With a great idea and product in hand, all indications suggest that your new company is poised to transition from an initiative to a resounding triumph. Upon presenting your project to investors, a wave of excitement sweeps through everyone.
Even if you have managed to secure funding for your company’s product, the challenging nature of ecommerce implies that there are numerous potential setbacks to consider when it comes to successfully bringing your product to the market and generating profit.
Indeed, a significant number of emerging ecommerce brands may encounter challenges during their initial year.
In order to prevent you from going through the same difficulties, we have compiled a list that enables you to learn from the mistakes of others.
- Listening exclusively to your friends and co-workers.
If you think your chosen path is excellent just because people are praising it, then you’ll be in for a harsh reality check. It’s not about boosting your ego; it’s about determining whether your brand strategy resonates with customers or not.
Embracing humility, it is beneficial to seek the input of individuals who have a fresh perspective on the things you and others encounter daily. Engaging with such people offers the opportunity to uncover personal blind spots and biases, making it the best approach at times.
- Not listening to your team.
Throughout this entire period, your team has been collaborating with you, possessing insights about the company that you may not be aware of or take into account. It is crucial to actively listen to your team’s ideas and suggestions regarding alternative approaches to executing your brand strategy, particularly when they offer an external perspective.
Because they lack emotional attachment to the brand, they can offer more unbiased opinions regarding your ideas and their execution. Additionally, your employees are at the forefront of customer interactions, receiving feedback and comprehending their desires and requirements.
If there is an idea that they believe will resonate with the public but you disagree, it is wise to seek feedback on it. They are a valuable but often overlooked resource for your business, therefore it is crucial to heed their opinions as much as feasible.
- Not defining your audience.
To achieve the best results in brand strategy, it is important to be specific. Whether your product caters to a broad audience or targets a particular niche or industry, your brand needs to focus on the demographics and their specific emotional needs that influence their buying decisions.
Your brand should evoke the appropriate emotion, regardless of what you are selling, since purchasing is inherently driven by emotions. By thoroughly examining your target consumer’s sensitivities, you can make your brand more impactful and significant.
Hiring a diverse staff, conducting focus groups, or consulting industry experts are all ways to achieve this. Additionally, your brand should engage with consumers through phone conversations, email exchanges, and various social media platforms.
- Unable to state the benefits of your products.
Numerous emerging brands often commit the inexperienced error of solely focusing on the features of their products, overlooking the actual advantages.
According to the traditional sales saying, “capabilities explain, advantages persuade.” Though product specifications are necessary, it is crucial for your new brand to emphasize the ways in which products will influence people’s lives.
Although it might seem ambitious, it is not. The primary principle in marketing is to ensure that it addresses the query “How does this relate to me?” If you can fulfill this condition by showcasing how it will simplify, enhance efficiency, or add fun to someone’s life, you are on the path towards establishing a successful and enduring brand.
- Not making brand promises.
After highlighting the advantages, it is now the moment to commit to certain assurances. This does not pertain to product warranties, unless they are offered as a policy. Rather, it concerns the message conveyed by your brand regarding the services your company will deliver.
While many claim to offer excellent customer service, what sets your promise apart to make it truly exceptional? What can customers anticipate regarding shipping? What unique aspects of your company culture enable you to deliver unparalleled experiences? These differentiators must be expressed as unwavering commitments, as they are what will generate positive buzz surrounding your company.
No matter if you are a new ecommerce brand or not, it is crucial to clearly outline what individuals can anticipate from your recent business venture.
- Mismatching the look of the brand to the product.
The occurrence is quite common. Poor branding can occasionally undermine the credibility of the products. If you happen to manufacture the products as well, the labeling and packaging play a crucial role in achieving success. Ensuring that your offerings resonate with potential buyers requires proper merchandising.
If the logo you thought was adorable turns out to be unreadable, it can cause confusion. Not addressing what is important to consumers in the branding means you have completely failed.
- Not keeping your eye on the data.
As a newer brand, you are in the initial stages of gathering actual data from consumers, which is the most significant type. It is important not to rush into making drastic and hasty changes solely based on the first signs of concern.
You can’t expect everyone to love you or your products. Although you have identified your target audience, your customer base will further refine it.
Your campaigns will be able to incorporate real facts as you receive new data. Don’t let negative reviews discourage you, as every brand encounters them. Instead, embrace them and extract valuable insights from the data.
- Thinking the data will answer everything.
Your spreadsheet data alone will never be a source of inspiration. The level of creativity in your brand strategy depends solely on the individuals who are in charge. You can conduct A/B testing tirelessly, but both options could turn out to be unfavorable. Although using the version that performed best may provide some reassurance, effective branding involves pushing past comfort zones.
If you allow the data to result in complacency, your brand will lose its vitality and become dull.
- Not Preparing Your Site for an Influx of Traffic
Ensure that your website loads promptly to prevent potential customers from losing interest. This can be achieved by guaranteeing that your servers are equipped to handle increased web traffic during the launch of your sale or promotion.
The ideal scenario would involve minimal or no disruption to the customers using your site caused by the traffic increase.
- Looking into the possibility of a “failover” site, a backed-up server site that can handle traffic if you can’t get in touch with your host if your site goes down.
