Errors Made By Ecommerce Site Owners
If you were starting over in ecommerce, what would you do differently?
Ecommerce owners do a lot of trial-and-error work on their way to building a successful operation. Along the way to success, it often becomes clear that the road could have been less rocky if a few things were done differently. Hindsight is often painfully clear. Several ecommerce owners outlined what they would do differently, if they had the chance to start over.
SHANE MCKENZIE, PRESIDENT/OWNER
WEBSITE: Thesunglassmanonline.com
SELLS: Sunglasses & accessories
ANSWER: I would spend more time learning how a site's design can impact conversion and search engine rankings. I would take more care with product images; improvements in this area really improve sales.
DEBRA KILLEN, OWNER
WEBSITE: Myembroideredgifts.com
SELLS: Personalized gifts for all occasions
ANSWER: My answer is really two-fold, but both ideas work together. To build my site, I would choose a well-rounded platform — one that would grow with my store. The second and more important thing would be to hire someone to design my website at the very beginning rather than trying to do it myself. My time is best spent developing products. My money is best spent paying someone who really knows how to design a website.
ANNE CAVICCHI, OWNER
WEBSITE: Maternitycorner.com
SELLS: Maternity, nursing and baby clothing, accessories and gifts
ANSWER: I would choose proven shopping cart software and a proven host. Initially, I used a program written by an acquaintance. I soon realized it wasn't going to do the job for me, so I switched to MIVA Merchant. I had to basically rebuild my site and re-enter all my products. When it became apparent my host wasn't all that great either, I had to switch that, too. I would have made more sales sooner — and I would have saved myself a lot of aggravation and work — had I done this in the first place. Live and learn!
SIMON MILLINGTON, PRESIDENT
WEBSITES: Golfoutletsusa.com (USA) and Thesportshq.com (UK)
SELLS: Golf equipment
ANSWER: I wish we had better understood the marketing angles that really serve to grow a business. Over the years, it's to be hoped that you will figure out what performs best, but we could have been more up to speed with search engine optimization and affiliates. Pay-per-click was a quick solution and worked well, but we missed out on the volume of traffic other methods produce. Things move fast with ecommerce, so it is vital you move at the same speed.
NORMAN VAZQUEZ, OWNER
WEBSITE: Unclebeanz.com
SELLS: Premium specialty coffee, roasted per individual order, on demand ANSWER: Use a website host that has flexibility. We chose our first host because it enabled us to build our website using its templates. It was a decent and functional site, but we quickly outgrew it. In retrospect, I can see that we gave up flexibility in order to get our site up and running quickly. Don't rush. Select a host wisely, preferably with 24/7 support. If you don't, you'll end up spending time rebuilding a site at a time when you should be growing your business.
MARK HEVERLY, OWNER
WEBSITE: Ebait.com
SELLS: Fishing tackle and equipment
ANSWER: Paying for website submissions to search engines was not worth the cost, and it was the first thing we eliminated. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of website optimization. Create web pages that are keyword-rich to help drive you to the top of the search pages.
JULIE LEE, OWNER
WEBSITE: Juliesjewels.com
SELLS: Diamond and Moissanite Jewelry
ANSWER: I would have researched and learned more about marketing an online business, and I would have spent more time measuring the items that truly matter — like conversion rates. I would have focused more on branding, and I would have concentrated my marketing efforts on the products that generated the greatest ROI. Unfortunately, I haven’t always spent my time and money wisely.
20 Comments
Legacy User says:
An excellent article! It's always great to hear experiences from people much like myself.
I'm no ecommerce expert, but at the moment I'm working on an ecommerce website which I'm hoping will bring in a stable income. Reading experiences and mistakes from others much like myself helps me make sure I focus on what I might one day regret not doing (as this article points out)!
-- Joe
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: Great-Save.com SELLS: Soccer equipment for Goalkeepers ANSWER: I would have focused more on usability and making sure the buying process was as easy as possible. Initially you can get caught in a rush to get the site live, but those initial visitors and impression they create of your business from your site are very important. As others have said, search engine position is very important — so make sure you evaluate your shopping cart system carefully for SEO possibilities.
