This is a contributed article.
As an online business, the last thing you want to do is disappoint your customers. Usually, you only have one chance to impress them and convince them that your company can deliver the service they expect.
Unfortunately, so many online businesses fail because they don’t understand this basic point. Many believe it is okay to disappoint customers in the startup phase, when it isn’t.
That’s why it is so critical to test systems first. The more robust your approach, the less likely it is that customers will feel disappointed.
So, what are online businesses doing wrong? And what can you do about it personally?
Table of Contents
Misleading Product Information
Providing misleading product information on your website is a big no-no and can cause customers a lot of disappointment since they can’t easily return the items they order (unless you have a sophisticated system in place). Therefore, don’t provide exaggerated or vague statements.
Our recommendation is to get professional product descriptions written for your products that you can place on your website. These should contain the precise specifications and all the additional details, like images and videos, showing consumers more about what they can expect. Don’t just use static images if these don’t properly characterise the product in full detail or context.
Slow Website Loading
Another big disappointment is slow website loading times. Consumers absolutely loathe it when they have to wait several seconds for products to appear, and then a few more seconds for text and video to arrive afterwards.
Fortunately, you can fix slow-loading websites by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. These provide more information on specific loading times, but they don’t say much about the underlying reasons for the slowness. That’s something you’ll need to solve yourself by changing servers or using CDNs.
Problems With Deliveries
You can also make customers irate through delivery issues. If they have to wait longer than they expect for the items they want, that can make them upset and unhappy with you.
The easiest way to sort this problem out is to use reputable fulfillment services. These deliver rapidly to customers, often the next day, allowing you to focus on things like branding instead of delivery issues. Furthermore, they can often take care of things like stock ordering, warehousing and customer returns. Again, partnering with them means you don’t necessarily have to use them in the future.
Lack Of Personalization
Another thing that can disappoint customers is lack of personalization. Customers don’t like it when websites feel clunky and generic.
You can personalize your website by using their data or modern techniques that use the data of people who are similar to your customers. This latter option preserves privacy while allowing you to recommend items they will probably like.
Bad Mobile Experience
Finally, you can disappoint your customers by providing them with a poor mobile experience. Making it hard on them to find the products they want is a surefire way to turn them off.
Fix this by using platforms that automate mobile website features or go into your editor and solve the problem yourself.