5 Ecommerce Challenges and How to Overcome Them

2020 has certainly seen an unprecedented expansion in the world of ecommerce. As more people took to online shopping, ecommerce stores needed to rethink the way they do business. It was a vital step in order to be able to cope with this rapid influx of customers.

Fulfilment processes, shipping methods, and online payment gateways all had to be reconsidered. Many online stores had to upgrade them to meet the demands of the modern digital consumer.

2021 has been no different so far. Ecommerce has kept on growing and continued to face some unique (and perhaps cumbersome) challenges.

Let’s take a look at five of the more prominent ecommerce challenges and explore solutions to overcome them.

1. The Pandemic and Its Effects

While the coronavirus pandemic has certainly held the world in its grip in 2020, not much has changed in 2021. Even though vaccination is being rolled out in most parts of the globe, there are still delays in shipping and manufacturing. Lead times can be increasingly hard to bear.

The best thing an ecommerce store can do in times of uncertainty is being honest. Don’t make promises you may not be able to keep. Don’t advertise fast delivery unless you are certain you can make good on that statement.

2. Increased Customer Demands

As more people shop online, they are now much more specific about the things they want and how they want them from an ecommerce shop. If you don’t offer some of the perks they’re used to, they’ll likely just switch to one of your competitors.

Here are some of the main points to implement if you can:

• Free shipping and free returns
• Readily available and friendly customer support
• Stellar website user experience
• Plenty of safe payment methods
• A highly personalised shopping experience

It may take a fair while to implement all of these varied aspects of your online business. It’s best to start ticking them off one by one as soon as you can. They will significantly improve your customer retention rates.

3. A Competitive Market

The ecommerce landscape has been growing rapidly, as you already know, and brands that have never had an online presence are now becoming Shopify’s customers. There are also those who have realised the potential and started something from scratch.

To outdo your competition, focus on being yourself and offering your shoppers an experience they will remember. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – sometimes, all it takes is a seamless and efficient purchase. Make sure your staff are friendly and handle all issues quickly and calmly. Simply listen to your customers, whatever they have to say.

4. Inventory-Related Difficulties

Sure, inventory management is sometimes an absolute nightmare. That’s especially if you have different warehouses, rely on dropshipping, or haven’t yet gotten around to implementing a unified system.

You’ll need to make sure that:

• everything is going out on time
• you’re sending out your oldest stock first
• you know what your inventory turnover ratio is

Try to use one piece of software that allows you to at a glance discover where everything is, when it may be going out of date, and what needs to be ordered when. Being unable to keep up with your customer’s demand can end up costing you quite a bit.

5. Cybercrime and Its Repercussions

Cyber threats have been on the rise as well. It’s no wonder, considering that we’re all spending so much more time online.

What this means for you as an ecommerce business is simple: make sure your website’s security is as tight as it can possibly be. Secure servers and a completely secure checkout process is now an absolute must. After all, your customers are trusting you with their very personal information.

Make sure to also educate your staff about the importance of security and privacy. Implement strict protocols to ensure your customers are protected.

Final Thoughts

Ecommerce has more potential than ever, but the rise in online shopper numbers also means you need to do more to stand out and sway customers. With the help of these five tips, you should be able to overcome some of the most common challenges plaguing the market and provide memorable service to your loyal audience.