5 Ecommerce Website Launch Mistakes to Avoid

Have you ever visited a website and were primed to do some online shopping when something, somewhere went amiss? We’ve all been there. Maybe the page takes too long to load, the navigation of the site is hurtful and not helpful, and the search bar is nowhere to be seen. Whatever the reason, you’ve already bolted off the site and sworn never to return (unless there’s a huge promo, then maybe you’ll tolerate it).

Here are 5 Ecommerce Launch Mistakes Many Brands Make:

1. Delay Website Launch Until Site is 100% Perfect

Newsflash: your site may never be perfect. I know that’s a scary thing. But if you delay the launch until your site is 100% perfect, you may never launch. Take solace in the fact that most sites launch at 80% or 90% of what they would deem “perfect.” Now, there are some obvious things you want upon launch: Ensure you can capture payments; make sure your site is secure; make sure your site is optimized for SEO. But what we’re talking about here is nice-to-haves. Never delay a site launch for a nice-to-have, like the ability to purchase gift cards. Gift cards are a great characteristic for any site (that at least sells products), but it should not prevent a site launch.

The solution: create a list of must-haves, the items that you won’t launch until they are completely coded and tested and work fine. Now, create a list of nice-to-haves. These are features you ideally would love to launch with, but they can wait for phase 2 if need be.

2. Digital Roadmap is Non-Existent

The site launches and after a month you still have hardly any visitors. You know your product or service is amazing, and you know people will purchase them if they can only find your site. Well, if you have a short-term (launch to 6 months) and long term (6 month to 3 years) digital roadmap, this won’t happen.

The solution: create a short and long term digital roadmap. Since your site is new, your short term plan should focus on acquisition, while your long term plan should focus on both retention and acquisition, with a focus on the former. In the short term , be sure to create a presence on social media, launch a paid search campaign, and optimize your on site and off site search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Look for sponsorship or partnership opportunities, either with companies, agencies, magazines, or bloggers. And an often overlooked but obvious tactic: be sure to have an easy to find “subscribe to newsletter” form on your homepage. Also be sure to track your spending and results at least monthly and see which campaigns bring back the greatest return on investment (ROI) and either scale back or be more aggressive accordingly.

3. Scalability, or Not Enough Long Term Planning for Ecommerce Success

Most websites understandably start on a small (non-existent?) budget with a small team and a short term plan. However, sometimes, if you save a dollar now, you might lose $10 down the road. My point is: think for tomorrow, not just today. I’m not saying you have to get the best platform or best hosting plan, but might be a good idea to get one that’s middle of the pack.

The solution: many platforms, hosting companies, analytics packages, and email solutions can be tiered according to your planned level of traffic or size. Sometimes it may be best to ensure you are working with flexible partners so you can grow without penalty, or that you choose the middle, or next best option, rather than the starter packages. You never want to run into a surprise surge in traffic and have your site crash, for instance. So plan for those spikes before they actually happen.

4. Build the Site for You, Not Your Customers

Every company and each brand has its own internal lingo. And it should remain that – internal! When customers come to your site, they expect the structure and language used to cater to them. For example, I once worked for an apparel company that had a “Never Out of Stock” program, which they termed NOOS. It was essentially your basics – black, white and gray shirts, blouses and t-shirts. To the customer, if we termed it NOOS, they would likely not know what that idiom meant. But the term “Basics” or “Essentials” they understood.

The solution: Some of these terminology issues may only be known after launch, but after taking a few looks at your internal search terms (yes, please ensure you launch with an internal search bar) you can figure out how your customers search and shop. You must constantly refine your category and navigation structure until it’s clear for your customers. Sometimes it takes up to 3 or 4 months to perfect it. But your internal search is a great way to start. And here’s a hint: if visitors are using your internal search too much, say over 30% or 40%, then you definitely may have a problem, as users may not understand how to navigate your site properly.

5. Reporting without analyzing, recommending or taking action

Great. You’ve set up analytics and tracking from the start (that could be another launch mistake, but we`re assuming this one was avoided). Now you settle down and check your results a few weeks after launch (should be daily, but I`m giving you some rope). You notice your bounce rate is 50% when your industry average is 25%. You close your analytics tool and call it a day, figuring that’s all the analysis you need. You may as well also close up shop then.

The solution: be sure to constantly test and never stand still. If your sitewide bounce rate is 50%, try and find your top 5 worst culprits, and take a deep dive into what you think is causing them to bounce. Too much info? Too little perhaps? Lack of trust in site or page? These are all questions you need to look at and figure out a way to fix them. Sometimes you may have to test things out for a few weeks before really understanding what’s causing the issues.

The good ecommerce sites evolve constantly and adapt continuously. The bad ecommerce sites sit still and wait. You can help decide the fate of your Ecommerce site.

What are some other launch mistakes you have seen? And have you ever delayed a site launch because there was a feature you absolutely needed?