Attention Online Businesses: Top Online Shopping Pet Peeves You Need to Avoid

Just like that person who chews gum too loudly or takes up two parking spots gets on your nerves, online shoppers also have pet peeves you’ll want to keep in mind. As an online business, it’s important to be aware of these irritations and make sure they aren’t costing you sales.

To give you a hand, our partner ShippingEasy recently published a definitive guide to ecommerce shipping that gives small online businesses tips to make sure their customers are receiving the very best shipping experience. Their guide includes results from a survey conducted by www.eMarketer.com and Harris Interactive, which reveals consumers’ annoyances when shopping for goods online.

Here are customers’ top three pet peeves from the survey and how your online business can avoid them:

1. Getting charged with high shipping costs.

The No. 1 frustration, listed by 66 percent of participants, is shipping costs, which often leads shoppers to abandon their carts before completing their order. The easiest way to avoid aggravating your buyers is to make sure that your shipping costs are clear from the beginning; nobody wants hidden fees that only pop up at the very end. And if free shipping on some items makes sense, all the better.

2. Getting something that looks nothing like it did online.

There are few things more frustrating than receiving an item in the mail that you never would have bought at a store due to the item’s lackluster appearance. At least that is what 38 percent of those surveyed thought. Taking multiple high-quality photos and writing clear descriptions of all your products should help you avoid this big ecommerce business snafu.

3. Getting put onto a retailer’s mailing list after making a purchase.

As a business owner, you might think that gaining as much customer data as possible is the best route to go. However, 16 percent of consumers thought otherwise. Giving your customer a way to opt out of the mailing list either at the beginning or end of the checkout process is the best practice. This way, you can provide information about sales and new products to customers who actually want to hear about them without irritating those who don’t.

Avoiding these pet peeves can help your business ease your customers’ online shopping experience and make everyone’s day just a little more pleasant.

For more insight on ecommerce business strategies, check out our Business Growth Strategies page.