-- SIMON LILLY, DIRECTOR
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: Babyplanetboutique.com SELLS: Fun new products for babies, toddlers and moms ANSWER: I wouldn't have been so rushed to go live. Once I decided to open a business, I just wanted it to be up and running as soon as possible so I could start to see some return on my investment. However, by doing that, I took a few shortcuts that in the long run probably hurt my sales rather then helping them. It's better to just do things properly from the beginning and know that you have a nice, well-put-together site that will be enjoyable for consumers to shop at.
-- Danielle Burgi
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: KidRecliners.com SELLS: Child Furniture & Learning Supplies ANSWER: Many of these people mentioned shopping cart selection. I think that's right on. One of the things you want to make sure your cart/site has is product feeds. Eventually you're going to want to get your products onto eBay, Amazon, Bizrate, Nextag, Google Base, etc. If these feeds are automatically created for you, you'll be much better off.
-- Craig Clark, Co-Owner
Legacy User says:
All of the comments are interesting and enlightening, but without much detail impart only general ideas. Guess I don't understand the lingo sufficiently. Ah, yes, more to learn!
-- Karen Gross
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: Followfunction.com SELLS: Modern design ANSWER: Our business model is not quite as unique and creative as the products we sell. If I had to start over, I might use the knowledge I have now to create something a little more original. We are in a highly competitive market, and distinguishing ourselves has not always been easy.
-- Jeff Benzenberg
Legacy User says:
This is a great column/post and I would love to see more like it that give real challenges faced by small businesses launching or running an ecommerce site. There is so much to learn and this site is quickly becoming a favorite.
Lynda Keeler Delight.com
-- Lynda Keeler
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: TrueRenu.com SELLS: Japanese beauty and health products for skin, body and hair ANSWER: First of all, this is a great questions with lots of great answers.
After three years running, we now have some cash flow to make some serious changes to hopefully increase sales, all to correct mistakes we made during startup:
1) Get a real designer to provide a more slick look and feel. A website should project the philosphy of the products sold... in our case, our customers (mostly female) should feel like they are shopping in Japan. $5,000-$10,000 may seem like a lot to spend, but we're thinking of lifetime value and the small amount of incrementl sales to pay for it.
2) SEO, SEO, SEO! First, a good designer will build in a lot of the basics to improve overall and individual page ranking.
3) We believe our cart (CandyPress) and host (CrystalTech) were good decisions, so no changes there. BUT, we are going to move from Access to MSSQL-based database to improve speed and traffic handling.
Thanks for a great mag and article — hopefully more like this to come??!!
-- Eric Bernhard
Legacy User says:
I would have gone with my current shopping cart sooner. After a lot of headaches, I learned that you usually get what you pay for when it comes to shopping carts.
www.edufurniture.com
-- Cole Webb
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: TrueRenu.com SELLS: Japanese beauty and health products for skin, body and hair ANSWER: First of all, this is a great questions with lots of great answers.
After three years running, we now have some cash flow to make some serious changes to hopefully increase sales — all to correct mistakes we made during startup:
1) Get a real designer to provide a more slick look and feel. A website should project the philosophy of the products sold... in our case, our customers (mostly female) should feel like they are shopping in Japan. $5,000-$10,000 may seem like a lot to spend, but we're thinking of lifetime value and the small amount of incremental sales to pay for it.
2) SEO, SEO, SEO! First, a good designer will build in a lot of the basics to improve overall and individual page ranking.
3) We believe our cart (CandyPress) and host (CrystalTech) were good decisions, so no changes there. BUT, we are going to move from Access to MSSQL-based database to improve speed and traffic handling.
Thanks for a great mag and article - hopefully more like this to come??!!
-- Eric Bernhard
Legacy User says:
I have had a online business for two years and haven't seen a lot of income. After reading the comments above, it's obvious I need to create a new website.
Thanks for the good info.
I sell Sirius satellite radio and electronics.
http://www.djswholesale.com
-- djs wholesale llc
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: Fleecies.com SELLS: Blankets, bedding, quilts ANSWER: We have many mistakes in common
When I went online 5 years ago, I was bootstrapping and had to go cheap - meaning I built everything myself in FrontPage, all HTML pages, no database, no web designer and a cheap ecommerce solution. Now that we have grown, in both products and business, I am really hampered by the lack of scalability and the difficulty in updating the site. Transferring over to a real ecommerce cart and database solution will be a major undertaking. Now that we are moving forward in building other sites, we are making sure these facets are in place before we build.
-- Gena Saunders
Legacy User says:
WEBSITE: Millcraftfurniture.com SELLS: Maintenance-free outdoor furniture ANSWER: I would have had a designer do the website. I actually need to do that now!
