Some Of The Most Common eCommerce Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

Since founding Spark Shipping in late 2013, I’ve worked with thousands of dropshippers and eCommerce business owners, all looking to make a name for themselves in a very competitive space.

Over the years, I’ve experienced what works—and, more importantly, what doesn’t.

While every business has its unique challenges, I’ve noticed that many eCommerce entrepreneurs run into some common mistakes, often without realizing the impact these mistakes have on their growth, profitability, and long-term success.

In this article, I’ll discuss some of the most common eCommerce mistakes I’ve encountered and, more importantly, share some smarter approaches.

Common eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Out

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Let’s begin with the mistakes I’ve seen dropshippers and eCommerce store owners make when they’re just starting out:

❌ Not understanding your product or audience

Some businesses choose products to sell without fully understanding their features, benefits, or market demand. Others fail to define their target audience, trying to sell to everyone rather than a specific group.

Without knowing your audience, your marketing efforts become generic and ineffective. And selling a product you don’t understand makes it harder to answer customer questions and build trust.

✅ A better approach 

• Conduct in-depth research to understand who your ideal customers are and what problems they need solved.
• Learn everything about your products, from technical details to real-world applications.
• Create detailed buyer personas to tailor marketing messages and improve engagement.
• Test different messaging and ad creatives to see what resonates with your audience.

❌ Not doing market research

Some online entrepreneurs launch a store based on assumptions rather than solid data. They skip market research, leading to poor product selection, ineffective pricing, and weak differentiation from competitors.

By neglecting product research, you may enter an oversaturated market with intense competition. Without pricing research, you risk overpricing or underpricing your products. Failing to analyze demand can lead to poor sales and wasted inventory costs.

✅ A better approach 

• Use tools like Google Trends, Amazon Best Sellers, and competitor analysis tools to gauge demand.
• Analyze competitor pricing, product positioning, and customer reviews to find market gaps.
• Conduct surveys and focus groups to validate product ideas before investing.
• Test demand through pre-orders or small-batch releases.

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❌ Starting with your own store instead of a marketplace

I’ve seen many newer eCommerce businesses launch with a website first rather than leveraging online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart Marketplace.

Building traffic to your online store from scratch is expensive and slow, whereas marketplaces already have millions of active shoppers ready to buy. This is the best way to drive sales early on before launching your own store.

✅ A better approach

• Start by selling on online marketplaces to gain traction and validate demand.
• Use your marketplace success to drive traffic to your own store later.
• Leverage marketplace tools, like ads and promotions, to increase visibility.

❌ Uploading an entire product catalog at once

Uploading an entire product catalog to your online store may seem like a quick solution, but it could lead to SEO issues, low-quality listings, and operational overload.

Launching a store with too many products at once can dilute your messaging. In contrast, a smaller, curated selection lets you focus on building hype and targeting the right audience with ads and promotions.

✅ A better approach

• Choose your best-selling, high-margin, or trendiest products first. 
• Gradually expand your product selection based on demand and use analytics to see what’s selling before you add new products.
• Market new products in phases, as a staged approach keeps customers engaged and increases repeat visits.
• Ensure proper logistics and inventory management with a smaller selection first to help you work out fulfillment and shipping issues before handling an entire catalog.
• Consider hybrid dropshipping, in which you keep best-sellers in your own warehouse and get the rest from suppliers.

❌ Poor product descriptions

I’ve seen many eCommerce stores either copy manufacturer product descriptions or provide minimal product information. This leaves customers guessing and lowers conversion rates.

Unique product descriptions help with search engine optimization (SEO); copied content doesn’t. A lack of details makes customers hesitant to buy, and vague or incomplete descriptions may lead to more returns.

On the other hand, a well-written and accurate product description can boost conversion rates by up to 78%.

✅ A better approach

• Write unique, detailed, and engaging descriptions tailored to your target customers.
• Focus on benefits, not just features; explain how the product would improve the buyer’s life.
• Use bullet points for easy readability.
• Include as much information as possible about product dimensions, materials, care instructions, and compatibility details.

