In today’s world, it is quite common to see businesses that are run entirely online. For many things, this is a smart business model that actually works and not only is sustainable but actually makes them a lot of money! However, as with any type of business, e-commerce businesses face their fair share of challenges on a regular basis. Here are 3 examples of some of those common challenges.
People Like To Touch The Product Before Buying It
Even though it is very common for people to go online shopping and purchase things online without ever seeing them in person, there are still those out there who are skeptical about buying anything after only seeing a photo of it. There can be many reasons for this. For example, if it’s a clothing item, someone might really want to try it on or touch the article of clothing to feel the material before they commit to purchasing it.
You can overcome this by offering a great return policy. Promise to give people full refunds within a certain amount of time if they are not happy with their purchase, and then keep your word! If customers know they can get their money back, they will be much more likely to agree to do business with you.
Supply Chain Issues
Regardless of whether or not your freight unloading services have dropped off your proper shipment, there will be customers out there who are expecting you to have the products you sell in stock at all times. This is not always possible though because of supply chain issues which are entirely out of control.
Just because something isn’t your fault doesn’t mean angry customers won’t blame you though! Try responding to their phone calls or emails with words of kindness and gratitude for their business. Offer an apology and explain that you share in their frustrations but that there is not much you can do. At the end of the day, some people still might be upset, but that’s just part of the e-commerce trade and you can’t make everyone happy.
Loneliness
One part of working in a traditional retail environment is that it typically involves a lot of face to face interaction with customers. With e-commerce, however, you may never even hear the voice of the vast majority of people who are purchasing goods from you. Most sales happen at the click of a button and while you may know someone’s name and address, you will probably never have a face to put to that name!
This may seem like a dream come true to some, but after a long time it can start to feel quite lonely to stare at a computer screen all day every day and never actually talk to any people.
E-commerce may not be for everyone, but if it’s for you that’s great! Hopefully these tips help you to overcome the challenges you may face, or at least prepare for them, so that you can go on to have great success.
