Starting a Shopify store is not a difficult task; instead, making a mark in the market is the challenge. Many merchants open their eCommerce stores on Shopify.
Out of them, the success rate is 10%, meaning that 9 out of 10 businesses do not emerge as successful ventures.
Shopify doesn’t clarify the reasons. But if you run your business while avoiding common pitfalls, Shopify holds enormous potential. Over $700 billion of sales has been made on Shopify in the last 17 years.
Let’s explore the major mistakes entrepreneurs often make and discover ways to overcome them.
Lack of Groundwork
One of the key factors contributing to the failure of Shopify businesses is not building a strong foundation. Many businesses opt for mainstream products, resulting in stiff competition.
So to get a target, distinct eCommerce market, you can follow these steps:
Niche Selection
Narrow down your niche to target a specific segment of the market. For example, within the broader category of home decor, focus on unique sub-categories like eco-friendly or vintage decor.
Choosing Between Trending and Steady Products
While trending products can yield quick profits, consider incorporating steady products with consistent demand to ensure long-term sustainability.
Balancing Passion and Profit
Combine your passion with profit by offering products that resonate with your expertise and cater to customer needs. For instance, addressing specific concerns like sensitive skin can create a unique selling proposition.
Not Offering Value to Customers
Even with the right niche, offering products that align with customer needs is crucial. These are the common factors that Shopify merchants can’t afford to neglect:
Best-in-class shopping experiences
Some Shopify stores provide bad customer experiences, making 80% of customers leave the store. You must opt for visual appeal, nice aesthetics, and easy navigation. It helps users explore and purchase products effortlessly.
Risk-free payment options
Your customers must get excellent security and a quick, and easy way to purchase things. So it is essential to integrate risk-free, versatile payment options in your eCommerce store.
Excellent customer services
Without providing splendid customer service, your brand can’t stand out from the competition. It is even a crucial aspect of maintaining good customer relationships.
For this, ensure to give quick assistance, address customer queries, and fast resolution for payment and shipping issues.
Lack of Buying Options
Another common downfall for many Shopify businesses is failing to provide a diverse range of buying options for customers.
So you can add product variants, such as setting pricing, inventory, or shipping options. Other than that, you can offer a variety of the same product while giving options like size, color, and style, or weight, finish, and material.
There is another vital element to it: accurate product information.
While adding too much info may overwhelm and confuse customers, with too less they will not get a complete idea about the product. Thus, this is how you can influence customers to purchase your products:
- Use high-quality and relevant product images,
- Add descriptive size charts
- Write relatable and interesting
Additionally, customization, special discounts, upsells and cross-sells play pivotal roles in boosting sales.
Neglecting On-The-Go Shopping
Most users prefer on-the-go shopping on their smartphones. Neglecting mobile-friendly website designs can result in losing a significant portion of potential customers.
Optimize your Shopify store for various devices, and consider creating apps to enhance user experience across different handsets.
Building Customer Trust
If you lose your customer trust, there is a high chance, they won’t be coming back. There is another ripple factor to it:negative reviews may tarnish your brand reputation, affecting sales badly.
It may be as small as spelling and grammatical errors. So, avoid them on your Shopify store to make a positive first impression.
Also, maintain transparency throughout the purchasing process:
- Mention 100% correct product information so that it doesn’t mislead customers.
- Give a clear roadmap of where your product is in the stage of delivery. Also, it is critical to fulfill your delivery time promises.
There is another powerful aspect, users usually believe what others are saying about the product. So, leverage social proof to win customer trust and earn a promising brand reputation.
With this, you can gain and retain customers, ensuring long-term success and achieving repeat purchases.
Encourage Repeat Business
Many eCommerce merchants start good, but don’t focus on building repeat business. You can encourage repeat business through:
Satisfying Customer Requirements:
Continuously adapt and improve your offerings based on customer feedback and preferences.
Out of them, the success Real-Time Support:
Provide prompt and helpful support to address customer concerns and build trust.rate is 10%, meaning that 9 out of 10 businesses do not emerge as successful ventures.
Offer Loyalty Rewards:
Implement loyalty programs to incentivize repeat purchases and foster customer loyalty.
It is because repeat customers spend more and are more open to your new products. Building brand loyalty boosts your profits considerably over time.
Effective Marketing Strategies
Some businesses don’t focus on implementing proper marketing. With this, their present customers lose track, and they are not to tap into new markets.
Enhance the visibility and reach of your Shopify business through effective marketing tactics:
Communicate Your Value: Showcase your unique value proposition, such as sustainability efforts, to attract customers who align with your cause.
Increase reach through social media: Connect with the right audience and spread information about new products and brands through social media.
Create Engaging Content: Utilize email newsletters, blog posts, videos, and virtual events to engage your audience and showcase your brand’s personality.
Leverage Email Marketing: Build and maintain an email list to keep customers informed about new products, promotions, and updates.
Pick on cart abandonment solutions: Capture card abandonment details and re-engage with potential customers through web push notifications, direct emails, and email reminders.
It strengthens your brand positioning in the marketplace, leading to increased conversions and stronger customer relationships.
Optimizing Profit Margins
Ensure your business remains profitable by either adjusting product margins or adding value to your offerings. If you need to lower the product prices that start affecting your survival, consider shifting to different products. So, balancing customer preferences and profitability is essential for sustained growth.
Shopify Success Stories
There are many successful Shopify businesses out there. Here are a few examples:
Outdoor Voices
Outdoor Voices is an activewear company that started in 2014. They sell high-quality, stylish activewear for women. However, what truly sets them apart? They maintain a powerful social media presence and focus on providing excellent customer service.
Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova is a fashion eCommerce brand. Their USP is providing reasonably priced clothes for men and women of all sizes. It includes even plus-size clothes that fit well to everyone. They incorporate user-generated content and collaborate with renowned influencers.
The Honest Company
The Honest Company is a personal care company. Their niche is selling non-toxic, baby and home products. They have a strong focus on sustainability, and they have a loyal following of customers.
Casper
Casper is a mattress company that provides mattresses shipped directly to your door. They have a very innovative marketing strategy and quickly became one of the most popular mattress companies in the world.
Ensure Your Shopify Success
In the intricate world of Shopify eCommerce, success is a quest that demands insight, perseverance, and adaptation. You can draw lessons from successful brands and learn from the missteps of businesses that couldn’t sustain for long. If you need expert assistance at any stage, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to assist you in making your Shopify business shine.
About The Author
Saravanaprabhu Shivaswamy
Expert at business strategies, management, and operations with two decades of entrepreneurial experience. I build products, teams, and companies.
