Without a doubt, electronic commerce is one of the sectors that has grown exponentially in recent years worldwide. Despite this, we frequently observe that online stores do not use their full potential.
In this area, Prestashop is one of the most widely recognized and widely used platforms for online stores, open-source, and used worldwide. However, on occasions, online store owners do not resort to specialists for their configuration, considerably reducing their functionalities.
What are the most frequent mistakes when creating an eCommerce?
First of all, before starting to develop an eCommerce, it is essential that you establish a strategy that allows you to develop your project efficiently.
Market research
Carrying out a market study is the first step for those who want to start in the world of eCommerce. You shouldn’t start an online business if you don’t have a strategy. Consider that you must establish the products that you are going to sell and the promotions that you will use to attract your potential customers. How are you going to attract customers? Do you know how to choose a budget for your online store? Do you have enough to tackle the mission? Do you have the necessary knowledge and skills or, on the contrary, are you going to outsource this work?
You must consider that to be successful in an online store you must make a difference. And that is achieved by offering products or services that meet the needs of users or that provide solutions to their problems.
Design
An online store must have an attractive design, a high degree of usability, offer an excellent user experience, and must also be simple. Prestashop has an immense number of templates that can be customized to offer an online store that meets all the standards.
Each of the aspects of your store must be carefully thought out, so that when a user accesses it is pleasant and easy to use. And if you can update Prestashop from 1.6 to 1.7, so much the better. One of the advantages of version 1.7 is that it improves the presentation of the product. And, in addition, it has more beautiful and intuitive templates.
Do not forget that the products they sell must have a quality image and that it attracts the attention of users. It must also be presented properly. Consider that when you go to a store to buy, for example, a garment, you can try it on before buying it to see how it fits. You will have the garment in your hands, you will feel its texture and you will appreciate its color. The customer of an online store only uses his vision to decide whether to buy a product, therefore the images must have exceptional quality.
In this sense, you must configure the images in Prestashop 1.7 for optimal viewing. It is also recommended that you hire a professional photographer to take photos of your products, that detail can make a difference. You can also do it yourself if you have the knowledge for it. This is true for any product, be it clothing, furniture, shoes or equipment. Don’t skimp on quality photos.
Do not forget to include calls to action in your online store, especially the one that indicates “add to cart”. This button should grab the attention of customers immediately. It is important that the color of the call to action is a different color from the rest of the buttons and that it stands out from the rest of the content.
Although the description of the products is necessary, it does not need to be very extensive. If you think the information is relevant to the user, put a short description and use a “read more” button for users who want more information. You can also include tabs on the product page, located below the call to action, to add additional information about your product.
Use headlines that have a simple and clear language, which is easy to read, remember that the goal is for customers to understand what you are selling. It is convenient that under the title you show content that indicates to your customers the reasons for purchasing your products or services. Remember that you must make a difference.
If the design you use is attractive, simple and has the products or services that your potential customers are looking for, they will surely review it in detail and it is very likely that they will add products to their shopping cart. To achieve this integration of all aspects, the best option is to hire a specialist in Prestashop stores, since with their experience and knowledge, they will provide your eCommerce with that special detail that your customers expect.
Advertising
Many people think that having an online store is enough to achieve success, achieve a high level of sales and rank in search engines. Well, we regret to inform you that it is not that simple. To achieve these goals you need to invest in advertising.
One of the most recommended methods to improve the visibility of your online store is to carry out advertising campaigns through Google Adwords or through Facebook Ads. Again, our recommendation is that you hire specialized services. The reason is that if you are investing in an eCommerce, it is because you think that is where your future is, and you cannot put your future in inexperienced hands.
SEO
A very frequent and huge mistake of most of the owners of an online store is to think that they do not need SEO in their eCommerce. Well, friends, it’s the biggest mistake of all. SEO is essential for any online store and must be included throughout the store. With Prestashop, it is relatively easy to believe that SEO is well done and has really left a lot of things in the pipeline or even not have done it the right way.
Aspects such as titles, headings, keywords, canonical tags, original descriptions, internal links, among others, are part of the SEO On-Page that every online store must consider.
Loading speed
Put yourself in the user’s place, access an online store, and wait for it to load. How long are you willing to wait to make a purchase? Not much right? Well, that’s exactly what those who enter an online store with the intention of acquiring a product or service think. Therefore, if eCommerce takes a long time to load, users abandon it and that is statistically proven.
In this sense, it is essential that the loading speed of your online store is very fast. It is the only thing that ensures that your potential customers do not leave eCommerce quickly. It is recommended that the servers be reviewed and if it is not adequate that you consider other options. Remember that for Google the user experience is essential and if a page is abandoned quickly, it is an indication for Google that something is not right with it.
Customer Support
In any business, be it a physical business or an online store, customer service is of great relevance. In an online store, it is a fundamental factor since customers often ask questions and ask for advice before making their purchase.
If you are the lucky owner of a Prestashop store, you should not worry, there are modules that can be integrated into your eCommerce that allow you to offer unsurpassed customer service. Consult with a specialist in Prestashop stores, which is the most suitable module for it.
Store information
For your potential customers to trust your online store, you must tell them who you are and how to contact you. For this reason, the “About Us” and “Contact Us” pages should not be missing in any online store. According to studies carried out, these two pages receive a large number of new users.
Believe it or not, users want to know who they buy a product from and who they should contact in case a process fails. Customers want to talk to a person so take that into account. Customers frequently ask questions or request a recommendation before proceeding to make the purchase, so it is necessary that you provide them with the information so they can contact you with any questions or problems.
Payment process
The payment processes of an online store should be simple. This is a very frequent error in many eCommerce that causes users to abandon the shopping carts and leave the page without completing their order.
For this reason, it is recommended that the payment process be as simple as possible and that it does not imply requesting unnecessary information from a customer, especially if purchases are made through a mobile device since completing an extensive form can be a problem. It is recommended that you use a payment process on one page, which saves the user clicks and allows all data to be viewed.
Conclusions
The most common mistakes in Prestashop online stores are far from being critical, however, the aforementioned aspects are essential for eCommerce to attract its audience and achieve sales.
As we have recommended throughout the article, it is recommended that you hire a professional specialized in Prestashop online stores that allows your online store to be optimized, and has all the aspects that we have mentioned, such as a pleasant appearance, with a good level of usability, that offers users a good experience and helps you make a difference.