Here’s a great example of a Walmart Marketplace product listing with a comprehensive product description that focuses on benefits and readability:

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❌ Low-quality product images

Some eCommerce businesses use poor-quality, pixelated, or insufficient images in their product listings, assuming the description alone will convince shoppers to purchase.

This is problematic because 78% of consumers seek images in product listings when they shop online. 

Low-quality images also reduce perceived trust and professionalism. Fewer angles and close-ups of your products may increase uncertainty among shoppers, leading to lower conversions.

✅ A better approach

• Use high-resolution images with zoom functionality.
• Include multiple angles and lifestyle images to showcase your product in context.
• Optimize your images for web performance to avoid slowing down your site.
• Consider using 360-degree views or short product videos.

In this Amazon product listing, the images included are high-quality and zoomable so that shoppers can see the details of the product in plenty of detail:

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❌ No clear return and refund policy

The average return rate for eCommerce is typically 20% to 30%. For this reason, I’ve seen eCommerce stores either hide their return policy or make it overly complicated. 

Potential customers may hesitate to purchase if they don’t know they can return items easily, and a bad return experience can lead to negative reviews.

✅ A better approach

• Have a clear, easy-to-find return policy with fair terms.
• Offer hassle-free returns and refunds.
• Clearly state the timeframe for returns and who covers shipping.

When you sell on marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, or eBay, your products come with an automatic return policy included in the listing, which is another great reason to start your business on a marketplace:

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❌ Not prioritizing customer reviews

I’ve seen many drop shippers completely hide or neglect customer reviews because they fear negative feedback.

However, reviews are more important than ever because 85% of consumers trust them as much as personal recommendations. Reviews build social proof, helping cultivate trust with potential customers, and products without reviews convert poorly.

✅ A better approach

• Encourage your customers to leave reviews post-purchase via email or text.
• Respond to negative feedback professionally by remaining calm and respectful.
• Display reviews prominently on product pages.

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❌ Failing to automate

Some eCommerce retailers handle order processing, inventory management, and fulfillment manually. This leads to inefficiencies, errors, and delays, especially as your business scales.

Manual order processing increases the chances of overselling products or shipping errors.

Additionally, as your business grows, handling inventory and fulfillment manually becomes unsustainable. This is where automation is so helpful, mainly because it saves businesses up to 3.6 hours per week or 23 working days per year.

✅ A better approach

• Use dropshipping automation tools like Spark Shipping to streamline order fulfillment, inventory updates, and supplier integrations.
• Implement automated order routing so that the right supplier or warehouse fulfills each order.
• Sync your inventory across multiple channels to prevent overselling.
• Automate tracking updates and customer notifications to enhance the shopping experience.

❌ Poor customer service

Many eCommerce businesses underestimate the importance of good customer service, treating it as an afterthought rather than a key part of the online shopping experience. 

This is a massive issue because over 30% of customers will leave your brand after a single bad experience.

Customers expect fast, responsive support, and delays can increase refund requests and chargebacks. Poor service can also damage your brand’s reputation and reduce customer lifetime value.

✅ A better approach

• Offer multi-channel customer support, such as live chat, email, phone, and social media.
• Use chatbots and AI-driven tools for instant responses to common queries.
• Train your support staff to handle issues efficiently and go beyond scripted responses.
• Implement a self-service help center with FAQs, guides, and tutorials.
• Follow up with customers post-purchase to ensure satisfaction.

This Walmart Marketplace seller is doing a great job at customer service by replying to every negative review professionally and promptly:

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Common eCommerce Mistakes to Avoid Once You Have Your Own Online Store

Once you’ve built up enough traction on your chosen online marketplace, now is a good time to build your first online store. Here are some mistakes I’ve seen online business owners make with their own stores:

❌ Choosing the wrong eCommerce platform

Some businesses choose an eCommerce platform without considering scalability, integrations, or customization options. The wrong platform can limit growth, create technical issues, and increase your operational costs.

✅ A better approach

• Compare platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento.
• Choose a platform with scalability, automation capabilities, and integration support.
• Consider costs beyond the subscription fee, including transaction fees and third-party app costs.

