Epic Ecommerce Myths That Will Probably Never Die
Day in & Day out, we hear numerous businesses crawling up to occupy the space in ecommerce, which is kind of populated if we talk about our Indian edition. No matter, how much we have evolved in this sphere, we still encounter instances and examples almost every day about businesses demanding or inquiring about an online venture, just because others are doing it or that they wanted to get rich quickly.
People who have been in this industry for a while will agree that this is not the case and you need more than just luck to succeed. A misconception that has become so synonyms to ecommerce that everyone who thinks of ecommerce thinks that he can alone handle it while walking in the park or experimenting his favorite dish in the kitchen as if it is all a click and sale game. It is been a while now facing few stupid questions, and so thought of showing you the epic ecommerce myths that I guess are probably never going to die.
1. Just a few clicks and we will be going good!
I hate to say, but this is not the case. I myself operate an ecommerce agency & handle clients dealing in different domains across the globe for past 10 years and can tell you from my experience that results take time. Your friends will help you to get the first few clicks or even sales but not every day. You need traffic to flow in for which you need to market your products and business properly. It is not going to be a cake walk and for sure, you are not making a million in the next 3-4 months.
2. Take this references and make us like them
We are following this trend exhaustively. We believe that our competitors are good at what they are doing and since they are still active they are probably doing well. No! What you see may not the be case. It is not necessary that you adopt the same strategies and business model, your competitor has. You could always peek into the core to see where their strength and weakness lie. See, what you could do to add more value to your business. Small things like tips and tricks through emails to your existing clients can influence them to bring back more business which your competitor might not be doing.
3. Online business is cheaper than operating a real store
Much likely the above ones, it is one of the factors that has hugely contributed to the excess of online business. The fault, however is of those ecommerce development companies who have marketed the online business as cheap. Entrepreneurs who are serious about their online business do not weigh them in costs but, in fact, in terms of investment. Cheap solutions may get you off the ground readily but may not get you to the destination. It will fall sooner or later!
4. We should be present on all social media
You will find major of the businesses following the style of having all social media buttons on their home or blog page. Just click and you have either liked, followed or tweeted a page- simple is not it! But why? You are running a business and you know where your target audience is. You should not involve in activities that consume time and money when your know that the guy you are looking for is not there! Just a few days ago, I was working on a project for a company which wanted to boost its contest activities through social media, however, required us to create presence on all the known platforms. Upon asking, why did they have such a preference? Their answer was- Our ecommerce consulting services company suggested so.
Now, this is a perfect example to make you understand that the contest that we were working was only about existing clients participating in it and was limited to the city, but the great guy chose the whole nation and expended a large chunk of his investment. Sounds crazy in the name CONSUMER INTEREST!
5. A good looking website and a few high-quality photos are all
When it comes the appearance, even I agree that it should look good. But, that does not mean it is the only element you should be focusing. By looking good, you only increase your chances of becoming an actor, and if your acting skills complement it, you become an actor. Same goes for your business.
Ultimately, the best thing to do before you start your business is to do a little bit of homework. Understand what your customer needs and who they are. What they like and what they believe the most. Make sensible choices and never ever believe in the all above things. You will be successful if your efforts are consistent and are given enough time to see the results.
People who have been in this industry for a while will agree that this is not the case and you need more than just luck to succeed. A misconception that has become so synonyms to ecommerce that everyone who thinks of ecommerce thinks that he can alone handle it while walking in the park or experimenting his favorite dish in the kitchen as if it is all a click and sale game. It is been a while now facing few stupid questions, and so thought of showing you the epic ecommerce myths that I guess are probably never going to die.
1. Just a few clicks and we will be going good!
I hate to say, but this is not the case. I myself operate an ecommerce agency & handle clients dealing in different domains across the globe for past 10 years and can tell you from my experience that results take time. Your friends will help you to get the first few clicks or even sales but not every day. You need traffic to flow in for which you need to market your products and business properly. It is not going to be a cake walk and for sure, you are not making a million in the next 3-4 months.
2. Take this references and make us like them
We are following this trend exhaustively. We believe that our competitors are good at what they are doing and since they are still active they are probably doing well. No! What you see may not the be case. It is not necessary that you adopt the same strategies and business model, your competitor has. You could always peek into the core to see where their strength and weakness lie. See, what you could do to add more value to your business. Small things like tips and tricks through emails to your existing clients can influence them to bring back more business which your competitor might not be doing.
3. Online business is cheaper than operating a real store
Much likely the above ones, it is one of the factors that has hugely contributed to the excess of online business. The fault, however is of those ecommerce development companies who have marketed the online business as cheap. Entrepreneurs who are serious about their online business do not weigh them in costs but, in fact, in terms of investment. Cheap solutions may get you off the ground readily but may not get you to the destination. It will fall sooner or later!
4. We should be present on all social media
You will find major of the businesses following the style of having all social media buttons on their home or blog page. Just click and you have either liked, followed or tweeted a page- simple is not it! But why? You are running a business and you know where your target audience is. You should not involve in activities that consume time and money when your know that the guy you are looking for is not there! Just a few days ago, I was working on a project for a company which wanted to boost its contest activities through social media, however, required us to create presence on all the known platforms. Upon asking, why did they have such a preference? Their answer was- Our ecommerce consulting services company suggested so.
Now, this is a perfect example to make you understand that the contest that we were working was only about existing clients participating in it and was limited to the city, but the great guy chose the whole nation and expended a large chunk of his investment. Sounds crazy in the name CONSUMER INTEREST!
5. A good looking website and a few high-quality photos are all
When it comes the appearance, even I agree that it should look good. But, that does not mean it is the only element you should be focusing. By looking good, you only increase your chances of becoming an actor, and if your acting skills complement it, you become an actor. Same goes for your business.
Ultimately, the best thing to do before you start your business is to do a little bit of homework. Understand what your customer needs and who they are. What they like and what they believe the most. Make sensible choices and never ever believe in the all above things. You will be successful if your efforts are consistent and are given enough time to see the results.
