The Ecommerce sector has expanded in almost all the directions we can think of. Talk about any services or products; you’ll get them online. Let it be home-based products, decor, food items, or doctor services. But, there is so much competition in the market. And it is like a race to excel from one another. Online stores need to think deeply about a tricky question. Who is at the receiving end? The customers or competitors! Are businesses considering their convenience? In the hoard of earning more money, customer’s concerns remain neglected. However, it is the client only who is spending money. Online companies can only receive more respect, credibility, and trustable customer relations by safeguarding customer’s interests. If customers face some problems while purchasing online, they must be handled timely to avert a bad reputation. So, in this blog, we will discuss common issues faced by eCommerce customers.
What are the most common issues faced by eCommerce customers?
The e-commerce sector includes companies of all sizes; massive giants like Amazon, Flipkart, Walmart, and small-scale companies like SockSoho. But, there are general issues that clients encounter. These are:
A. Below Standard Product Quality
Ecommerce stores are full of descriptive presentations of goods and services. They are pretty alluring to entice customers to purchase them. So, online retailers know various tactics to attract customers. Are all of them of the best quality? No! Sometimes they are stale products or have low product quality. Many times products seem to be genuine look wise. But, in reality, they’re not. It is not only experts in the product field who know that it is a fake product. And until the return validity date also ends. For example, when a customer orders a cake online. Only after cutting the cake and eating it will users come to know the cake is not fresh.
How to address the product quality problems of e-commerce companies?
From the customer end, the customers must leave poor reviews online. It is for making other customers aware of the attitude of the seller. Other than that, the e-stores managers must keep a check on negative reviews. The best part is to cross-check about the complaint. And give sellers the warning or cancel deals with them.
B. User experience
How are users finding your website display? Are they able to get quick results? Website or Application is the interface where customers can find your products. If it is not clear and attractive enough, then it is not worth it! The online store needs effort and research to relate to the products they’re looking for. The customer experience is the foremost thing to invest in. Here are some handy tips:
Website Navigation
There is a clear difference between a simple website design vs. a cluttered one. On a messy website, customers can’t locate where they are. And what they exactly want. On the other hand, a website that takes the homepage maximum of four clicks is easier to find.
Search Assistance
Customer search assistance is the most beneficial tool an online store can provide. For example, a client is looking for running shoes in blue color. Search assistance will display similar shoes with almost different or the same brands below the actual product. In this way, the product choice becomes effortless.
User Intent
When the user search context doesn’t match the results, the user is likely to leave the store there and then. Displaying relevant results is a direct cash-in-hand! Users are ready to pay even more if they get a better user experience. Customers looking to purchase branded Spectacles won’t like unexpected results. So, design content according to user intent. Use proper keywords and tags to come up on SERPs.
Mobile Unfriendly Site
In an unresponsive mobile site, customers need to zoom, pinch or scroll again and again to look at product details. It is the worst user experience. But a responsive site can take care of this issue. Thus, you can also access an E-commerce SEO agency to design optimized and responsive websites.
C. Intrusion into customer’s Privacy
Personalization has changed the way people do shopping online. Tailor-made results according to customer’s behavior and previous searches are possible. In this way, Artificial intelligence has changed the scenario of online shopping. But, every technology is like two sides of a coin. AI predictive algorithms encroach into the Privacy of the customers. Whenever a customer installs Ecommerce apps, they need to agree with their privacy policies. Otherwise, they can’t use the app. The privacy policies related to shopping are acceptable, but these points are beyond that:
- They sell the customer’s private information to third-party apps. Third-party apps can misuse it the way they want.
- The eCommerce apps can even listen to the private conversations of their customers. But, how? They have access to the audio section of smartphones.
- Ecommerce merchants put spammy links along with the product links. It hampers the security of phones and PCs. Hackers can access complete clients’ information through them.
How to address the privacy and security issues of e-commerce customers?
Government can put strict guidelines to save the Privacy and security of the customers. It will directly check the app’s intrusive policies and their intention to earn money through unfair means. E-commerce sectors can increase the security of their websites. And instruct sellers strictly not to put any spammy product links on the website. Also, customers must read the privacy policies before installing any app.
D. Payment Complications
Payments are a big hassle for customers while buying items online. It is not one issue, but clients may get payment problems almost at these stages:
Fewer Payment gateways are available
Customers select the product with so much effort from the online store. They go to the cart to order it. Sometimes there are not sufficient payment options available. For instance, some payment choices are not valid in a particular country. Paypal is a universal payment gateway but doesn’t work in Asia, Russia, and Africa. So, all the initial efforts go in vain.
Advanced payment problem
Sometimes eCommerce payments come across with technical glitches. A customer is making an advanced payment with net banking. OTP comes on his mobile to complete the payment. But, due to some technical problems, money gets deducted, but the order is not complete. Further, it takes 10-15 days for the payment to come back. A complete waste of time! And customer’s money also gets stuck.
How to address the payment problem of E-commerce stores?
Website administrators can tie up other third-party E-commerce platforms. These platforms must provide several payment gateways. Now, these payment gateways must satisfy two criteria:
- Geographical location Friendly. If you’re catering to customers in particular areas, it is best to have gateways popular.
- Customers’ payment preferences also matter. A section of customers prefers one payment while the other another one. These categories could be like B2C, B2B. It may also depend on the trending gateways.
It may seem like a straightforward thing. But, solving it can have a significant impact on your sales volume. Additionally, technical glitches, when taken seriously, can increase your conversion rate and a great ROI.
E. Delivery related problems
deswedProduct delivery is the way that an online store can hand over product items to customers. However, customers face many issues with the timely delivery. Ecommerce platform clients have scheduled many things according to delivery timings of the goods. There could be many instances like
- Preparing the child for the school function with the ordered dress.
- Gifting someone a gift for a special occasion.
- Organizing an event.
So, such things could be at stake due to late delivery. Also, some product delivery is not possible at particular locations. And for some products, customers have very few choices for the platforms. So, they remain devoid of seamless deliveries.
Solutions for the delivery related problems
E-commerce managers must calculate maximum delivery timings and then give clients the scheduled delivery date. Further, eCommerce companies can tie up with local retailers to deliver at every possible location.
F. Unclear return and refund policies
Customers may not be satisfied with product size, color, or any other issues. In this case, they need to return the products. But, the eCommerce sector doesn’t replace or return some of the products. And even if they return, they don’t give timely refunds. It proves to be a botheration for clients. Calling the customer care numbers and not getting any response is quite irritable. Also, their money gets stuck with stores for a long. It is a worst-case scenario and a bad customer experience. Online companies must have clear return and refund policies to save to facilitate consumer shopping to address this issue.
Conclusion
In brief, satisfying customers is the way to expand the e-commerce market. To achieve so, consider these points: First, there must be clear-cut return policies to avoid customer botheration. Second, take care of technical problems for seamless payments. Next, displaying search results according to user intent touches a customer’s heart. Last but not least, don’t compromise on product quality. So, how are you planning to address these issues and enhance the user experience?