The e-commerce sector has boomed rapidly in Australia so there are more and more new companies entering the sector. Nearly all local businesses these days have a website at least aimed at attracting customers or facilitating online purchases. However, just the presence of an e-store is not sufficient for driving online sales, as most local businesses eventually find out. Therefore, be aware of the following common pitfalls of building a web store that small companies commonly face:
Assuming the Site Building is a One-Time Thing
Most small business owners with little background in IT believe that setting up a web store is a one-time thing. You use a content management system for free, buy a theme, customize it, and voila, you have a fully-functioning online store, right? Well, actually no. While building websites and e-stores have become much more simple thanks to various web tools and user-friendly eCommerce CMS software, the actual building process is a bit complicated. First of all, e-commerce sites and stores must be speedy, highly secure, optimized for search engines, and also user-friendly to customers. Combining all these aspects requires a lot of attention to detail, time, and some technical expertise as well. So don’t think that selling online will generate fast money.
Choosing the Wrong CMS
Some owners choose easy-to-do, drag-and-drop content management systems to build eCommerce websites in a matter of minutes, only to find out later that the CMS doesn’t have the infrastructure to support a growing online store. Therefore, choosing an eCommerce CMS like Magento is actually important for the functionality of a complex website like an online store. Using an advanced CMS requires coding skills and experience, so it’s not something just about anyone can jump in and do. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to hire outside help for the site building process. Local reputed Magento developers Sydney or in your local area to make sure that the base code of the online store is as professional as it can get.
Lacking a Business Plan for the Online Store
Businesses do have hefty plans when formally launching a company. But if the business is expanding to the digital sphere, that requires a separate plan. It doesn’t have to be a massive tome like the business plan owners present to potential investors. However, the online store business plan must have several key elements, namely, identifying the target audience, identifying the competition, and a problem-solving strategy (or a unique value proposition). The audience for the online store would slightly differ from customers that visit a physical store, therefore, it’s important to launch with a separate business plan.
No Digital Marketing Plan
The digital marketing plan for the web store should be conceived before building the site. Why so early? Because the site can then be optimized for traffic and conversions accordingly. While the marketing plan will change over time with new challenges, there should be a foundation to launch the site. Without the marketing plan, it would be difficult to effectively attract traffic to the site once it goes live.
How many of the above mistakes did your online business make when launching a site?
