With millions of people browsing the internet and buying products from the leading eCommerce platforms, the online shopping industry makes an attractive business proposition today. No need to buy a property and invest in interior decoration while taking care of the team’s salaries as eCommerce needs just an online store that is visually attractive and functionally robust. And Magento is the first choice most people consider for eCommerce development, thanks to its great features and unbeatable security.
However, the job of a business owner doesn’t end here as running an online shopping business in a smooth and streamlined manner is the bigger part of the picture. Along with the benefits of establishing an online shopping business, there are some challenges as well.
Consumer Trust
No matter how attractive and appealing website you create, people have a mindset of not believing the brands they’ve not heard about. And if there is no trust, it is unlike that sales will follow. And it turns out to be a big trouble if you are trying to sell big ticket items that carry a sizeable purchase price or shipping cost.
Try winning their trust by displaying your store’s physical location and contact details. Make available the list of team members along with the customer testimonials. And finally, partner with at least one best practices organization, such as the Better Business Bureau.
Brand Awareness
When buying online, customers prefer going with the brands that are listed on the first page of Google Search Engine Results. You can use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to position your website at the top of search results with the strategic long-term and short-term keywords and other SEO techniques.
Product reviews are also useful, especially if the word count goes beyond 300. Images and videos in the testimonials make them more authentic and genuine. Consider adding a 100 word minimum product description to your most selling products. Post buyers’ guide on your shopping website that would describe the features and benefits of your product category.
Social Media Presence
More than 63% population of Generation Y is using social media platforms to interact with company products. This means that online shopping platforms that use techniques to increase their presence on social media platforms stand to benefit from the increased brand awareness. As the social media offers great benefits, the risks of a backlash also exist. For example, if you are posting too many products and promoting them among people who are not responding, you may be blocked by the community.
Make sure to let a professional handle it for you and do ask your Magento development team to integrate social media icons on the website pages.
Website Hackers
Online shopping platforms are the first preference of the hackers. Shopping websites are very likely to experience security breaches at some point in its existence. If anything such happens, you might find the transactions going to another account or you might find yourself completely locked out of your own website.
The best way to stay secure from the hackers is to keep changing your website passwords regularly and use the passwords that are not easy to crack. Also, check regularly for any reports of e-commerce security breaches.
Get Involved with Mobile Commerce
With increasing convenience offered by the smartphone, online shoppers are increasingly using these devices to do their online shopping. Nearly 75% of overall online searches are made via mobile devices while nearly 45% people prefer buying through their smartphone. So, if you are not yet allowing buyers to shop through their smartphone, then get a Magento mobile app right away. It helps display your e-store’s products on a smartphone while increasing the shoppers’ buying experience. Offering initial discounts is a great way to capture the mobile device market.