Barriers to e-commerce in Oman

The people have a differed concept for trade in general, today the process of trade is not limited to shopping stores or malls, there have become electronic platforms that allow them to sell and buy their supplies easily through their mobile phones or computers without the need to make any effort, e-commerce is the purchase of various services and goods Online.

But despite all these advantages, there is still a great fear of trying e-commerce or working with it, as there are many things that make us think a thousand times before we enter this new world, especially with the development of electronic stores and the diversity of their forms and the opinions of shoppers about them, we will remind you In the most e-commerce obstacles that stand in front of us without benefiting from e-commerce and its wonderful advantages.

What are the biggest obstacles to e-commerce in Oman?

• Payment fraud
• Bad experiences
• Double specialization
• Shady info
• Weak search engines
• Not understanding customer behavior
• Double the autocomplete feature
• Double suggestions
• Payment methods are limited
• Feedback from clients
• Frequent website downtime
• Unexpected additional fees
• Bad Website Logistics
• Not caring about customer loyalty
• Fear of international sales
• Difficulty tracking

Online payment fraud

The biggest challenges that we can face in e-commerce is security violations, as there is a lot of sensitive information that is included during e-commerce and that can be badly exploited in theft and fraud, causing major problems in retail stores and the fragility of its image in front of customers. Thus, the number of visits to these sites decreases, and for this it is recommended to make backup copies of your data in anticipation of any breach, and in the event that you have doubts about a site or it was your first experience in it, you can avoid this problem by taking advantage of the payment upon receipt service to ensure the quality of the product and site services Before completing the payment and without providing the site with any of your personal information.

Bad experiences in online shopping

Many still fear the experience of e-shopping or entering the world of e-commerce, as their previous bad experiences prevent them from facing it again, so many of them fall victim to opportunistic shopping sites or stores that take a design and a distracting form such as a large number of pop-up ads, or the site is incompatible with mobile devices, which makes them make the decision to stay away from online shopping.

Weak specialization in displaying goods

Some electronic stores display their products without specifying or specifying the field they are interested in, as these stores often sell a large and diverse number of goods and services instead of focusing on a specific type, which makes searching for the desired product a difficult or almost impossible task for the customer, and therefore He may get bored of it and leave online shopping.

Shady and unclear information about products and services

If we look at the most successful shopping stores, we will find that one of their most important features is that they provide all the details related to the product, including the price and added fees, ingredients or material, number of pieces, type of product, method of coordination, method of use, opinions of previous buyers about it, in addition to many Other information that makes online shoppers make a purchase decision faster, unlike sites that do not provide this information.

E-commerce search engines are weak

One of the ingredients for the success of any online store is that it contains an excellent search engine, which makes it easier for online shoppers to find their products quickly instead of wasting time in searches within the endless sections of the site, so any defect in the search engines within the shopping site may push the customer to Not to try it again.

Weakness and lack of support for tracking customer behavior

Shopping stores have become smarter than before, as they have realized that each customer has special behavior and interests, so they have adopted the customer behavior feature, which is to keep track of the repeated search words that the customer typed, or the products that they shop frequently, in order to display the products that correspond with Orienting the customer, thus facilitating the shopping process and building a strong relationship between him and him that increases his loyalty to it.

No autocomplete feature

Most likely, many of you have noticed the presence of this feature in the largest search engines such as Google, where it works to supplement the search words according to the previous searches of the customer or the number of searches conducted on these words before, which facilitates the search process, and in online shopping stores The same feature is available, as it shortens the time and makes shoppers happier and more comfortable in their shopping journey and searching for their products.

Double suggestions, pictures and prices

The presence of images on websites helps to increase the desire of shoppers to purchase their products, where they can see the products with their own eyes and preview them almost realistically since the feature of trying products is not available when shopping online, and the clarity of the prices of the products "including additional fees and shipping fees" makes shoppers trust More on the site and they automatically adopt it more than other sites that do not explain it enough, as there are many sites that ignore providing such information or deliberately hide it from customers to attract them and then trap them, especially in the seasons of discounts, which is the main reason for the decline of these sites and their withdrawal their shoppers.
As for the site’s suggestions in products similar to what the shopper sees, it is a positive addition because this process has a positive and significant role in ensuring that purchases increase in the event that the shopper does not find what he wants.

Lack of available payment methods

E-commerce is a risky journey, especially when the customer makes the purchase decision the first time, as customers usually prefer to use safe and popular payment methods such as credit cards and prepaid cards. For this, any online shopping site that seeks to succeed must provide payment of various types of cards in addition to other payment methods such as digital wallet, cash on delivery, etc., as these methods will attract various segments of shoppers.

No customer feedback

The presence of feedback on the products and goods purchased from the online store determines whether the site is serious or not. The store that is keen to gain the trust of its customers and facilitate the shopping process for them will provide this service in the best way, through the ability to refer to and review the purchases on the purchases page or from the shopper’s account, The problem is exacerbated when some questionable stores provide fake feedback to prey on customers.

Website downtime

The failure of online stores leads to online shoppers’ grumbling, they are impatient, and the problem worsens when this incident is repeated, as there are many shopping sites once you decide to visit them until you find them always under maintenance or do not open their interface or break due to some technical or other problems , which makes the process of shopping through it very cumbersome and difficult, and that is why when you create any shopping site, it must be designed in a professional manner that makes the shopping process more enjoyable and faster.

Unexpected additional fees

Online shoppers do not want to be forced to pay any costs that exceed the price of their products or shipping fees, and for this reason, they should avoid imposing any additional fees that may contribute to preventing the customer from completing his purchase, especially if they are shown after completing the purchase process or at the last step before payment This calls into question the shopper's confidence in the site and makes him extremely angry and frustrated, thus weakening the chance to visit him again.

Bad Logistics for E-Shops

Every online store must set a clear path for its logistical operations, which means shipping and supplying various products and goods from the store to the shopper's address, in order for customers to feel comfortable and reassured about their purchases through the possibility of tracking their shipment and arrival on time, there are some stores unfortunately that do not Be clear about this issue with their customers, as you find them setting delivery dates or shipping information that are not related to reality, and this weakens their progress and causes their image to be shaken in front of online shoppers.

Losing customer loyalty

Fraud, hacking of shoppers' accounts and violating their privacy, in addition to the store's inability to provide customers with effective quality products or services, has led to a marked decline in their loyalty, as many shoppers are afraid to register in some electronic stores in anticipation of any of these matters, in addition to To a significant increase in the number of online shopping stores in Oman. That is why any online store that seeks to establish the roots of communication and trust between it and its customers should be honest with them about the nature of the services and products provided, and also provide them with the necessary privacy and secure their accounts and private data in the best possible way.

Fear of international purchases

We sometimes shop from online stores that are thousands of kilometers away, and some of them may be located in distant countries, which requires the use of international shipping and what many online shoppers fear, they know that this may impose more costs on shipping fees, in addition to increasing the possibility of delay The arrival of the order or its arrival in a state other than its original state as a result of the shipping process that may cause harm to it, but this does not include all cases, as there are many stores that have provided this service with the best quality through cooperation with the largest international shipping companies.

Difficulty tracking orders

One of the most important services that electronic stores must provide is the order tracking service, so that the online shopper is sure that his orders are launched from their place and track the progress of the shipment process until they finally reach it at the expected time, which increases the shopper’s confidence in the store and his desire to repeat the shopping process.