Can E-Commerce Be Profitable?
The answer to can eCommerce be profitable’ is dependent on what you put in, for example if you have an eCommerce store with 1 page, the chances of that becoming profitable is next to none.
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11 Common E-Commerce Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Mistakes often get a bad rap, but entrepreneur Alexa Curtis sees them as essential to growth. On Shopify Masters, she says, “You must experience all the highs and lows to become your best self.”
Written By Shane Cousins
Nov 2025 / Reading Length: 5 minutes
Mistakes often get a bad rap, but entrepreneur Alexa Curtis sees them as essential to growth. On Shopify Masters, she says, “You must experience all the highs and lows to become your best self.” Today, she appreciates the missteps that shaped her journey and helped her build her brand.
While mistakes are part of learning, repeating them is optional. Generic product pages, clunky checkouts, and poor mobile experiences can cost you valuable customers. Knowing where E-Commerce businesses often make mistakes can help you avoid expensive errors. This will help you build a better online store.
Below are 11 frequent E-Commerce mistakes and how to fix them.
1. Ignoring audience insights
Brands that overlook customer insights often create experiences based on internal priorities rather than user needs. For example, a furniture store might create a mobile app that is not needed. They should focus on making the checkout process better for customers.
Start with solid research. Use customer surveys, competitor analyses, and industry reports to define your target audience. Then build buyer personas to help your team stay focused on real customer behaviours and preferences.
2. Choosing the wrong tools
Using software that doesn’t integrate well, like a CMS that won’t sync with your E-Commerce platform creates operational bottlenecks and wastes hours each week. Disconnected systems can result in duplicate records, mismatched inventory, and manual data entry.
Audit your current tools and collaborate across departments before choosing new ones. If you’re launching a new store, opt for a platform that offers seamless integrations and built-in features, such as Shopify.
3. Designing a poor checkout experience
A flawed checkout glitches, limited payment options, too many steps causes cart abandonment. Every additional field is an opportunity for a shopper to give up.
Streamline the process by reducing unnecessary steps, adding a progress bar, and offering trusted payment methods. Displaying security badges and HTTPS certificates helps build confidence during the most sensitive part of the buying journey.
4. Neglecting web design
Slow pages, unclear navigation, and low-quality images make your brand feel unreliable. Your website is your digital storefront, and often the first impression a customer gets.
Invest in a professional-looking design using high-quality templates or web development support. A visually appealing E-Commerce store builds credibility and encourages conversions.
5. Forgetting mobile users
Mobile commerce is expected to account for 63% of all retail E-Commerce by 2025. If your site isn’t optimised for smaller screens, you’re missing a huge share of potential customers.
Use responsive design and preview all updates on mobile devices. Simplify product filtering, avoid intrusive pop-ups, and include features like video and zoom to enhance the mobile shopping experience.
6. Creating uninspired product pages
Poor images and vague descriptions make it hard for customers to understand what they’re buying and easy for them to choose a competitor.
Use multiple high-resolution photos, including lifestyle imagery, to help shoppers visualise your product in real life. Write thorough descriptions that reflect your brand voice while clearly communicating features, benefits, and specifications.
7. Overlooking content
Without strong content on your blog and social channels, you miss opportunities to attract organic traffic and build relationships.
Focus on creating original, niche content that sets you apart. Consistent blogging and social posting help you connect authentically with customers and reinforce your brand’s personality, while also supporting SEO and email marketing efforts.
8. Using overly aggressive marketing tactics
Constant discounts and pushy calls to action can overwhelm customers and lead to unsubscribes. People respond best when brands provide genuine value first.
Emotional marketing sharing stories, insights, and helpful information creates a deeper connection with your audience. Build trust before pushing the sale.
9. Skipping technical SEO
Even the best content can underperform if technical SEO is ignored. Slow load times, broken links, and poor site structure can bury your pages deep in search results.
Run regular site audits to identify issues. Improving site speed, fixing inconsistencies, optimising metadata, and maintaining clean URLs help boost visibility and domain authority.
10. Lacking customer service
Customer service interactions can make or break your brand reputation. Poor support experiences increase churn, while helpful, empathetic responses build loyalty.
Equip your support team with proper tools, such as a CRM or help desk system, to manage inquiries efficiently. Provide clear guidelines and scripts to ensure a consistent and positive experience for every customer.
11. Failing to establish your “why”
A strong brand is built on more than the desire to make money. Customers are attracted to businesses with a clear purpose. This purpose guides decisions, inspires products, and shows what the brand represents.
Without a meaningful “why,” your business risks feeling interchangeable with countless others selling similar items.
Your “why” might come from solving a personal problem. It could be about filling a gap in the market. You might want to support a cause or create a sense of community. Whatever it is, make sure it’s genuine and consistent.
Let this purpose come through in your storytelling, marketing, and product descriptions. When shoppers know why your business exists, they are more likely to trust you. They will feel a connection and come back often.
Ready to Take Your E-Commerce Brand to the Next Level?
At WTBI, we help businesses avoid expensive mistakes. We optimise every touchpoint and build a brand that connects with customers. Let’s transform your online store into a powerful growth engine.
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