Simple Steps to Improve eCommerce Business

Recently, I had a consumer products business owner come to me asking how we can improve her eCommerce business.

Here’s how I approached it:

Firstly, I looked at her product. It had some great wins:

- A personal story that inspired a product that filled a specific need

- Happy customers, along with industry expert validation

- A solid website with content, including video that explained the brand

- An exclusive online retailer relationship

But unfortunately, sales weren’t moving.

(there wasn’t enough revenue to recoup the founder's investment)

So, I identified areas to improve and gave her 5 practical suggestions:

1) The images on the brand home page didn’t show the product in use

Action → Supplement with images from the video and the package to show the customers how the product worked.

📷 Lesson: People seek information in different ways, ensure your visuals represent the best uses of your products.

2) Titles and descriptions were factually accurate, yet didn’t address the needs of the purchaser.

Action → Learn more about your customer’s thought process and address the need in your content.

🧠 Lesson: Don’t assume shoppers understand what’s inside your head. Be explicit about why they should buy your product.

3) The Video told a full story of the brand, but the autoplay feature didn’t include sound.

Action → Add visual words and/or subtitles

📺 Lesson: Shoppers are often multi-tasking. Make it easy for them to get your message when the sound is off, or when they don’t see the screen.

4) The products link to the retailer site was confusing

→ Change link to brand page on site, a much softer landing for potential customers. In addition, ensure you tell the customers they will be leaving your site.

🔗 Lesson: Audit your customer’s journey, you may be surprised where you’ll land. You should virtually chaperone your customers from place to place.

5) There was only one review on the retail site.

→ Ensure that you have ratings and reviews on the product pages wherever you are selling. You can also pool reviews through 3rd party apps or sampling programs.

⭐️ Lesson: Customers need to feel validated about their purchase decision. Make it easy for them by giving them the tools they need at the time they need it.

I gave the client these suggestions and recommended she take action…

Immediately after she did, she saw an increase in sales.

You don’t need to overhaul your business to see results.

An external perspective from someone who knows what levers to pull can make a big difference.

When was the last time you reviewed your products from a customer perspective?