Key pain points of e-commerce and how to alleviate them
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:17 am
The world is seeing accelerated growth in e-commerce, with sales up massively by 14.9% in 2019.
Impressive, but even though e-commerce is growing rapidly , it still has a small slice of the pie compared to retail. With e-retail sales reaching 3.5 trillion in US dollars in 2019, it accounted for only 14.1% of all retail sales worldwide.
And according to the Baymard Institute, e-commerce stores have a 69.57% abandonment rate. This means that only 3 out of 10 potential customers complete a purchase when shopping online. Money is being left on the table.
Why is the conversion rate so low?
There are numerous e-commerce pain points that cause friction and prevent shoppers from completing their online purchases. Unless you address them, you will lose sales and your customers will be able to shop elsewhere.
In this article, we'll look at the main pain points of e-commerce and also show you exactly how to fix them.
But first…
What is the customer's pain point?
A customer problem is a new zealand phone number library problem that a potential customer has that prevents them from completing a purchase.
The pain points are varied (as we'll see), but they all boil down to one thing: the customer wants to make a purchase, but their experience hasn't matched expectations of what their buying process should be like.
Essentially, the user experience causes so much friction that it outweighs the benefits of making the purchase. It could be a payment issue, a support issue, or even a design issue.
Because the root cause of this problem can be so varied depending on each buyer, you should do everything you can to address all of the customer’s potential pain points. Now let’s take a closer look at what they are.
No guest pay
e-commerce
Sometimes a potential first-time customer will arrive at your site in a hurry. They want to complete their purchase quickly... and they especially don't have time to be slowed down by a request to create an account to complete their purchase.
For many new customers, the option to checkout as a guest is very convenient. It ensures a fast and smooth checkout process that leaves them with a positive experience of your store.
If, on the other hand, you refuse to allow them to make a purchase without first creating an account, they may click away again and go to another online store.
Additionally, you can still capture their details by asking them if they want to create an account after they've made a purchase, or by using a popup to get their email address.
Either way, the key is that a) you've gotten them into the habit and b) you've provided them with a hassle-free shopping experience they won't forget.
Filtering and sorting missing products
Screenshot 2020-10-20 3.58.35 in PM
One of the most overlooked pain points of e-commerce is the lack of product filtering and sorting.
Product filtering and sorting is essentially done when your customers can browse your inventory and find the products they are looking for without any problems. They can, for example, use drop-down menus that allow them to set basic elements such as size, style, and price.
To improve your product filtering and sorting, consider offering potential customers multiple display and sorting options. Be sure to add category-specific options as well, and if you don’t already have a search bar, it’s time to add one that allows potential customers to enter keywords, item numbers, and brand names.
Site navigation too complicated
On the other hand, you could have the opposite problem. If a customer can't find the product they're looking for, friction occurs. Online shoppers want a seamless shopping experience that allows them to browse, shop, and make purchases without any hassle.
If you know your website is difficult to follow but web design isn't your strong suit, it might be a better idea to use an e-commerce platform, such as WooCommerce or Shopify. Much of the hard work is already done for you, with pre-designed templates and pages available to make your store as user-friendly as possible.
The paradox of choice: When customers have too much to choose from, they quickly become stressed, overwhelmed, and fail to make any choices at all .
This is bad news for e-commerce stores that sell a lot of products. The best way to fix this is to create an interactive chatbot that helps your potential customers find out what they want most and how it will benefit them.
This is essentially a form of AI-powered guided selling designed to help buyers make better decisions (rather than none at all). This improves the shopping experience and helps build trust. Powered by AI, chatbots are available 24/7 and learn more about each customer with every interaction.
The truth is that using AI in the world of eCommerce is becoming increasingly important.
Hidden fees and expensive shipping charges
Screenshot 2020-10-20 4.01.00 at PM
If there's one thing that really irritates customers, it's hidden fees and expensive shipping costs.
It's critical that you let your customers know exactly what they can expect in terms of fees and charges right away. This is because they'll already be calculating a price mentally every time they add an additional item to their shopping cart.
If you then hit them with hidden fees they weren't expecting, the price suddenly changes, and this can cause them to back off because a certain level of expectations and trust has been violated.
Meanwhile, expensive shipping costs are one of the main reasons for cart abandonment.
Hidden fees shouldn't be hidden. However, when it comes to shipping, it's natural to feel apprehensive about offering free shipping all the time, especially since studies have shown that online shoppers demand more. The best way to avoid this is to offer free shipping every time a customer reaches a certain purchase threshold.
Trust, security and privacy
image pasted 0 (11)
Cybersecurity threats aren't going away anytime soon, and your customers are well aware that data breaches do happen. When you can show potential customers that your site is safe to use and that you'll protect their data and privacy, their trust in you grows.
To improve trust in your e-commerce site, it's a good idea to use trust seals and security certificates. A trust seal lets potential customers know that your store is legitimate, while security certificates assure them that you're using a secure connection.
Also be sure to write a jargon-free privacy policy and display it on your site.
Considerations for HIPAA-Compliant E-Commerce
It is worth mentioning that if your e-commerce store sells health-related products and comes into contact with people's protected personal health information (PHI), you will need to be in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance .
