The digital industry has seen tremendous growth in this decade due to high internet speed and Covid-19. Many businesses and the retail sectors are shifting towards the online market. Therefore, the eCommerce sector is also expanding in leaps and bounds. Name any service or products you’ll find it online.
Who is the leading contender in this race? It is the eCommerce owners themselves or the customer! The customers. Are they facing some inconvenience while purchasing online? Businesses must take care of problems that buyers face in eCommerce stores. In this article, let’s have a look at these issues.
What are the common issues faced by eCommerce customers?
A satisfied customer is the only to success to survive in this competition. They’re likely to back to avail your services again will your address their problem with a great sense of urgency and responsibility. Otherwise, you could even lose them forever.
On the flip side, contented clients can prove to be marketing machines by spreading the word about your business through word-of-mouth or even social media sharing. It may seem to be a tiny thing. But, you must have heard about the domino effect. So, these factors count a lot in building your online reputation. Explore these factors as:
User Experience
The user experience should be the priority of any business, but sometimes it is not so. Many eCommerce websites make navigation very difficult. There are so many divisions within the categories that users can’t find relevant and related products. Other than that, most of the sites are not mobile-friendly. Navigation of the site is very hard on Mobile. It frustrates the customer; they move on to other sites.
On the other hand, good customer experience is the foremost thing that will lead to higher sales and customer loyalty. Developing content that matches the customer’s intent and addresses their pain points will always be a plus point.
The customer likes a site having optimized images, loads faster, and is easier to navigate. A positive user experience gives an immediate boost in revenue. 86% of the users are willing to pay a higher price if they get a better experience.
Quality of the product
Do you know that there are many fake products available in the online marketplace? Quality is something that no one can compromise. But, then also, there are many fraud products delivered every day. Consumers order commodities online after seeing their attractive presentation and brand tag. They become delighted after seeing the product’s outlook.
But, when they use it, they come to know about the reality. Users get products far less than desired quality. Sometimes until then, they can’t even return the product. So, they are left to either keep on using the fake product or throw it. In this case, there is a breach of trust. They’ll not prefer to purchase the product from that particular online store again.
eCommerce websites tie-up with different sorts of sellers but don’t verify if they deliver genuine products. In this process, what happens? Customers suffer. So, the solution is
- eCommerce stores must verify the credentials of the sellers.
- Online businesses must ask for timely feedback from their buyers.
- Strict review policy. If bad reviews come from buyers for any product, it is a clear sign of some fraud. In this case, eCommerce owners must warn the sellers or cancel the collaboration deal with them.
Privacy issues
Artificial intelligence has intruded into our lives completely. Many eCommerce companies use AI to track user’s behavior, their search history, and purchasing patterns. Its purpose is to display to clients the products they like by using predictive technology.
Other than that, a customer searches for a product on an eCommerce website. Cookies and crawlers start tracking them. They use this data for many purposes. Customers have to face irritating advertisements while browsing.
Further, while installing an eCommerce application, it asks for so many permissions. Permissions are such that they can access all our personal information. Let it be our photos, messages, chat, and whatnot. The Audio accessibility is the worst! They tend to hear customer’s private conversations. So, where is privacy left?
Additionally, eCommerce websites are not secure as well. Buyers need to click on certain links to make their purchases complete. But, sometimes, those links are that secure. Malicious viruses or spyware can come to the user’s system. So, security is also a big concern.
The innocent buyers don’t know that online stores are playing with their privacy and security. Some of the customers even know that their privacy is being compromised. But, all the major players in the eCommerce industry are using AI. So, buyers have to use these platforms only to making purchases.
It is of utmost importance for eCommerce stores to maintain the privacy and security of the customers. They must ensure not so to sell the buyer’s data to third parties for advertising. eCommerce developers must consider that sellers don’t put any spammy links on the website.
Additionally, Why to make policies to access multimedia of the clients? In this case, customers must make sure not to install any app that demands their private data.
Vague Company Policies
eCommerce stores have unclear return, refund, and other website policies. A user is not satisfied with the product due to a mismatch of size, color, and product stuff. The customers have to return the product. So, they ask for returning or replacing the product. What if an eCommerce store has no vague return policy?
The person responsible for taking returns doesn’t come on time. Or the refund is not coming. It will highly confuse the customer and harass them. Next time, the customer will not even think about purchasing the product from that eCommerce store. Sometimes, there are no return services available on certain products. It is a complete waste of time, money, and effort of the customer.
Other than that, sellers mention the guarantee and warranty of the product. It is to bait the customers for purchasing their products. And clients fall into the trap and end up purchasing faulty goods. It is generally visible for electronic appliances, gadgets, and electrical products.
Customer courts are the best resort for customers in all the above cases. Otherwise, eCommerce stores can frame strict company policies for the website, return, refund, guarantee, and warranty policies. It clears the way for the customer to make hassle-free purchases.
Delivery issues
Many times online stores commit to deliver timely. But, they fail to fulfill their commitments. It proves to be a complete mess. Clients may have an interview the next day, a birthday party, or other engagements. They miss out on their dresses, delivering gifts, preparing food from electrical appliances like an oven, and many other issues. The online solution is that online stores must commit a day after the possible data. So, it encounters any delays on the way.
Conclusion
Selling products online seems to be very enticing for businesses. Customers put the order online and make payments. Online companies must take responsibility for
- Smooth delivery.
- Maintain the privacy of the clients.
- Frame strict website policies
- Last but not least, ensure easy payments.
It will open many doors of opportunities for them. They’ll get satisfied customers, build an online reputation, and customer retention. If you are investing In your business, so why not continue doing it with grace!
