Although mobile commerce is growing, there are not enough online retailers who are adapting to these trends. For those who fail to optimize their shopping experience, they will fall behind in online sales.
To attract customers and increase sales, e-commerce businesses must continue optimizing their shopping experience for the mobile web. This means your business must ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices and even launch a mobile application for your store. These tactics will improve the shopping experience for your customers and increase sales.
Every e-commerce business has its unique challenges, however, these are some many face. By taking note of these challenges, even the smallest online business can become successful and continue to grow in the upcoming years.
What do you believe are some of the biggest challenges e-commerce businesses face?
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