Online shopping is booming. In 2025, global e-commerce sales are expected to hit over $4.3 trillion. If you sell products online, there are golden opportunities to make money, but Forbes data suggests that up to 90% of new online businesses fail. In this guide, we’ll outline some key mistakes to avoid to help you maximize sales and minimize risks.
Ineffective marketing
Marketing can be incredibly effective for businesses that sell products online, but you have to employ a brilliant strategy to succeed. Your marketing campaigns should be aimed at your target audience and help to raise awareness of your brand and promote your products. It’s essential to choose the right methods and platforms to market your company or store. Zone in on channels that are popular among your target buyers and use market research and interactions with target customers to shape your strategy and inform decision-making.
If you don’t have expertise in marketing or a marketing team, you may want to think about outsourcing or working with freelance marketers. This will help you access expertise and skills to adapt and elevate your marketing strategy, optimize ROI, and boost sales. As well as helping you create and deliver campaigns, marketing experts can also collect and track data to update and improve your strategy.
Failing to analyze and use data effectively
We have vast amounts of data at our fingertips. If you sell products, it’s crucial to use data effectively. From monitoring customer actions on your website to seeing how well different products are selling using stock control software, you can use high-quality, relevant data to gather insights into consumer behaviors, invest more time, money and energy in in-demand products, and pinpoint the best marketing methods and promotions. With data, you can eliminate guesswork and increase the chances of making sales. If your stock reports show you’re running low on items that are sought-after, for example, you can order more and capitalize on high levels of demand with targeted marketing campaigns and offers.
Making it difficult for customers to find, order, and pay for products
One of the most common reasons why people shop online is to save time and effort. While many people enjoy scrolling and browsing at leisure, convenience is key for most. As a retailer, vendor, or online store owner, it’s critical to understand the importance of making life as easy as possible for your customers. Your customers should be able to find a product, add it to a cart or basket, choose payment and delivery options, and pay with minimal hassle. Long, complex checkout processes are one of the most common reasons people abandon their carts.
It’s a good idea to evaluate your site or store regularly by taking a walk in your customer’s shoes. You can also use analytics, customer feedback, and A/B testing to address problems and make improvements.
More and more people are shopping online. If you’re eager to capitalize on the growth of the e-commerce market, it’s important to be aware of common mistakes. Examples include ineffective marketing strategies and campaigns, failing to use data effectively, and making it difficult for your customers to find, order, and pay for the products they want to buy.