6 Main Reasons Why Magento And Shopify Users Are Struggling With Sales, & How To Fix Them!

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  • By Ranjit Singh
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  • clock 8 minutes MIN READ
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  • calendar Updated: May 22, 2017

Shopify and Magento are two giants of the internet industry allowing people to create and operate online stores. Last year, these two platforms have generated $200 billion in merchant sales, as reported by Expanded Ramblings. While the figure seems to be very astounding, many people are still struggling to generate even a single dollar.

In this post, we have piled up 6 main reasons for why generating sales is a real bear along with their solutions. Most of the issues are addressed mutually for both the platforms, however wherever required, explained individually:

Speed of Website

Irrespective of Shopify or Magento platform, a website with slow speed makes a huge hit to conversion. According to Doubleclick, websites with 5 seconds loading time observes 35% lower bounce rate and earn up to 2x more mobile ad revenue than websites that loads slower than 5 seconds.

If this suggests anything, in particular, is that the speed of a website matters a lot. Slow websites tend to frustrate users while fast websites entertain users. So, the very first thing you need to check is the speed of your website.

Note: At times, the site is not slow but appears slow. It could be because you’re using typekit and some scripts. Avoid using them on your website, and even if you do, make sure you are using them in the right way.

Theme

The theme you use in creating website is actually the face of your online business. It encapsulates your brand and products, and has significant effects on the productivity of your eCommerce store in terms of trustworthiness, conversion rate, etc.

As a matter of fact, 94% of user determine if a website is worth purchasing from just by looking at the design. In order to make a website worth buying from, you need to answer a certain questions before picking up a theme:

The features you want in your store? What your competitors are doing? How many products you want to display and how? Can you afford paid theme?

These four questions are common for both the platforms, however let’s learn how you need to select a theme based on their individuality:

Shopify

Shopify provides both free and premium themes. The free themes can be a little bit more simple, but most of them are perfectly suitable for most eCommerce websites. On contrast, premium themes have more, advanced features.

However, the feature-set of a particular theme is what everyone should look in the Shopify theme store, which also allows you to filter specific features like subcategories, zoom-in product images, single product themes, responsiveness, drop-down menus, etc.

Once you have filtered down a theme based on features that works perfect for your product or service, test and experiment it. Since Shopify allows you to add 20 themes in the store, you can play around each of them to conclude the perfect one. Nonetheless, don’t forget to read the reviews of each theme you like on the store.

Magento

There are few factors that you can consider while selecting the perfect theme for your Magento store such as:

1) Easy navigation 2) Simple back to top button and search bar 3) Shopping icons at where customer’s attention is 4) Incredible layout 5) Perfect placement of banners for promotion 6) Taylorization of themes 7) Cross-browser compatibility 8) SEO-friendly 9) Responsive and Speedy 10) Social media elements like ratings, reviews, etc.

While these features work for all kinds of Magento websites, here are a few ideas for 3 different eCommerce category that I’ve suggestions for you:

1) For Furniture, Housewares Stores: Trustworthy, credible look along with incredible visual attractive images. 2) For Electronic Stores: Harmony with the audience, visual appeal of the products, and easy installation. 3) For Apparel, Shoe, Cloth and Accessories stores: Visible buttons, sophisticated but simple designs, appealing look of the items, and optimum security on payments

Security

With the increasing phishing malware and scams, people are much more concerned about where they click than ever before. Since you’re running a eCommerce store where a customer is required to enter the financial details, you need to be super aware of how your store is perceived. Certain factors are there that define the security of a website like:

Design

Imagine going for a tour, where you have to choose a hotel to stay-in for the night. You get to choose between two hotels—one is well-decorated and clean while the other is half-painted and overly-decorated. Which one would you rather choose? Of course, the one that seem more appealing and welcoming. Look at these two different website, and understand the impact of a design on users:

Beauty Pie

Beauty Pie

Jamilin

Jamilin

Security Badges

As discussed above, online shoppers are extremely sensitive of their security and privacy. They need to be ensured about the purchase they make, which leads us to the fact how important it is to add security symbols to your website. Hence, add SSL certificate, or NORTON, or McAfee SECURE symbol or a notice informing them about the fact on your website, either in the footer or on the sidebar—anything helps.

Add ‘Contact Us’ Button With Address And Show You’re Active Online

It has been observed that many website owners write their email address and phone number when they should be displaying their office address in ‘Contact Us or About Us’ page. If you don’t have a office, write from where you operate. No one is interested in knowing your address, but knowing that you put up at a particular place gives a trustworthy satisfaction of the seller.

Another important factor that most of the websites miss on is their engagement with the customers. How would a customer know that you are not just a business that just takes order and then forget about them? The answer is–by engaging with the existing customers. By tweeting, facebooking, or instagramming. In fact, blogging is the most effective way of showing your users that you are there concerned about your users.

4) Product Arrangement

Customer’s attention is what you need to acquire in all kinds of businesses. Look at any restaurant’s menu—the costliest items are always striking and bold or, at times, kept in “special items” category, and the cheap items are always in the left bottom corner. Similarly, when people start looking for things to buy online, they tend to move counterclockwise via physical space. So, anything displayed to the right of the door has more chances to be sold.

Then comes the eye-level shelving where you need to keep your high profit items. People are going to hunt items with cheaper price but you need to make it easier for them to locate products that increases your profitability. How to do that? By using the power of the mirror. Put yourself in customers shoes, and test your store’s potential frequently. Make changes, be complacent, but more importantly, don’t let them settle in.

Wrong Sales Pitch

Indubitably, there are hundreds of portals selling the same product or service as you unless you are selling oil. How would you make a difference while pitching your customers?

Adding value to what you are selling is going to differentiate you from your competitors. A good bakery will always know the power of amazing aromas wafting across the store to attract customers. Likewise, build a loyalty program, add coupons, allow gamification, or anything that compels a customer to visit your site, to spend more time on your portal, but majorly, to revisit it.

Another mistake that various eCommerce owners make; their sales pitch is directed more towards a new customer like when they offer 25% discount to the new customers. Less are they aware of the fact that it is a discreet turnoff to old, existing customers. So, always, design your sales pitch in such a way that it attracts everyone.

Checkout Process

The best thing about buying online is that you don’t have to stand in a queue waiting for your turn to pay for the things you want. The problem begins when many eCommerce enthusiasts make you run a curvy road till you give up and abandon the cart. The usual process of buying involves six steps—

1. View Item 2. Shopping Cart 3. Review Items 4. Shipping and Billing Address 5. Payment 6. Order Confirm Action

These six steps can be expanded and contracted, depending upon the brand. However, according to Baymard, the average buying process should involve 5.08 steps. So, you need to shoot for a checkout process that hits either 5 or less steps to succeed in the competition. Here are a few tips you can use:

1) Include registration, but during the checkout process. Plus, it should include as less steps as possible. So, ask for only relevant information. 2) Inform customer if the product is available right as soon as they land on your page. 3) Allow them to alter the products. 4) Provide assurance i.e., security and privacy. 5) Multiple payment methods. 6) If possible, allow payment without requiring an account. 7) Clear calls-to-action. 8) Provide payment-progress indicator. 9) No unexpected or surprise charges 10) Real-time support


About the Author

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Ranjit Singh is the founder of RV Technologies, a Software Development & Digital Transformation organization. He, at times, authors in-depth guides that teach marketing managers to manage, grow and scale their marketing techniques.

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