When a company or business is considering developing an
e-commerce website, there are many “Do's and Don’ts" that one should take
into consideration. Whether its products
or services being sold locally, or nationally, here are some key elements that
should be taken into account in order to insure success and positive feedback
from customers that are using your e-commerce website.
Do’s:
1)
Security:
You should definitely have a security certificate, which is called a SSL
Certificate, on display throughout all the pages of your website. This will help grow trust and confidence
amongst consumers that their private information is safe and protected.2) Test, Test, Test : When designing and running e-commerce websites, companies and businesses must remember to always make sure to test and maintain their sites consistently, in order to insure that they are running smoothly and up to expectations. This includes while you’re designing the website and also includes making it a daily responsibility while it is running. Consumers will get frustrated and possibly not trust your website, and if that happens; No purchases, no sales.
3) Word is Your Bond: Nothing kills a consumer’s motivation to repeat buy from your website if you do not deliver on your delivery promises. When delivering many websites over exceed the time promised to the customer, which will result in angry emails and comments direct at your service or product. Many websites are over selling the time frame to customers, so when the product shows up a few days earlier, it generates a feeling of reliability between the consumer and the company.
Don’ts
1)
More
Than a Sale: After the sale, don’t ignore customer reviews or
questions. Customer service is just as
important as the sale itself, and is a huge part of the customer’s decision
process whether they will return and purchase again. 2) Don’t Sell Everything: Don’t sell your customers information! They have trusted you with their private information and user privacy is very important to people. If you get caught selling information to a third party, a bad reputation will be the last of your worries, because you will no longer have any people willing to purchase through your website and/or company.
3) Left in the Dark: Don’t leave out important information and links on your website. Some Companies and businesses make the mistake of not posting contact information for the customer. You should always have your linking information visible and easy for the user to use and locate.
Top 100 Do's and Don'ts of E-Commerce
IMPACT Branding & Design
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ReplyDeleteExcellent post Dan, You have clearly pointed out different important Do's and Don'ts which I believe would relate to any company. Another "DO" is that Companies should hire a professional e-commerce person or company, to prevent mistakes that could lead to massive consequences and penalties and therefore, resulting in customers' dissatisfaction and low reputation of the company.
ReplyDeletehere is a link of a YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bWCz3W8Cus
I completely agree with you additional "DO" for E-Commerce. Many people have employees within the company handle their E-Commerce website. This should really be handled by a proper and educated professional. There is that saying:
DeleteIt takes years to win a customer and only seconds to loose them.
E commerce can be very useful when following the three do's. I think the most important for an effective e commerce site is word is your bond. Retaining repeat customers is crucial and not not delivering on a companies promises could crush their reputation. Good Blog Dan.
ReplyDeleteGood Job! For the security factor I've experienced a lot of terrible online shopping websites and it does impact my confidence and trust to them all. It would definitely be the first factor we need to check and identify!
ReplyDeletegood job Dan it is very important we understand what is e-commerce and what are the key elements and the most important thing how we have to grow the trust for customer to let them more confident on websites and let them be sure about their personal information.
ReplyDeleteGood job Dan :) I agree that it is very important that websites display their SSL Certificate. Customer's are becoming more and more skeptical with the security of websites and displaying this could increase a consumer's chance of trusting the site and making a purchase.
ReplyDeleteThank you for emphasizing the SSL Certificate issue. Security concern iss one major issue about e-commerce. And Dan did well by considering it as #1 issue. as identity theft increases, it is important to display the SSL Certificate to create some trust in customers who wants to do purchase,
DeleteI agree that security is the number one issue. However,I think cost is another issue. For new companies, including security, wouldn't it be difficult to continually test?
DeleteGood Job i think security is a important one to focus on because of the trust you will gain from customers due to having good security within the webpage. Trust will generate the purchases.
ReplyDeleteDan, you give a good insight on e-commerce websites. Unlike face-to-face purchase where the marketer and the customer do a safe and secure transaction or exchange, the transaction on e-commerce is not too safe and secure. So following these do's and don'ts will encourage audience shop on e-commerce websites. Good job, Dan.
ReplyDeleteWith e-commerce websites I agree that it is important for businesses to focus on the dos and dont's of their webpage. One of the dos I find very important is that word is your bond. To gain trust with your consumers you want to be able to keep your word. Otherwise it could reflect negatively on your company.
ReplyDeleteVery well written!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with all of those 'do's' and 'don'ts'. Following those would be crucial for an e-commerce website.
These will keep the customer both safe and happy!
With social media making it so easy for people to communicate their feelings about a company it is very important to make sure all consumers have a positive experience with your company. These steps are very important to ensure that there is positive experiences on your website, which will maintain a good image for the company.
ReplyDeleteThis is great information Dan. I would think that any one of the E-Commerce "Don't" would be enough to loose customers for life. People are not happy when you do not follow up with them after a sale, or a company is not transparent with them. I would definitely not be happy that's for sure. Gift me all the information up front or I will not be buying again.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Dan. Positive comments from consumers has always been important for businesses but with the rise of social media, and the accessibility to this websites it is even more important for business to have positive feedback as more people can see and hear negative feedback from consumers.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post, the way you explained the do's and dont's of E-commerce websites is very impressive and informative and i agree to the point regarding security you made in the post, an e-commerce website need to have security if the website is not secure most people would not prefer to buy from website because they might be vulnerable to fraud or theft.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI always look for evidence of security when dealing with e-commerce sites. It's a huge factor. No one wants to do business within a site that doesn't guarantee theft or fraud protection. Also, websites that allow reviews to be made by past customers that are unedited convey trust and promote an objective view on the part of the company towards the opinions of the customers. It gives more power and voice to a customer which heightens the chance of repeat business.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. Once a company has a bad reputation and has been associated with fraudulent activity it is very difficult to gain back consumer trust.
DeleteI think the hardest 'DO' would be #3 Word is your Bond..
ReplyDeletepeople don't like hearing that things will take a long time to ship, but personally i would rather know when it is coming (FOR SURE, even if it is longer) than thinking its going to be here in a week ( in time to wear next Sunday) but it takes 10 days to arrive.. so it doesnt arrive and i have nothing to wear!.. People don;t like being lied to and they believe what they read.. ESPECIALLY DELIVERY DAYS
Dan, your outline of the Dos and Don'ts are extremely true. Especially the don'ts. It is too often that after a purchase there is neglect or not being able to contact post purchase in case something happens to a product. It is truly a pitfall of companies which I for one have experienced. The Dos are also very important, sometimes can be difficult, but being able to execute them is the making of a truly excellent e-commerce company
ReplyDeleteInsightful post Dan, I agree with all of the points you made, especially the do about Security, time and time again you hear about different company websites being hacked and their customers having your bank account security being compromised. In the future companies must strive to constantly improve their e-commerce site security in order for people to feel more safe about having their banking information on the internet.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Well done Dan, the way you explained is very impressive. These things would make customer happier.
ReplyDelete