E-commerce makes an attractive business proposition today as it requires less investment in terms of a physical point of sale, employee salaries, and the cost of licensing. A visually attractive and functionally robust online store is the first thing needed to start an e-commerce business. Platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, and Shopify are available for building these stores and a seller has to choose one according to his requirement. But the job does not end here as running it in a smooth and streamlined manner is the bigger part of the picture. Running an e-commerce store successfully is ridden with challenges which are quite different from those faced during conventional selling. Let us have a look at some of these challenges:
1. Initial Low Sales
After having a great-looking store designed by an ecommerce developer comes the real test for your business. Low sales at the initial stages are the biggest problem that most online stores encounter. Things that really matter in this context are the interface and ease that the store offers. The navigation may not be smooth enough and the checkout process may be too cumbersome for the visitor to complete the transaction. The solution lies in a user-friendly design and stringent testing to ensure that conversion rates are boosted. Marketing too plays an important role in promoting your business so that it attracts the maximum number of potential buyers. A smart promotional strategy that combines SEO with social media marketing can make all the difference in pushing the initial stage as well as long-term branding.
2. Inventory Management
Stock management is another significant barrier that e-commerce sellers come across. They can never be sure about the number of items to be kept in the inventory as customer demand is erratic in this business. The stock they have might fall short during peak season and order fulfilment becomes a challenge. Conversely, they may be left with unsold items at the end of the season and storage problems come up. Having a platform that supports proper inventory management, with features like product IDs and Out of Stock, is an excellent solution. Hiring a Magento developer in Atlanta is a good idea because this platform ideally serves the purpose.
3. Shipping Problems
Delivering the products safely is one of the biggest concerns for the seller as his reputation depends upon it. Problems like delay, damage, and loss in transit plague the shipping process and result in unhappy customers. They also increase the online return rates as dissatisfied customers tend to express their anger in this way. Shipping expenditure may also turn up higher than expected as there may be some hidden costs and duties of which the seller may not be aware. An online store must find a trustworthy shipping partner to resolve this issue.
4. Consumer Fraud
Online consumer frauds are widely prevalent these days. Unscrupulous buyers tag a transaction as fraud and claim compensation from the seller despite getting the product. Most sellers prefer to write off the transaction as a business loss rather than take legal recourse. Being vigilant about suspicious-looking transactions and having secure payment gateways are the best ways to prevent such frauds.
Choosing the right website development platform such as Magento is a great way to combat these challenges. A reputed Magento development company can be trusted to deliver an online store which is able to overcome all the problems related to running it smoothly.
