Customer complaints are a result of your miscommunication with your customers during the purchase process. They can be difficult and tedious to tackle and result in negative word-of-mouth for your business. Therefore, it is important that you identify the sources of these complaints and fix them in advance in order to ensure a smooth shopping experience for your customers.

In this article we have put together a few of the most common ecommerce customer complaints and ways you can resolve them before you receive them:

Inconsistencies In Products And Their Pictures/Descriptions

Mismatch of dimensions or features of products with their pictures and descriptions on ecommerce websites is one of the reasons for product returns. Your customers cannot check your products personally before buying them, and their pictures and descriptions are all they have to go by.

Provide all the details of your product clearly on your website. Make sure that the color and the pack size of your product, its accessories/attachments, etc. are all accurate in their descriptions and are shown in pictures. Think from your customers’ perspective and include all the details about your product that they would expect to know while buying it.

Damages In Products During Transit

In order to be successful in the ecommerce industry, you need to be able to deliver your products efficiently to every location. Your customers may not shop with you again if they receive damaged goods.

Ensure that your products are secured properly in tight, multilayered packaging with protective inserts using a strong tape. Test the shipping of your products before you receive orders for them. This will save you costs for reshipping fresh orders.

Complex Return Policy

Return policies are a major influencer of customer buying decisions. Allow your customers to return your products in case of either of the above-mentioned issues or any other issue.

Mention your return period clearly on the website and list out the products that can be returned. Customers expect to be allowed at least 30 days to return products. Be a little flexible with the return policy in order to ensure customer satisfaction. Allow an extra two-day window for those who are unable to return products within 30 days.

Lack Of Inventory

Products going out of stock after placing orders is another major factor that causes dissatisfaction in customers. Keep them in the loop from time to time about the availability of your products by constantly tracking your inventory.

Display the availability status of products in their descriptions and hide products that are out of stock. Tracking inventory can also help you to restock in time to avoid bounce rates for your website.

Issues With Website’s Usability

Your customers can abandon your website if they are not able to go to their desired section quickly or make payments easily. Make sure the website looks neat by eliminating distractions and having important tabs on the homepage. Make it compatible with mobile devices, and ensure that it loads within seconds on different devices. Include multiple payment methods like credit/debit cards, multiple payment wallet options, cash-on-delivery, etc.

Inefficient Delivery Process

It can be quite frustrating for customers to wait for their packages, especially when it is beyond the expected delivery date and they do not know its status. Let your customers know the expected delivery date of their package and allow them to track it. This will help them to know when they need to make themselves available to receive the package.

Enable the tracking feature on your website or app. Provide customers with the package’s tracking number along with the name of the courier company and the contact details of the delivery personnel so that they can coordinate with them. Send customers emails or messages with status updates of the order like when it has been placed, packed, shipped, etc. Let them know in advance if there are delays in the delivery due to bad weather or any other issues.