Posted by Your customers are the bread and butter of your e-commerce business. That’s why their satisfaction should be your top priority.
It is essential to address whatever their pain points are. Otherwise, you will have unsatisfied customers. And dissatisfied customers could mean lost sales.
What are Customer Pain Points?
Before we address some of your online shoppers’ concerns, let us first understand what pain points are.
Pain points refer to a problem or concern that your prospects might be experiencing. Keep in mind that the reason a customer visits your website is that they need something from you immediately.
Moreover, these pain points often deter customers from having a pleasant experience from your site.
As a business owner, you need to understand your customers’ pain points. These are often unique to every customer. Meanwhile, addressing these pain points can decrease customer churn.
The first step that you need to do is to identify your problem areas. Who would know these problems better than your customers, themselves?
Ask them questions like, “How is your overall shopping experience with us?” or “What are the suggestions you would like to give?” allows you to identify the root of the problem.
But when you understand your customer’s pain points, only half the battle is won. It will help if you look for creative and unique solutions to provide impeccable customer experience every time.
Here are the ten e-commerce pain points that you should not overlook:
1. Slow website loading speed
The average customer only has an attention span that lasts for 15 seconds. In fact, 53% of users will abandon your site if it takes more than three seconds to load.
Various factors can affect your site speed. Luckily, you can work this out by following SEO best practices. This includes optimizing your site images and choosing the right hosting provider.
Also, note that your customers expect instant gratification. So, it is essential to focus on your site speed before anything else.
2. Incorrect or insufficient information
Source: Drunk Elephant
One of the fastest ways to lose your customers’ trust in your brand is by giving them incorrect or insufficient information. This can be in the form of inaccurate shipping costs and hidden fees.
If you are not providing accurate product information, your customers are less likely to buy from you.
People like to see transparency in your online store. Extra add ons like taxes and shipping fees quickly turn them off.
That’s why you need to be transparent with these additional fees early on before your customer reaches the checkout page.
3. Missing product filtering and sorting
Source: Macy’s
Another pain point a lot of customers have is poor filtering on websites.
According to a study, only 16 percent of e-commerce sites provide users with reasonably good filtering options.
A poor filtering experience will only add to the complexity of making an online purchase.
4. Absence of guest checkout option
Source: Nike
Most of your customers are impatient, and not many are willing to make an account with you. They want to test the waters first by making a single purchase from you before completely diving in.
Requiring them to complete an account or else they could not push through the purchase can be a major turn-off.
Also, ask yourself if requiring your customer to create an account is much more important than securing a first time sale.
You can always ask your customers to create an account on your “thank you” page after they completed a purchase.
Always provide your customers with a guest checkout option. Over time, your conversions will improve. That’s because your customers will not feel pressured into something uncomfortable.
5. Limited payment options
Here’s the thing: When it comes to payments, customers would like to choose a payment process that is convenient for them. Offer them diverse payment options.
Aside from credit cards, there should also be an option for digital wallets and other alternative payment options. This includes PayPal and Alipay.
Ideally, you should choose payment methods that are streamlined and inclusive to most of your customers.
6. Hidden charges and expensive shipping fees
As mentioned earlier, you should be upfront with shipping and other expenses before the final checkout option. When your customers already have a price in mind and find out that they will be paying for more, you risk losing them.
A great way to entice your prospects is by offering them free shipping once they reach a certain threshold. Let’s say you are offering free shipping for purchases that are $49 and up.
A lot of your customers expect free shipping in their purchases as well. If you think you cannot offer this yet, just make sure that they know what they have signed up for, right from the get-go.
7. Terrible post-purchase experience
When a customer confirms their order, you are only half-way there. One of the most critical stages is after the customer purchases from you.
Make sure that their order arrives quickly. Also, send your customers post-purchase emails regularly. If possible, keep them on the loop with their order.
You can also send them information about your loyalty programs, or a request for a product review. Doing so allows you to engage with your customers while showing them at the same time that you value their feedback.
Another aspect that a lot of retailers often neglect is the returns process. When mismanaged, customer returns can be costly, too.
8. Outdated customer service
Souce: American Eagle
The most successful e-commerce companies are investing more and more in customer service. How is this so?
Word-of-mouth and customer reviews are one of the best sales tools that you can ever have. It could be hard to do business with you if you do not provide the solutions to their problems.
If a customer has a bad experience with your business, it does not necessarily mean that you have lost them forever. Customers love it if you go out of your way to do things right for them.
Here are some ways on how you can take your customer service to the next level:
- Offer free shipping and free returns.
- Provide 24/7 support.
- Have live customer representatives instead of chatbots.
- Offer perks like freebies and coupons.
9. Inconsistent omnichannel experience
Your customers want a consistent experience, no matter what medium they pick to purchase your products. It helps that you study your customer’s journey. That way, you can provide them with similar experience, even on multiple touchpoints.
Being consistent with your branding can go a long way in making you stand out from your competitors.
10. No personalized experience
Your customers will like to feel special. That’s why you must strive to offer them a more personalized experience by understanding their wants and interests.
You can send personalized emails to thank them personally for their purchase and invest their time and money.
Always go the extra mile in making sure your customers are satisfied. Otherwise, your competitors will.
The Main Takeaway
Understanding your customers’ pain points is not rocket science. It would help if you always put yourself in their shoes to understand them better.
So, identify, study, and resolve whatever these pain points are. That way, you figure out the kind of products or services that you can provide.
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