Assessing Your Current Platform Performance
We've all been there. You're on the bus, shopping for shoes online, and then suddenly the page won't load. You try again but you end up having to close the app because your stop is here, or worse, you're late for work. When this happens on your online store, you know that it might be time to check in and see what's going on.
It might not sound super exciting but a good way to assess where you're at is to look at your numbers. Site analytics can rather help you see patterns in traffic and user behaviour, and give you an idea of how you can make things easier for them.
Knowing exactly how much traffic you're getting can help you figure out whether you're having issues with traffic spikes or if something else is causing the problem. You don't want to lose customers by making things harder for them. You also don't want to scare away new users with issues they probably won't run into anywhere else.
This sort of thing can be a little overwhelming especially when you're already dealing with so many other things as a business owner but taking some time to look into performance indicators like speed and reliability could really help you improve and even get more customers. I find that it really helps me understand what's going on in my store when I know what my goals are. When I have set targets for what I want my platform to look like and how I want it to perform, it gives me the room to identify problems quickly and understand how I'm performing against these targets.
By giving myself achievable goals that are rooted in industry standards, I make things easier for myself when dealing with platform performance issues because I know what I'm working towards and what my plan is if things go sideways.
Implementing Regular Software Updates
It's the kind of day where everything looks normal - until an order gets stuck and you realise your checkout’s glitching. That’s when you start wondering if it could’ve been avoided with a simple update. Reminds Me Of most e-commerce platforms are built on layers of code that, with time, can get a bit outdated or develop vulnerabilities. It doesn’t always look obvious but trust me, if you don’t do something about them soon enough, it’ll be in your face eventually.
I think there’s a certain reluctance to hit that ‘update’ button because as much as we like new features, most business owners dread the process itself. The risk that comes with disrupting all processes to make way for the update makes even the most seasoned professionals nervous. More or less.
And sometimes updates don't go as planned either - they lead to unexpected results. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. The trick is not leaving it till the last minute and following a routine update schedule. Sort of.
It goes without saying that backups are absolutely crucial. So before you press ‘update’, make sure all your systems and data are backed up in secure spaces just so nothing gets lost in transition. And while updating on time will fix certain glitches and patch up known vulnerabilities, I will always say ‘test’. Run tests in staging environments before rolling out anything on live websites where customers can possibly see the mess-ups happen live too.
Optimizing Website Speed and Load Times
It’s five past midnight. You’re hungry, grumpy, scrolling through Uber Eats, and the app takes an eternity to load. What would you do.
I know I’d just close it and go somewhere else. The same is true for websites and online shops. There’s a 2-second rule (sometimes 3 seconds if you’re lucky) but once that time has passed, you’ve lost your customer. Speed optimisation on your eCommerce platform means improving performance and user experience.
After all, it’s about what your user sees on their end so they can buy something from your shop easily. Optimising speed also allows for better traffic management since there are arguably more users on your website at one time because they stay longer. On top of everything else, a faster eCommerce website will help you rank higher in search engine results. There are loads of ways to make your website and online shop faster — many of them easy to implement with the right partner or service provider.
I think limiting plugins (especially unnecessary ones) might be the most effective way to optimise site speed since those can generally slow your site down considerably (and you need to update them all regularly). Other quick wins include optimising file sizes for images and videos, leveraging browser caching, prioritising mobile responsiveness, and working with reliable hosting partners. There are loads more but most businesses today are already doing these things. More or less.
No matter which way you choose to optimise site speed, remember that this needs to happen with everything else too; page content, design elements, navigation flow, ease of use — it’s all part of a seamless customer journey that brings in paying customers who will want to keep coming back for more. More or less.
Enhancing Security Measures
There’s nothing more exciting than buying something online for the first time. But what if a customer is greeted with a suspicious pop-up or a security warning right before checkout. They’ll never trust your website again.
Sounds Like and in some cases, it can be difficult to restore that kind of faith in an e-commerce platform. But it’s fairly easy to avoid this situation altogether - all it takes is some basic security measures to put customers at ease. It seems like for example, ssl encryption is a must-have for every online shop today. It not only protects data transmission but also tells the customer that their personal information and banking details are secure with you.
This is one of the more common quick fixes that companies use. But there are other kinds of protocols and practices that can be used to further enhance the stability of an e-commerce platform. Firewalls, for instance, offer advanced protection against cyber threats.
But I’ve noticed some companies become a bit too reliant on them and ignore the need for regular software updates, frequent security audits, and access controls. As much as there is allegedly a need for establishing robust digital defences, it’s equally important to keep up with them and regularly review how well they are functioning. This keeps businesses vigilant and able to spot new vulnerabilities as soon as they appear. After all, there’s no point in enhancing your e-commerce security if you’re just going to leave it be until another attack prompts you to check up on things again.
Streamlining Inventory Management
It’s one of those Mondays. You pour your coffee and fire up your dashboard, only to find orders pouring in for a product that apparently has negative stock. Someone’s getting excited about a new ‘phantom’ range of zero-gravity yoga pants you never actually had.
Clearly, something’s gone a bit wrong in the stockroom or the system - and now you’re running after both refunds and reputation. It seems like inventory management is an odd beast. It can feel like either too much or not enough and rarely as 'just right' as Goldilocks would have hoped.
That’s often because the things we count aren’t always the same as the things we sell. And that's before you factor in returns, incorrectly catalogued products, or plain old employee error. There was this store I once worked at where all the numbers were on pen and paper and while that was endearing to some extent, we had to shut shop if anyone needed a pen refill.
At this point, most of us agree that automation is probably the way forward. The fewer people touching the numbers that matter, the more accurate they’re likely to be - and that’s just basic maths. But even with one of those handy barcode readers, it still all comes down to human error when inventory management isn’t set up right. This means things like tracking (finding out what triggers low or high demand) can help forecast future sales for replenishment orders.
But beyond that, it also helps with budget allocation for stock so you never over-commit. These processes are only ever as smart as the technology they use or the humans setting them up and running them. Which sounds like a lot but it’s quite alright if you know what you want and how much you want of it.
Utilizing Customer Feedback for Continuous Improvement
Seems Like let's face it, we've all had that one online shopping experience where we were left feeling more frustrated than fulfilled. The checkout process was slow, the product descriptions were unclear, and customer service was nowhere to be found. As a customer, it's easy to brush this off as a one-off negative experience.
But as a business owner, it's important to take these incidents seriously and use them as an opportunity for growth. This is where customer feedback comes in. By actively seeking out and listening to what your customers have to say, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes that will benefit both your business and your customers.
Whether it's through surveys, reviews, or social media comments, there are countless ways to gather feedback and gain valuable insights into what your customers want and need. But it's not enough to simply collect feedback - you need to act on it. This means taking the time to analyse the data, identify common themes or issues, and develop an action plan for addressing them. It might seem like a daunting task, but the payoff can be huge in terms of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, revenue.
At the end of the day, prioritising customer feedback is almost never essential for staying competitive in the ever-evolving world of ecommerce. Not only does it show your customers that you value their opinions and are committed to meeting their needs, but it also helps you stay ahead of the curve by constantly adapting and improving your platform.