-- Josh Brown
Legacy User says:
The most often heard response I hear is (paraphrasing):
"I would have weighed the value of doing it right the first time, rather than working "on the cheap," only to wind up spending more money in the long run."
This translates to budget analysis - building for the future. It's key to build with room for growth. It does require a bigger investment up front, but it sure is a money-saver in the long run.
-- Pamela Hazelton
Legacy User says:
Thank you for the helpful article and comments. In August of last year, I decided to start a small online business. Three months into the process I was overwhelmed by the number and intricacy of decisions I needed to make regarding web development, web hosting, shopping cart technology and payment gateways. I decided to put everything on hold until I had educated myself sufficiently to make cost-effective decisions.
Now I feel confident about what features and services I need. I know what I'm shopping for, but I'm still unsure about the competence and reliability of the myriad providers out there. I would be very appreciative if any of you who are pleased with your web developers, shopping carts and web hosts would mention them by name. Alternatively, it would also be helpful to know which providers to avoid. Thanks so much.
-- Carmen Garcia Ruiz
Legacy User says:
Most helpful all around info. and comments.
It seems that the growing and constantly evolving ecommerce marketplace is the way of the future. Thanks so much.
-- Vic Gold
Legacy User says:
One thing I have learned about getting an ecommerce site is always ask the company/designer who is going to build your site for you if you will end up with ownership of the backend code (content management system). If you don't, you could end up being 'held to ransom' to that company who doesn't tell you from the start that they only license the content management system to you. This means that if you want someone other than the company/designer to do some work on your site, you probably won't be able to, and any small changes may end up costing you an arm and a leg! So be wary of this when you start out.
-- Karen Walker
Legacy User says:
Excellent article that has obviously triggered a good amount of responses!
Personally, I have experienced the following issues:
1) I would have done a great deal more research on the shopping cart solutions available. I started out with StoreSense (hated it – 45 online sales in first 6 months) and then moved to Nexternal (love it – 1350 online sales in first year with them). I used Volusion for my second and third ecommerce websites and have decided they are exactly what I want and need and more.
2) Pay-Per-Click Spending – I would have focused more of my marketing dollars at the beginning of my business on hiring SEO consultants to optimize my website correctly, from the start. I spent WAY too much on pay-per-click without seeing any improvement in my organic results for my top keywords. Let a firm like US Web do it for you correctly, from the beginning, then use what marketing dollars you have left on pay-per-click.
3) Finance/Accounting – I let my finance and accounting responsibilities falter during the first year and a half of my business and have been struggling to get caught up ever since. My advice? Hire an accountant. Don’t try to do it on your own.
4) Merchant Accounts – We all hate them for the power they hold over us but regardless of how mad they may make you, ALWAYS remember that they are the ones in charge…not you! Whatever they tell you to do…do it. Also, be sure to read word for word the merchant agreement that you sign. The more you know the better.
5) Affiliate Marketing – Affiliate marketing is a strategy I’m able to utilize now that I have an established business and I’m able to offer unique products at competitive prices. Currently, sales through affiliates accounts for approximately 20% of my sales. The concept is great – let other people do the selling for you. The more people you have out there that are selling your products through you the better. My advice: Establish your online business first and then with a year or two behind your belt sign-up with Commission Junction’s advertiser program. The cost may be a little steep for an online company that’s just starting out but the return on your investment is definitely worth it.
Lastly, remember that your online business is just as real and worthwhile as Joe Retailer’s brick-and-mortar store down the street. The only difference is that he has a ton more overhead to worry about!
-- Robert Ferguson
Legacy User says:
I am contemplating starting an e-commerce site. Learning from others' experiences is very valuable. This is a great board
Peter www.speechempoweredcomputing.co.uk
-- Peter Maddern
Legacy User says:
All the feedback from e-tailers here is invaluable to newcomers to the world of e-commerce and to people (like myself) who are studying the field of e-commerce.
All the real-life experiences and lessons learnt provide a pool of knowledge.
I for one have learnt several invaluable lessons:
Have a properly designed website that allows for Content Management and is scalable
Choose wisely the Shopping Cart solution intended for implementation
Get professional assistance with the important aspects of your business
Do not substitutecompromise getting started properly for getting started quickly
Keep the great info coming !
-- Shawn B
