When starting your own business you are bound to make mistakes, it comes with the territory, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of – we all do it! That being said, some of these mistakes can be easily avoidable when you become aware of them.
This article will discuss some of the most common, but also most avoidable Customer Experience (CX) mistakes made by e-tail brands; from lacking refund policies to an overabundance of high ticket items.
No Refund Policy
An immediate way of alienating your clientele is a lack of a refund policy. Naturally, refunding items can lead to a drop in profits, but a lack of policy will also result in fewer customers.
People want to know that the product they’re getting is good quality, and if your business doesn’t offer a refund policy people may presume that your products are cheap and break easily. A refund policy lets your customers know that they can trust you, and if there is a problem with their purchase it will be taken care of.
If you’re worried about some people trying to exploit your refunds there are many ways of preventing this. Some examples would include having a limited return window, having the products be returned in resalable condition, or needing all tags and packaging to still be included. This way you’re able to still have a refund policy but won’t be taken advantage of.
Relying on one supplier
Another mistake new e-tail businesses can make is relying on only one supplier for their stock. It may initially make sense to use one supplier, especially if you’ve found one you can trust that has good prices, but it can lead to some issues.
If that supplier has stock issues of its own that would effectively stall your business until they too get back on track, and supply chain difficulties are known to cause customer experience issues. Having multiple suppliers that you work with simultaneously ensures that you won’t go through a product drought if one of the suppliers experiences difficulties.
Additionally, checking between different suppliers means that you are able to ensure you get the best prices. You can still get the majority of your supplies from one place, but make sure you have some backups in case of any issues.
Displaying missing items
A sure-fire way of annoying your customers is by displaying missing items. If people find a product they really want and they try to buy it and it’s no longer stocked they will leave your site to find it elsewhere. It is so easy to buy products online now so if a customer loses even a small amount of trust in your site they can quickly move to another.
Make sure to periodically check your site for any out-of-date products and if you know that you’re going to run out of an item soon, adding a warning will let your customer base know you’re ahead of the game.
Tempting to take on high ticket dropshipping items
Selling high ticket items can be a potentially easy way of making quick money online, however, this can allow for your company’s downfall.
Before you expand your business to include high ticket items you should make sure you have a good basis of good value items. High ticket items may make you more money, but they are also purchased less, and if you aren’t making as many sales on your site your page will be advertised less online.
High ticket items can also require more money upfront, and if you don’t yet know if you’re able to sell all of them it wouldn’t have been worth the risk.
That’s not to say you should never invest in high ticket dropshipping items, but there is a time and a place for them. Make sure that your business is secure financially before you start taking such risks.
Only adding shipping costs at Checkout
Often when purchasing things online the price of shipping has just as much bearing on whether the transaction will be completed as the price of the product itself. People don’t want to feel as though they’re spending money unnecessarily, so will want to know how much shipping will be as soon as possible.
Knowing the shipping costs gives people peace of mind for the rest of their shopping that there isn’t going to be a big unexpected surprise at the end of it, which may sour their whole experience.
This is why a lot of eCommerce sites have free shipping over certain amounts advertised at the top of their pages. It lets people know what to expect and can also influence them into spending more money to reach the threshold.
If you’re unable to offer free shipping with certain purchases, including the shipping price in the product’s description will be helpful as it allows people to consider it when getting the item.
Conclusion
If you avoid the mistakes mentioned in this article your e-tail business will thrive. If you’ve been making these mistakes so far, that’s okay, but now is the time to change.
To have a successful business you must be ready to change and adapt your practices.
Customers are happy when they feel a business is trying to improve for them, and happy customers are loyal customers.
