Launching a new product is a huge milestone for any eCommerce business. Whether you’re a small start-up or a well-established company, the launch of a new product is a critical moment that requires careful planning and preparation.
However, it’s easy to overlook some of the key factors that can contribute to a successful launch. In this article, we’ll highlight 7 things you must avoid when launching a new product to ensure that your launch is a success.
1. Neglecting Market Research
Neglecting market research is a big mistake that eCommerce businesses often make when launching a new product. Without understanding your target market and their needs, you run the risk of launching a product that doesn’t meet their expectations. This can result in a poorly received product launch and low sales.
For example, let’s say you’re a sneaker company and you want to launch a new line of sneakers designed for athletes. If you neglect thorough market research, you may launch a product that doesn’t meet the expectations of your target market, such as offering a line of sneakers made of cheap materials or lacking the necessary support for athletes. This can result in a poorly received product launch and low sales.
What You Must Do: Conduct Market Research (duh)
Conducting market research is a critical step in the launch process.
- Demographic information about your target audience
- Competitor analysis
- Customer pain points and needs
It’s tempting to feel/act like you know the audience perfectly because of a previously successful product launch, but that’s not always the case. We’re just reminding you to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. This will help you reaffirm or change the understanding of your target audience and THEIR wants/needs.
2. Poor Website Design
A poorly designed website can have a negative impact on your sales when launching a new product. Potential customers may be turned off by a confusing or unattractive website, which can result in lost sales.
If your website has a poor design, potential customers may not be able to easily find the new product, or they may be turned off by a cluttered or unappealing website design. A poor design may include a confusing navigation system, unreadable font, and low-quality images. This can result in lost sales and a poorly received product launch.
What You Must Do: Invest in a Well-Designed Website
When launching a new product, it’s important to bring focus to the product on your website. A well-designed website can help establish & reaffirm your brand identity and increase customer engagement. As a SMB or quickly growing brand, remember that your competition is doubling down on their style and website approach. You need to be ahead of the game… Here are 3 key elements to consider when re/designing your website:
- User experience (UX)
- Visual appeal
- Mobile optimization
3. Ignoring Customer Feedback
Ignoring customer feedback is a mistake that eCommerce businesses often make when launching a new product. Customer feedback, both positive and negative, can provide valuable information that can help you improve your product and overall customer experience. Ignoring this feedback can result in a poorly received product launch and low sales.
Let’s go with the sneaker example again. If you ignore customer feedback, you might miss out on the fact that customers complain about the fit or comfort of the sneakers. If you don’t address these complaints, you will end up with a product that doesn’t meet expectations and it’ll likely be a lack luster launch.
What You Must Do: Actively Seek and Incorporate Customer Feedback
Actively seeking and incorporating customer feedback is an important step in the launch process. This information can be gathered through surveys, focus groups, and customer interviews. You certainly can’t make everyone happy, but learning to listen to the negative point (especially) will help guide you to a successful product and launch. Here are 3 ways to actively seek and incorporate customer feedback:
- Conduct surveys and questionnaires after purchase
- Monitor social media activity
- Encourage customer reviews
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4. Underestimating the Importance of Product Descriptions
Product descriptions play a crucial role in the purchasing decision-making process, and underestimating their importance can result in a poorly received product launch.
A poor product description may include vague or misleading information, such as saying the sneakers are “comfortable” without providing any specific details on why they are comfortable. This can result in a poorly received product launch and low sales.
What You Must Do: Provide Detailed and Accurate Product Descriptions
When creating product descriptions, it’s important to include key information about the product, such as specifications, benefits, and features. Additionally, be sure to use high-quality images to visually demonstrate the product. Here are 3 specifics to include in your product descriptions:
- Product specifications
- Benefits and features
- Images
Pro-Tip: Reach out to our friends over at CopySmith (https://copysmith.ai/product-description-generator/) to help with product descriptions. Their text-to-text AI is a perfect solution to help craft a message that will resonate with your audience. Plus, it’ll save you a lot of time.
5. Overloading Customers with Information
Following up from the previous point, overloading customers with too much information or too many options can result in confusion and overwhelm, which can negatively impact your sales when launching a new product.
For instance, if your product page includes lengthy descriptions, multiple images, and several different color options, customers may become overwhelmed and unsure of which product to choose. This can result in lost sales and a poorly received product launch.
What You Must Do: Provide Clear and Concise Product Information
When creating product descriptions, it’s important to be concise and clear. This will help customers quickly understand the key features and benefits of the product. Here are 3 tips to consider:
- Keep it simple
- Use bullet points
- Highlight and bold the most important information
6. Neglecting Mobile Optimization
Neglecting mobile optimization can negatively impact your sales when launching a new product, as more and more customers are shopping on mobile devices. A website that is not optimized for mobile devices will result in a poor customer experience, such as slow loading times, difficult navigation, or unreadable text.
For instance, slow loading times make it frustrating for customers to browse through the products. Another killer is poor navigation which can be confusing or the text may be unreadable on a small screen. These will result in a poor customer experience and low sales; trust us on that.
What You Must Do: Ensure Mobile Optimization for a Positive Customer Experience
Ensuring mobile optimization is essential for a positive customer experience. This means that your website should be designed to respond and adapt to different screen sizes, and navigation should be easy to use on mobile devices. Here are 3 tips to ensure mobile optimization for your eCommerce website:
- Responsive design:
- Make sure your website is designed to respond and adapt to different screen sizes, ensuring a consistent and seamless experience for customers on any device.
- Mobile-friendly navigation:
- Ensure that your website’s navigation is easy to use on mobile devices, with clear and straightforward buttons and links.
- Load time optimization:
- Optimize the load time of your website on mobile devices to ensure a fast and smooth browsing experience for customers. This can be achieved through techniques such as image optimization, minifying code, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
7. Failing to Test the Launch Process
Test your website, checkout process, and delivery systems before launching to ensure everything is working smoothly. This will minimize the chances of any technical issues or customer complaints during the launch period.
Failing to test the website, checkout process, and delivery systems before launching can result in technical issues and loads of headaches for your customer and you.
What You Must Do: Thoroughly Test the Launch Process to Minimize Technical Issues
You can expect poor customer experience, low sales, and a poorly received product launch which might (unfortunately) make social media post headlines as customers will go online to see if others are finding the same issues. More specifically though, customers may abandon their carts due to a slow checkout process or not receive their orders in a timely manner. You can bet you’ll be getting negative reviews at that point… Let’s make sure we do these things:
- Website functionality on multiple browsers
- Delivery systems
- Customer service processes
By thoroughly testing your launch process, you can minimize the chances of any technical issues or customer complaints during the launch period. And of course, it will increase the chances of a successful product launch which is all we ask for!
In conclusion, launching a new product is a complex process that requires careful planning and preparation. By avoiding the 7 mistakes outlined in this article, you can increase the chances of a successful product launch.
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