There are a few things you can do to get started, such as installing a HIPAA SSL certificate, encrypting all of your website data, and ensuring your site is HIPAA compliant .
Impressive, but even though e-commerce is growing rapidly , it still has a small slice of the pie compared to retail. With e-retail sales reaching 3.5 trillion in US dollars in 2019, it accounted for only 14.1% of all retail sales worldwide.
And according to the Baymard Institute, e-commerce stores have a 69.57% abandonment rate. This means that only 3 out of 10 potential customers complete a purchase when shopping online. Money is being left on the table.
Why is the conversion rate so low?
There are numerous e-commerce pain points that cause friction and prevent shoppers from completing their online purchases. Unless you address them, you will lose sales and your customers will be able to shop elsewhere.
In this article, we'll look at the main pain points of e-commerce and also show you exactly how to fix them.
But first…
What is the customer's pain point?
A customer problem is a new zealand phone number library problem that a potential customer has that prevents them from completing a purchase.
The pain points are varied (as we'll see), but they all boil down to one thing: the customer wants to make a purchase, but their experience hasn't matched expectations of what their buying process should be like.
Essentially, the user experience causes so much friction that it outweighs the benefits of making the purchase. It could be a payment issue, a support issue, or even a design issue.
Because the root cause of this problem can be so varied depending on each buyer, you should do everything you can to address all of the customer’s potential pain points. Now let’s take a closer look at what they are.
No guest pay
e-commerce
Sometimes a potential first-time customer will arrive at your site in a hurry. They want to complete their purchase quickly... and they especially don't have time to be slowed down by a request to create an account to complete their purchase.
For many new customers, the option to checkout as a guest is very convenient. It ensures a fast and smooth checkout process that leaves them with a positive experience of your store.
If, on the other hand, you refuse to allow them to make a purchase without first creating an account, they may click away again and go to another online store.
Additionally, you can still capture their details by asking them if they want to create an account after they've made a purchase, or by using a popup to get their email address.
Either way, the key is that a) you've gotten them into the habit and b) you've provided them with a hassle-free shopping experience they won't forget.
Filtering and sorting missing products
Screenshot 2020-10-20 3.58.35 in PM
One of the most overlooked pain points of e-commerce is the lack of product filtering and sorting.
Product filtering and sorting is essentially done when your customers can browse your inventory and find the products they are looking for without any problems. They can, for example, use drop-down menus that allow them to set basic elements such as size, style, and price.
To improve your product filtering and sorting, consider offering potential customers multiple display and sorting options. Be sure to add category-specific options as well, and if you don’t already have a search bar, it’s time to add one that allows potential customers to enter keywords, item numbers, and brand names.
Site navigation too complicated
On the other hand, you could have the opposite problem. If a customer can't find the product they're looking for, friction occurs. Online shoppers want a seamless shopping experience that allows them to browse, shop, and make purchases without any hassle.
If you know your website is difficult to follow but web design isn't your strong suit, it might be a better idea to use an e-commerce platform, such as WooCommerce or Shopify. Much of the hard work is already done for you, with pre-designed templates and pages available to make your store as user-friendly as possible.
The paradox of choice: When customers have too much to choose from, they quickly become stressed, overwhelmed, and fail to make any choices at all .
This is bad news for e-commerce stores that sell a lot of products. The best way to fix this is to create an interactive chatbot that helps your potential customers find out what they want most and how it will benefit them.
This is essentially a form of AI-powered guided selling designed to help buyers make better decisions (rather than none at all). This improves the shopping experience and helps build trust. Powered by AI, chatbots are available 24/7 and learn more about each customer with every interaction.
The truth is that using AI in the world of eCommerce is becoming increasingly important.
Hidden fees and expensive shipping charges
Screenshot 2020-10-20 4.01.00 at PM
If there's one thing that really irritates customers, it's hidden fees and expensive shipping costs.
It's critical that you let your customers know exactly what they can expect in terms of fees and charges right away. This is because they'll already be calculating a price mentally every time they add an additional item to their shopping cart.
If you then hit them with hidden fees they weren't expecting, the price suddenly changes, and this can cause them to back off because a certain level of expectations and trust has been violated.
Meanwhile, expensive shipping costs are one of the main reasons for cart abandonment.
Hidden fees shouldn't be hidden. However, when it comes to shipping, it's natural to feel apprehensive about offering free shipping all the time, especially since studies have shown that online shoppers demand more. The best way to avoid this is to offer free shipping every time a customer reaches a certain purchase threshold.
Trust, security and privacy
image pasted 0 (11)
Cybersecurity threats aren't going away anytime soon, and your customers are well aware that data breaches do happen. When you can show potential customers that your site is safe to use and that you'll protect their data and privacy, their trust in you grows.
To improve trust in your e-commerce site, it's a good idea to use trust seals and security certificates. A trust seal lets potential customers know that your store is legitimate, while security certificates assure them that you're using a secure connection.
Also be sure to write a jargon-free privacy policy and display it on your site.
Considerations for HIPAA-Compliant E-Commerce
It is worth mentioning that if your e-commerce store sells health-related products and comes into contact with people's protected personal health information (PHI), you will need to be in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance .
There are a few things you can do to get started, such as installing a HIPAA SSL certificate, encrypting all of your website data, and ensuring your site is HIPAA compliant .