- Confirming that your payment processor can handle a large volume of orders in a short amount of time.
- Not Delivering an Exceptional Mobile Shopping Experience
Regardless of your opinion, your customers will increasingly make purchases through mobile channels. Consequently, the overall worth of retail sales in m-commerce is soaring. Estimates indicate that m-commerce sales will surpass $430 billion in 2022 and $710 billion in 2025.
It is crucial for marketing to have mobile accessibility, particularly during busy shopping periods.
Despite the widespread use of responsive web design (RWD), not all eCommerce websites meet the necessary standard. In certain instances, only the homepage displays satisfactory responsiveness, while issues arise with product descriptions overlapping photos or the opposite. Regrettably, these inadequacies fail to leave a positive impression on your customers.
The previous notion of browsing online and buying in person is no longer applicable as an increasing number of shoppers are now opting to make their purchases on an eCommerce platform rather than visiting a physical store.
Practical Ecommerce reports that numerous consumers favor mobile holiday shopping as their preferred choice. It is anticipated that a greater number of shoppers during the holiday season will opt for purchasing gifts using their mobile devices. The estimated total earnings from mobile devices in the US eCommerce sector are projected to reach $115 billion, marking a 20% growth compared to the previous year. Furthermore, positive mobile experiences are expected to enhance conversion rates on websites.
Additionally, there has been a shift in the trend. Previously, individuals would use their mobile phones to browse for offers and complete the transaction on a desktop computer. However, nowadays, if they experience a sudden urge to shop, they expect to be able to complete the purchase instantly, even on their mobile phone. If you fail to offer them convenient options for this, you risk missing out on numerous sales.
It is well-known that Google gives priority to mobile-optimized sites in rankings. Therefore, ensure that your mobile experience is equally pleasant for customers, just like the desktop experience.
- Ignoring eCommerce Trends
Every eCommerce business must acknowledge and address emerging trends as they are not something optional. While some high-tech trends may appear far-fetched, there are other more realistic ones that can be implemented immediately.
Beginning with personalized customer support and ensuring a positive overall experience is a beneficial first step, even though the implementation of certain AR or VR ideas may demand assets that take time to develop.
Artificial intelligence and voice commerce may not currently be priorities for your company, but it is important to acknowledge their presence and consider exploring opportunities to incorporate them into your strategy.
Being part of the future of eCommerce, your brand should align with the direction that the entire sector is moving in, as trends often reflect this trajectory.
- Not Using Targeted Landing Pages
How can you direct consumers to the most relevant pages on your site and emphasize your offer?
Attract customers with specific offers related to that holiday by utilizing targeted landing pages.
Using landing pages allows for the content of a significant portion of a site to remain fresh, timely, and relevant, without requiring the time or ability to completely redesign it. Additionally, this approach keeps the design and development workload minimal.
Below are some suggestions to help you begin:
- Keep the design consistent with the website.
- Include holiday offers on the homepage or banner and the landing page.
- Include links or navigation back to the primary site if users didn’t find their intended offer or service.
- Not Focusing on Customer Experience
Do you have enough faith in your customer experience to bet your holiday growth goals on it?
When contemplating holiday marketing, it is crucial to simulate the entire sales process as a new customer would likely do, from start to finish.
Are there any areas in the conversion process or checkout that can be improved by reducing gaps? For instance, is it easy to use your site’s search or main navigation to locate what you need?
Before launching your holiday promotional period, make sure to test and ensure that the checkout process on both desktop and mobile versions of your site is efficient and fast. It is recommended to complete this testing in advance so that any necessary changes or updates can be made and tested before the official launch.
If you want your pages to be visible in search results when customers are looking for them, it is important to prioritize SEO and make a plan ahead of time (preferably 6-8 months in advance, but it is never too late to start now).
- Ignoring Voice Search Optimization
Even though voice search is not as widespread as initially anticipated, it is still crucial to acknowledge its importance. Voice search capabilities are indispensable for popular categories like entertainment, recipes, and how-to guides, especially during holiday seasons.
Considering how to optimize your website or product pages for Alexa, Siri, and Google Home is still crucial.
To ensure voice search compatibility, provide structured data and answer user queries organically for FAQs and product usage information that could potentially be showcased as featured snippets.
- Ignoring the Power of Social Media
Social media is often disregarded by certain eCommerce business owners, leading to limited communication through infrequent monthly posts and a complete absence of community management.
During the pre-holiday season, the fusion between eCommerce and social media is most influential, offering numerous features to bolster sales growth. Nevertheless, neglecting to capitalize on social commerce, strategize communication efforts, or prioritize reaching out to clients across various platforms can cause a decline in sales, a shrinking community, and dismal engagement rates.
Shoppable feeds have become an essential requirement rather than an option for eCommerce brands seeking success. Utilizing social media marketing tools to strategize and ensuring activity on platforms where your clients are present are crucial aspects.
The Final Word
By avoiding these 15 mistakes and paying attention to the advice provided here, you can prevent yourself from falling into the common pitfalls faced by emerging brands.
Maintaining enthusiasm is crucial, and it is important not to let that spark fade away. Blending that optimism with pragmatism will create the necessary environment for your brand to thrive. Your brand is an entity that needs to evolve alongside its surroundings.
