5 reasons why eCommerce stores fail to achieve consistent growth

You spent hours writing the perfect landing page copy, got a photographer to take amazing shots of your products, and planned a social media campaign that would make Aldi jealous.

There's just one problem… you're not getting any sales.

According to Failory, 80% of eCommerce sites eventually fail, which is a very sobering statistic. It's critical to ensure your site is optimised as best as possible to ensure the sales come rolling in and your business has the opportunity to grow.

In my experience, there are five main reasons behind eCommerce businesses not getting the sales they need to sustain themselves.

1. Your eCommerce site isn't performing as it should

We've all become accustomed to expecting the best customer service. From when we walk into a store to when we hand over payment, we want to be treated like Kings and Queens.

The same logic needs to apply to your website. A slow, clunky site with poor usability will make prospective shoppers run screaming in the opposite direction. Even worse, they may tell their friends to give your eCommerce store a wide berth.

Here's something to consider: people experience the same stress from waiting for a slow mobile website to load as they do from watching a horror movie. Less Nightmare on Elm Street, more nightmares on smartphones!

2. Your eCommerce site isn't giving off the right trust signals

Think about the things that make you feel safe in the knowledge that someone knows what they're talking about. Speaking slowly and clearly, good eye contact, a friendly smile.

Trust signals are the things that inspire confidence in others, and they apply to your website too. They show prospective customers that your store is authentic, safe, and sells high-quality products. And, of course, that leads to increased sales.

A trust signal can be anything from a logo that shows you're a member of a trade organisation to a testimonial from satisfied customers. If it encourages customers to fill their shopping carts, it's a positive sign.

Try it for yourself – look at your website from a customer's point of view and see how many trust signals you can spot.

3. Your eCommerce site doesn't offer the right payment options

Apple Pay, Klarna, Bitcoin… eCommerce sites have come a long way from just offering Visa and Mastercard as payment options!

While there are a wide range of payment options available to eCommerce retailers, it's important to offer the right ones. It can make the difference between getting a sale and getting a high cart abandonment rate.

While over a third of online payments are made by credit and debit card, nearly half are made by digital or mobile wallet. This means if you're not offering Apply Pay, Google Pay or PayPal as payment options on your store, you could be missing out.

Look at your target audience and see what payment options resonate most with them. For example, Buy Now Pay Later options like Klarna and Afterpay are popular with Gen Z.

4. Your eCommerce site fails when it comes to delivery and returns

You may think your job is done when customers have gone through the checkout process and handed over their money, but this isn't the case. 73% of customers will stop recommending an eCommerce store if they experience an issue with delivery.

This means that if you want to encourage customer retention and boost customer lifetime value, you need to offer a seamless delivery and returns experience.

Look at the options you provide in your store. Do you offer free delivery? Next-day delivery? Free returns?

What can you do to entice shoppers to keep buying from you?

5. You're not marketing your eCommerce site in the right way

It doesn't matter if you're a micro-business of one or a large multinational organisation. Marketing is the key to bringing new customers to your store, as well as nurturing them until they're ready to buy.

Scarily, half of small and medium businesses don't have a marketing plan in place.

The right marketing strategy for your eCommerce store will depend on the products you sell and the target audience you want to appeal to.

It could be search engine optimisation, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, or a strong presence on social media. The key is being consistent, engaging with prospective customers, and tracking results to see what's working and what needs improving.

Ps…. Why not test your eCommerce site today?

If you want to see what you need to do to set your eCommerce site on the path to success, why not take the eCommerceRating test?

It only takes three minutes and will tell you what you need to do to grow your sales, reduce your bounce rate, and stop customers from abandoning their carts. You'll also get a free follow-up session worth ￡795 to explore even more ideas that will give your eCommerce site the edge over your competitors.

Give it a go – it's completely free, and there's no obligation to buy anything!