Synopsis: According to reports, 90 percent of startups fail within the first three months of operations. And what can cause an e-commerce company to fail in its early stages? Knowing why e-commerce businesses fail, and how you can avoid being a bad statistic, can be a game-changer. Among the important reasons, poor online marketing and lack of search engine visibility can be factors. Failure can also be attributed to the inability or low visibility to compete online with the wrong strategies, and much more.

E-commerce startups fail due to various reasons. Being clear about how to start an online business and understanding the reasons for e-commerce failures and mistakes can be of great help. This industry holds a bright future, and addressing the weak points can ensure that e-commerce startups don’t fail.

• No planning

Planning is essential for the success of any business. You need a proper business model before starting an e-commerce business. You must also plan for promoting your website. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to succeed in the marketplace.

Plus, it is a lengthy process. Hence, you have to start your process in a timely and efficient manner. At times you have to re-plan your work. Your business model should have a monetization plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. So, proper planning is the core of any business. Due to insufficient planning, your e-commerce startup can fail.

• Selling the wrong product

One of the main reasons why websites fail is because the product does not sell. If you are selling a product that no one wants then you are in a difficult position from the start. It is the biggest decision to make when you’re planning to start an online store. So what should you sell?

No doubt, many other websites are selling the same products (for example, the same brand of electronics or shoes), but there is still a place for you if you market your website properly and have valuable ideas to engage customers. Ensure online users want to buy the products which you are selling.

• Weak or poorly designed website

How your website looks is an important factor that could determine its success. Many times visitors come across a website but pull out as soon as it is loaded. Why does this happen?

This could be due to several reasons, the website looked sketchy, users may feel that someone can steal their credit card number and they may never get what they have purchased.

Even if it’s a legit company, people can be concerned when shopping online. The goal is to build a strong and trustworthy brand with the right optics for your online business.

• Lack of quality content

The presence of good content will allow users to know more about you and feel more comfortable buying from you. Therefore, build quality content around your products by developing detailed buying guides and unique product pages.

Including videos and images makes your website more user-friendly and could attract more visitors. It is important not only to sell to your visitors but also to inform them. It can also help rank higher in search engine results.

• Flawed inventory management

Inventory management-based e-commerce shopping cart tools are the most important part of any business. Mismanagement of the inventory system could lead to a shortage of products.

Also, when you start a new e-commerce business, having too many products in your inventory could affect your cash flow.

On the other hand, if you have lesser inventory, you may have to deal with product shortage issues that could also lead to a bad customer experience. That’s why it’s important to organize your inventory system efficiently based on your business model.

• Deficient UI and UX design

Useful UI and UX design is an essential feature of a good e-commerce business as it helps attract customers and creates a positive image of your website. When a customer visits your site, the first thing they will notice is your user interface design. If it’s convenient and easy, they’ll come back to your site, and buy from it. 

Today about 60% of people are using a smartphone. And most of the time, purchases are completed through mobile phones to save time. So, you must have a mobile-friendly UX design as it helps in increasing your sales and also growing your business.

• Tough competition

Nowadays, there are a lot of e-commerce platforms out there. But various platforms cannot survive the huge and challenging market. Platforms that can provide quality service can sustain themselves in the current competitive market. Otherwise, your business may see a decline in the beginning.

In short, you have to provide better service through your e-commerce startups to reduce the chances of failure. Taking guidance from a preferred e-commerce web development services company can take you a step ahead in the face of aggressive competition. 

• Ignoring SEO

Ignoring the benefits of SEO is another reason why e-commerce startups could fail. Whenever Google ranks the results based on a keyword, it plays a vital role in enabling the website to appear in the top organic results. Even if your product matches the search, your website will not appear on the first page if it’s not optimized for SEO.

Your competitors may be running strong SEO operations to beat the heat. If you neglect this need, you may never get the opportunity to target your audience.

Hiring professional custom e-commerce website development services will ensure that you grow your e-commerce business with ease.

• Poor quality photos

Visitors to your website would like to see pictures of the products before making a decision. If the quality of your product photos is bad, it could negatively impact your sales.

Some customers do not like to read product descriptions. They can understand the quality of your product by simply looking at the images. Make sure you have the best quality photos on your site to avoid losing customers.

• No marketing strategy

Newspapers, magazines, radio and TV advertisements are not the only means of marketing products. The present circumstances necessitate the presence of businesses in the social media space to take advantage of emerging platforms.

People are connected to social media throughout the day. 71% of consumers who have a positive experience with a brand on social media can recommend the brand to their friends and family.

Marketing your products through Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest is a great way to get your products noticed by customers. People are as likely to buy something that pops up on their screens as they are when they search for it.

Many e-commerce startups fail due to poor marketing. No matter what kind of business you do, if you want people to recognize you, you must promote your brand.

• Not knowing your customer

How do you persuade visitors to buy what you are offering? It is possible only when you understand what your customers want. An e-commerce startup, like any other business venture, must strive to meet the needs and wants of the customers.

Understanding customers is the key to serving them well, resulting in strong customer relationships and sales. But understanding the psyche of customers is not easy and requires a thoughtful analysis to identify their preferences or buying patterns.

Software tools such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provide in-depth analysis of customer activities and provide robust email marketing functionality with real-time tracking.

For the final word

Around 80% of e-commerce startups fail due to the above-mentioned reasons. So, if you want to be a successful e-commerce brand then it is essential to start focusing on these reasons and make a plan to achieve them.

E-commerce website design and development services help create a great experience to win over modern-day consumers who have specific tastes. Mobile app development  or website requires a combination of the right tools, frameworks, platforms, applications and programming languages.

If you want to learn more about e-commerce and how to grow online, contact one of the top e-commerce development companies.