7 Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks You Must Anticipate as You Launch Your E-Commerce Store in 2018!

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If you want to succeed at e-commerce you will have to face certain risks. Here is what you need to know, and do to overcome them.

Sorry! Sooner or Later You Have to Deal With These Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks!

Folks, we really hate to do this! We like all of you a lot, and the last thing we want to do is make you feel unhappy. But unfortunately we have some bad news for you today. Many of you already have, or are considering building an e-commerce store in 2018. And part of that is to anticipate a few unavoidable e-commerce risks! Just like in the brick-and-mortar world not everything will go your way with online sales!

In a recent post we outlined a few tips for actually starting your e-commerce store. Today we want to go a bit further and help you understand what these unavoidable e-commerce risks are, and what you can do about them! While they may sound scary you should not let unavoidable e-commerce risks prevent you from launching your online store! Let’s take a look at what you are up against, and how you can make that better.

What Are Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks?

Here at the highly caffeinated agency we have been building online stores for global clients for over 15 years, which gives us quite a bit of insight into e-commerce stores in general, and those pesky but unavoidable e-commerce risks in particular. To make it easier for you to understand what these risks represent and how that affects your online presence we grouped them into the following categories.

1 – Online Security

The number of Internet users is globally increasing. With this, the chances of hacking and data phishing are also rising. To protect your e-commerce store and online presence be sure to use strong passwords and employ multi-layered security systems on.  This includes installing SSL certificates and utilizing secure payment gateways to provide your e-commerce consumers with a sense of trust and transparency.

2 – Intellectual Property

As you launch your e-commerce presence you can be sure that your competitors are watching carefully. And one of our unavoidable e-commerce risks is the theft of your intellectual property. Once you actually launch your online store it may be too late to protect yourself. Instead you should make trademarking and copyrighting your products and technology part of your launch strategy.

3 – Customer Disputes

This is probably one of the most common unavoidable e-commerce risks you will face, the unhappy customer. Unhappy shoppers can have a big impact on your e-commerce sales. Fortunately most customer disputes are relatively easy to resolve. Since they revolve mainly about products or payment be sure to clearly state your return policy, and don’t charge your customers until their order ships.

Sometimes you may simply be faced with a consumer already having a bad day. They may vent on you and your store, without really meaning to. The best thing you can do in that case is to respond quickly, and politely. If you ignore customer complaints they can fester online, which will become a much bigger problem.

4 – Warehousing and Logistics

Selling your products online and getting payment is one thing. The bigger problem is getting their purchases to your customers. Timely delivery of their purchase, and shipment tracking info are critical to keeping happy online shoppers coming back. One way you can avoid problems is by not shipping your own products. Especially if you are a small online store you are better off working with a third-party drop shipper or fulfillment service.

5 – Customer Service

Another of our unavoidable e-commerce risks ids customer service, or more precisely the lack of it. Many of your online consumers will be able to complete their purchase and checkout process without much help from you, especially if you spent the time to build an effective e-commerce site. But some consumers need a lot more handholding. Don’t keep them waiting! If you are too busy to reach out you may want to consider adding a chatbot to your site.

6 – E-Commerce Taxation

E-commerce taxation has always been a tricky problem for online store owners. With even Amazon ignoring most local taxation laws that was an easy option for online retailers as well. But a recent supreme court decision changed all that. Up to now e-commerce stores without a physical presence in a US state did not have to collect sales tax in that state. That has now changed, and online retailers must collect applicable sales taxes in every state.

7 – E-Commerce SEO and Marketing

The last of our unavoidable e-commerce risks is also the one most business owners overlook. Of course you are marketing your e-commerce presence to increase your reach and engagement. But especially search algorithms change all the time. If you really want to support your long-term e-commerce objectives be sure to update your marketing and SEO strategies accordingly.

7 Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks

The following infographic from Shopygen goes into more details about these unavoidable e-commerce risks, what is involved, how this can affect your online store, and what you can do about it.

Shopygen infographic about undeniable risks in ecommerce

Infographic courtesy of Shopygen

Dealing with Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks

Now that you understand what types of unavoidable e-commerce risks you need to anticipate you can plan ahead. We already outlined the basic steps above, so simply follow them. Many of you already maintain your own e-commerce store, so you may be able to handle this on your own.

But keep in mind that e-commerce platforms each come with their own challenges. Therefore, dealing with these unavoidable e-commerce risks may require some additional help from your web designer or developer. If you don’t have a web designer or developer here is a Guide To Hiring a Web Designer.

Still Unsure About Unavoidable E-Commerce Risks?

Of course, we would be happy to help you deal with these unavoidable e-commerce risks. We are experts at carefully building and maintaining mobile-friendly e-commerce websites to meet (almost) any budget. From highly customized corporate sites, to responsive e-Commerce websites and small business websites we work directly with the client to prepare them for the ever increasingly social, mobile and local consumer. Why not get started by requesting your free estimate?

And if you are still not sure exactly how these unavoidable e-commerce risks will impact your e-commerce sales don’t worry! Simply reach out and contact us. Our expert team will listen to you, answer your questions, and determine the best way for your e-commerce site to provide your visitors with the e-commerce experience they expect. That is one of our specialties, after all!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!