Unfortunately, E-commerce issues can arise, and  it can lead to an immense amount of frustration. When you’re a business owner, you constantly think about ways you can increase your revenue. Whether your company provides a service or has tangible goods to sell, an E-commerce website is the framework for your efforts to maximize profits. And simply putting a website together with your products and services available for purchase doesn’t guarantee an increase in sales.

There are plenty of issues that can arise within an E-commerce system, though it is the unrecognized problem that tends to cause the most trouble for business owners. At first, they may not even seem like issues, but if left unattended, can bring your company’s daily operations to a halt. Let’s discuss some of these issues, and potential ways to tackle them.

Security Measures

Just like any other website that allows customers to utilize online credit card processing, there is a certain level of hesitation a customer feels when entering their private information online. With all of the horror stories of people having their credit card information stolen, there is still a legitimate fear of the “what if” associated with online payments. That said, how do businesses ensure their customers that they have nothing to fear?

First of all, you need to provide your customers with a set of Terms & Conditions that is extremely clear and to the point. These Terms & Conditions should cover matters such as your return policy, warranties, price changes, and of course, privacy. If you surprise your customers with something after they’ve made their purchase, they certainly won’t be happy to be caught off guard, and might not return to your company in the future. Make sure you cover your basis so you won’t lose customers to a more “trustworthy” site.

Next, take the time to thoroughly analyze your company’s website. Conduct as honest of an assessment as you can; it might be cool to have a high-end website, but it won’t necessarily lead to greater sales. Above all else, make sure you present your company, as well as its goods and services, to your audience in a professional manner. Ultimately, the customer’s first impression matters. You aren’t attempting to solely drive traffic to your site, but you’re also trying to convince customers to enter their credit card information for a purchase. By providing your audience with a neat and easy-to-read website that is also compatible with mobile browsers, you’ll provide your company with the greatest chance to boost its sales.

Payment Issues

In creating your E-commerce website, your goal was to make it as simple as possible for your customers to order the goods and services they need, while making it easier for your company to get paid. However, it takes time to sell new customers on your site and your company. They judge the site’s reliability, the quality of your products and services, and only if they like what they see will they consider placing an order. However, if your checkout process and shopping cart are even remotely difficult to master, you may end up losing sales. Before you have to respond to angry customer emails about their inability to place orders online, or before you have to evaluate why you’re seeing a drop in sales, there are three things you can focus on to ensure your merchant services operate flawlessly.

Start off by drafting up easy-to-follow instructions for your customers to follow to complete an order. You can place this information in a few different locations to make it even easier for your customers to place their orders. Consider placing this information on your website’s home page, as well as every other page where the customer can click to place their order. Whether you’d prefer to create a video to provide a face to your company, or a simple bullet list with each step, make sure you assist your customers as best you can in helping them spend their hard earned cash on your company.

Next, consider signing up for a secondary merchant services account to accept credit card payments. Sure, it may seem unnecessary if your current payment processor is operating flawlessly, but what happens if that processor goes down? If your site is unable to allow customers to complete their transactions, you not only lose that sale, but you run the risk of losing the disgruntled customer to your competition.

Then, evaluate your current confirmation emails you send to each customer who places an online order. If you only send a “Thank you for your order” email, you should seriously reconsider this approach. It’s of grave importance that your company provides its customers with a confirmation, but they also require a good amount of information in this confirmation email. When sending a confirmation email to a customer, you should include a detailed invoice of the order and confirmation of the received payment, along with any shipping information you can provide. This will let your customer know that you received their order, while providing them with peace of mind. Your above and beyond customer service will only leave your customers thinking highly of you, leaving open the possibility for future orders and greater word of mouth marketing opportunities.

Bradley Derringer is a blogger for TechBreach, giving you the latest on all things tech.