Baotris Blog

3 min

Discover the common mistakes that cause Shopify stores to fail and how to avoid them.

The rise of the e-commerce business has seen a significant boom over recent years. However, even with the most creative business owners bringing in their best ideas, there are still many Shopify enterprises that fail to grow.  There are several mistakes that business owners can make that will keep their Shopify Store from blossoming. If you are thinking of starting one for yourself, here are some things to watch out for.

1) Shipping Issues and Costs

One of the things that can cause the failure of a Shopify enterprise is shipping issues. Since the start of COVID, thanks to an increase in shipping volume and a decrease in employees, this has become an issue for most DTC Shopify stores and if the reliability has not been, then the cost sure has as costs have risen all over both for materials and for shipping.

Reevaluating packaging, both weight and size, can greatly reduce your costs when it comes to shipping. This Case Study from DCL Logistics shows how breast pump Willow saved 50% of shipping + labor costs by reformatting their packaging and the way they were kitting.

Right now there's also long wait times to get product even once it arrives on a freight due to many shipping yards being backed up with ships and under-staffed with workers who can unload them to get the product to your warehouse. A strategic company (like Baotris) can help you plan for inventory early on using your sales and marketing data so you don't run into these issues.

2) Poor-Quality Products

If you have a low-quality product that doesn’t meet the expectations of consumers, they will not return to your store, or worse, you could end up with a bad review. Poor-quality products may be hard to identify until after you have gotten started. That is why it is so important to take the time before you launch to do your best to offer high-quality products to your customers. Market Research, testing, getting pre-production samples, and having a quality control process can all help you here.

Poor quality can be an especially big issue with drop ship ecommerce stores that do not create or manufacture the products they sell themselves. Highlighting reviews on your website and on 3rd parties are a great way to let potential customers know about the quality of your products. You can also start a referral program with apps like Bloop or Smile: Rewards and Loyalty so your customers can share with their own friends, family, and followers how great they think your product is - for a small incentive.

3) Logistical Mistakes

Poorly packed and shipped products can be a major problem, sometimes the root of the issue is with your logistics. Your logistics are a very important part of running your e-commerce business. With the right logistics, you can make sure that your products are getting to your customers at the right time and in the right quality. You need to take the time to make sure that you have the right logistics for your Shopify store.

Common logistical mistakes to watch out for are:

  • A complicated packing and shipping system
  • Over paying for shipping
  • Too small or too large of a warehouse
  • Unfamiliarity with regulations for the products you sell
  • Too little or too many employees
  • Expensive or Bulky Packaging

4) Bad Customer Relations

How you treat your customers can have a big impact on your store. If they have a bad experience, they will share it with other people. And, that can end up costing you a lot of sales in the long run.This means that you need to make sure that you are providing a good customer experience. Invest in the right customer support, be prompt and professional, and make sure that you are reaching out to your customers. If you keep your customers happy, they will keep coming back. So, it is worth investing some time in them.

Even if you do not keep customer support in-house, it is important to train 3rd party systems on your brand, product, and your company values such as the way you conduct business so that they represent your company properly to customers and potential customers. The quickest way to get a negative review online is with a bad customer experience.

5) Not Using Mobile Platforms

Another common problem that often contributes to the failure of a Shopify enterprise is a lack of a mobile platform. If you don’t have a mobile platform or landing and product pages built for mobile, you could be missing out on thousands of sales and a lot of money.If people are looking online for products, they are most often looking on their phones. You need to make sure that your products, webpages, and even emails are mobile friendly. Take the take to preview each landing page, product page, and content channel in mobile view before sending or publishing.

Conclusion

There are many different ways that the failure of a Shopify enterprise can happen. You can make a lot of mistakes if you are not careful. You need to take the time to make sure that you are avoiding these common issues discussed above. This will help you run a successful Shopify enterprise.Reduce the risk of failure by talking to the best Shopify marketing consultant. At Baotris, we aim to analyze the strategies of Shopify merchants to let you know what's working and what's not. Consult with us today to learn more.

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