❌ Creating your own content management system (CMS)

eCommerce owners often attempt to build a custom CMS from scratch instead of using proven platforms.

Developing a CMS is costly and time-consuming, requiring extensive coding and maintenance. Custom-built systems lack the support and updates that major eCommerce platforms provide, and integrating third-party tools becomes more complex.

✅ A better approach

• Use established eCommerce platforms that provide built-in CMS features.
• If you need customization, opt for open-source solutions like WooCommerce or Magento, which offer flexibility without the burden of building from scratch.
• Leverage third-party apps and integrations to extend functionality.

❌ Not having a clear value proposition on your site

Some eCommerce businesses fail to communicate why potential customers should buy from them instead of their competitors. 

Companies with a well-defined unique selling proposition (USP) are 53% more likely to be seen as market leaders. Additionally, 70% of consumers say they’ll spend more on a product if they believe it offers a unique benefit.

Generic branding and a lack of a clear USP make it hard to stand out from your competitors, and potential customers may hesitate to shop for your products.

✅ A better approach

• Clearly state what makes your brand unique, such as your pricing, convenience, or sustainability.
• Display key benefits above the fold on your homepage.
• Use consistent branding and messaging across all your channels.

❌ Poor site navigation and search function

Some eCommerce brands have cluttered menus, missing categories, or a weak search function. 

This is problematic because 88% of online consumers are less inclined to revisit a website after a poor experience. Customers who struggle to find what they need will become frustrated, and poor search functionality means missed sales.

✅ A better approach

• Ensure your chosen eCommerce platform allows you to create clear categories and filters to simplify browsing.
• Implement a powerful search tool with autocomplete suggestions.
• Include an intuitive menu layout.

❌ Slow site speed

Heavy images, too many plugins, or poor hosting can slow down your site performance and create a poor user experience. For each second of additional page load time, conversion rates decrease by an average of 2.11%. 

Additionally, a business can expect to make 30.5 sales for every 1,000 visitors if a website loads in one second. Google also penalizes slow websites in search rankings. So, if your website takes too long to load, you may not be able to rank at all.

✅ A better approach

• Optimize images and enable lazy loading.
• Use a fast hosting provider alongside a content delivery network (CDN).
• Minimize JavaScript and eliminate unnecessary plugins.

❌ Complicated checkout process

A long or confusing checkout process causes friction and cart abandonment. Common issues include too many required fields, forced account creation, and unclear shipping costs.

I found an interesting statistic in this regard: 22% of online shoppers abandon their cart solely due to the checkout process being too long or complicated.

Your cart abandonment rates increase with every extra step, and a confusing checkout experience frustrates customers, myself included.

Additionally, unexpected fees or requirements make users leave before completing their purchase.

✅ A better approach

• Offer guest checkout in your online store to eliminate unnecessary barriers.
• Minimize the number of form fields.
• Clearly display shipping costs and estimated delivery times upfront.
• Enable one-click checkout for returning customers.

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❌ Not collecting emails early

If you run an online business, you shouldn’t only focus on immediate sales. You should be prioritizing building an email list from the start.

Email marketing has one of the ROIs in eCommerce. In fact, email marketing can provide an ROI as high as 4,400%, or $44 for every $1 invested.

Without an email list, you’re constantly relying on paid traffic to bring back visitors, and you don’t have a way to recover abandoned carts or re-engage past customers.

✅ A better approach

• Use pop-ups and incentives—such as discounts or free shipping—to collect emails.
• Send personalized email sequences to nurture leads.
• Implement cart abandonment emails to ensure you don’t lose customers.
• Regularly send targeted updates, offers, and product recommendations.

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❌ Ignoring mobile optimization

Many eCommerce business owners still design their websites primarily for desktop users, assuming mobile visitors will be able to navigate the site well.

However, 76% of U.S. adults use mobile devices to shop online, also known as mCommerce. 

A site that isn’t mobile-friendly often has slow load times, difficult navigation, and a checkout page that doesn’t work well on smaller screens.

Additionally, did you know that Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites when ranking sites in its search results?

