Seven Things Customers Hate about Your Website
April 11, 2018
Browsing a book retail website should be an enjoyable and easy process for your customers. If you haven’t evaluated your website processes in a while, now is the time to do that. Check out the top areas below that are important to your customers in order to have an enjoyable shopping experience.
1. No contact/customer service information
There is nothing worse than trying to get into contact with a company and there is no phone number, email address, or hours to be found. This information should be displayed in the footer of your website so that no matter which page your customers are on, they can scroll down and easily find your contact information at any time.
2. Confusing checkout process
When a customer is ready to purchase online, make the process as seamless as possible for them. This will go a long way toward decreasing cart abandonment and increasing customer satisfaction. Keep the information presented in a clear, easy-to-read format that guides the customer from step to step without frustration. If it’s been awhile since you’ve done it yourself, put through a test purchase and note any areas for improvement.
3. Slow image load time
Invest in technology that will allow customers to breeze through the pages on your website without wait time or broken images. Customers will very quickly leave if things aren’t working properly, and there is nothing more frustrating than trying to purchase items on a website that just won’t let you!
4. Hard-to-find “subscribe to newsletter” option
If a customer wants to receive regular communication from your store, the most convenient way for them to accomplish this is by subscribing to your e-newsletter. If you have hidden this option on an unintuitive page, customers may get frustrated and drop off your website without giving you their email address. Add a “subscribe to our newsletter” option to the footer of your website as well as other places such as when a customer is creating an account and after they have made a purchase.
5. No customer reviews
When a potential customer finds you for the first time, they are going to look for validation that you are an honest business that others enjoy. Dedicate a page on your website to customer feedback such as Google reviews or Facebook reviews to create a sense of trust for new customers. Big tip here: don’t delete negative feedback. If you remove comments and reviews that make your store look bad, customers are going to catch on very quickly. Instead, deal with them promptly and professionally in a public manner to show that sometimes mistakes are made but you are willing to rectify issues quickly and in a friendly way.
6. No links to social platforms
Social media is where your customers hang out, so make it easy for them to find you. Make your social profiles available in quick links at the top of your website so they can easily click out and follow you. Social media not only gives you an additional way to interact with your customers outside your store, it also helps validate your brand as people can see you interacting with others in a real way.
7. Bad mobile website
Browsing websites and making purchases on phones and tablets is on the rise. Test out your own website on a phone to see what the customer sees when they are browsing or trying to make a purchase. Does important information get cut off? Do the images load properly? Is excessive scrolling and zooming needed? Invest time into making the mobile experience as best as it can be in order to keep your customers from jumping off your website due to an exasperating experience that could have been avoided.
Have any questions about how to make these tips work for your own website or know any other surefire ways to improve your customers’ shopping experience? Feel free to leave a comment below and join the conversation!
Mary Tigchelaar
Marketing Coordinator
Book Depot