Also, a poor mobile experience can lead to higher bounce rates and lost sales. Frustrated mobile users are unlikely to return or recommend your store if they have a poor experience.

✅ A better approach

• Use a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes.
• Ensure fast mobile load times by compressing images and reducing unnecessary scripts.
• Simplify navigation with a sticky menu and easily tappable buttons.
• Use mobile-friendly payment options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and one-click checkouts.

❌ Ignoring search engine optimization (SEO)

I’ve noticed that some eCommerce businesses don’t prioritize SEO and rely solely on paid advertising or social media to promote their eCommerce site.

The fact is that SEO brings consistent, free traffic to your site, whereas paid ads require continuous spending. 

Without optimization, your products won’t appear in Google search results, and competitors who invest in SEO will capture your potential customers.

The average return on investment (ROI) for SEO is between 550% and 1,220%, so this is a worthwhile investment for your store.

✅ A better approach

• Optimize product pages with relevant keywords in your titles, descriptions, and meta tags.
• Improve your site structure to make it easy for search engines to discover and rank your pages.
• Build internal and external links—known as backlinks—to strengthen your domain authority, a metric created by the SEO tool Moz that indicates your website's authority.
• Leverage content marketing, such as blog posts and guides, to drive organic traffic.

❌ Neglecting abandoned cart recovery

Not following up on cart abandonments means losing sales. The average cart abandon rate is around 70%, and many customers abandon simply because they get distracted.

✅ A better approach

• Send automated abandoned cart emails with incentives.
• Use retargeting ads to remind shoppers of their purchase.
• Offer time-sensitive discounts to encourage purchase completion.

❌ Not upselling or cross-selling

I’ve seen many eCommerce stores fail to maximize their revenue by not offering complimentary products or higher-value alternatives.

Upselling and cross-selling can increase your average order value (AOV) and drive 30% of your sales revenue. Also, customers may buy related products elsewhere if you don’t present them with more options.

✅ A better approach

• Implement product recommendations, such as “frequently bought together.”
• Use upsells on product pages and during checkout.
• Bundle complimentary items at a discounted price.

❌ Over-reliance on one traffic source

Many online businesses depend solely on a single channel to drive traffic, like Facebook Ads or SEO. 

Changes in algorithms or ad costs can cripple your sales overnight and businesses without diversification, and I’ve seen businesses struggle to scale sustainably as a result.

✅ A better approach

• Diversify your traffic sources by using SEO, paid ads, email marketing, influencer partnerships, and marketplaces.
• Focus on organic growth to reduce your dependency on paid advertising.
• For long-term engagement, build a community around your brand, such as social media groups.

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❌ Failing to test and optimize

Some retailers with an online store assume their website and marketing strategies are working without testing or iterating them. Unoptimized sites, for example, miss out on potential conversions. Businesses also waste money when strategies are ineffective.

✅ A better approach

• Run A/B tests on product pages, checkout flows, and email campaigns.
• Use heatmaps and analytics to track customer behavior.
• Continuously refine your ads, copy, and design based on customer data and consumer behavior.

My Final Thoughts on Common eCommerce Mistakes

eCommerce is an exciting, fast-moving industry, but it’s also full of pitfalls that can slow down your growth or derail your business entirely.

I’ve seen firsthand how small mistakes like ignoring automation, neglecting customer service, or failing to optimize your site can have a ripple effect on sales and profitability.

The most successful eCommerce businesses aren’t the ones that get everything right from day one; they’re the ones that continuously adapt, optimize, and leverage the right tools to scale efficiently.

That’s why automation is such a game-changer and a huge reason behind why I founded Spark Shipping in the first place. When you remove manual bottlenecks from your operations, you free up time to focus on what really matters: growth, customer experience, and strategic expansion.

At Spark Shipping, we help eCommerce businesses automate their order fulfillment, inventory management, and supplier integrations, ensuring smoother operations and fewer errors.

If you’re ready to eliminate inefficiencies and scale smarter, sign up for a free Spark Shipping demo today and see how automation is the next best step for your business.