Starting an e-commerce business seems easier than ever. Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Shoper offer ready-made solutions that allow you to set up your own online store in just a few hours. However, launching your store is just the beginning. The reality is that many aspiring e-commerce owners fall into the same traps, significantly hindering their growth, generating sales, and scaling their business.

Why is it important to understand the most common mistakes?

The e-commerce industry is growing rapidly, but that doesn't mean every new store is a success. Market data shows that a significant number of e-businesses fail within the first two years of operation—often not due to a lack of ideas, but rather due to poor decisions, a lack of customer insight, an unsuitable offering, or a lackluster approach to marketing. In this article, we present the ten most common mistakes made by novice online store owners. We not only identify them, but—more importantly—show how to avoid them and what to do to turn a rocky start into a promising business.

Lack of strategy and action plan

Many aspiring e-commerce owners consider launching an online store as a quick way to launch a business without the need for extensive planning. However, a lack of strategy and action plan is one of the most common reasons for failure in this industry. Selling online isn't just about technically launching a store; it's a complex process requiring thoughtful business decisions. Even the best product won't sell without a strategy tailored to the market, audience, and company resources.

What are the dangers of acting "on instinct"?

Operating without a plan usually means haphazard moves: random product selection, intuitive pricing, chaotic social media messaging, and inefficient marketing budget spending. The lack of direction makes it difficult to measure progress, optimize efforts, and understand what's working and what's not.

The consequences can be serious:

• Quick burnout of financial resources without any sales effect,

   

• Lack of brand recognition and communication consistency,

   

• Low conversion and rising customer acquisition costs (CAC),

   

• Difficulties in building loyalty and repeat purchases.

   

Entrepreneurs often learn this too late – after spending thousands of zlotys on advertising that brings no return, or after months of frustration due to a lack of sales despite growing store traffic.

How to develop a simple but effective strategy?

The good news is that an effective e-commerce strategy doesn't have to be complicated. A simple, 1-2-page concept will help you make informed decisions and provide direction. It's worth including a few key elements:

1. Target group

Define who your customers are: what they need, what motivates them to buy, where they spend their time online, and how they make purchasing decisions. Avoid generalities – "anyone can buy my product" is a dead end. It's better to focus on a specific niche and speak a language that reflects real needs.

2. Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

Why should someone buy from you? What sets your offer apart from dozens (or hundreds) of similar ones? A low price is rarely a good differentiator. Elements like specialized knowledge, a unique product, local production, exceptional customer service, and flexible offerings are much more effective.

3. Business and Marketing Goals

Set SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Examples:

• 1,000 unique users per month within 3 months,

   

• First 100 orders in 90 days,

   

• 10% conversion from organic traffic in six months.

   

4. Reach and marketing channels

Decide where and how you will promote your store. Focus on the two or three channels that best suit your target audience—e.g., Instagram, Google Ads campaigns, SEO, email marketing. Avoid spreading yourself thin across all possible platforms at once.

5. Budget and schedule

Plan your budget for advertising, tools, and store development. Determine how much you can spend per month and what results you want to achieve. Also, establish an action plan for the first 3, 6, and 12 months, including key milestones: store launch, campaign launch, and customer base development.

Poor target group analysis

One of the key foundations of effective e-commerce is a thorough understanding of your target audience. Unfortunately, many novice online store owners make the same mistake – they don't clearly define who they're targeting with their offerings. As a result, marketing communications are imprecise, products don't meet real customer needs, and conversions are lower than they could be.

The "Free for Everyone" Trap - or How Not to Sell to Anyone

A common trap for novice e-tailers is the belief that their product is "for everyone." This seemingly logical approach: if a product can be purchased by both students and retirees, why limit yourself? In practice, however, this translates into a lack of coherent messaging, difficulties with ad targeting, and problems selecting the right promotional channels. The result is communication that appeals to no one in particular—and that translates into wasted sales potential.

Example: a store selling minimalist planners. Is the target audience "everyone who wants to be better organized"? No – it would be much more effective to narrow your communication to a specific group, for example, young professionals from large cities who value aesthetics, planning, and eco-friendly products. This makes the marketing message more relevant, engaging, and sales-effective.

Creating buyer personas and analyzing customer needs

The solution to this problem is the conscious development of buyer personas – fictitious but realistic profiles of ideal customers. Personas should include not only demographic data, but above all:

• Lifestyle and shopping behavior,

   

• Motivations and needs,

   

• Concerns and obstacles to purchasing,

   

• Preferred communication channels and online presence.

   

A well-prepared persona allows you to answer questions:

• What language should I use to communicate?

   

• What content should you create to generate interest?

   

• Where to run advertising campaigns to reach the right audience?

   

When analyzing the target group, it is also worth using:

• Customer surveys and interviews,

   

• Analytical tools (e.g. Google Analytics, Meta Audience Insights),

   

• Monitoring user behavior in the store (e.g. Hotjar, Clarity),

   

• Competitor analysis – who are their customers and how do they speak to them?

   

This allows you to not only better understand who is buying , but also why they are buying and how they make decisions – and this directly translates into the effectiveness of your offer, communication and marketing activities.

Neglecting UX and store appearance

The impression an online store makes during the first few seconds of a user's visit is crucial. In e-commerce, where customers can't touch a product or speak with a salesperson face-to-face, the store's appearance and functionality become its calling card, salesperson, and advisor—all rolled into one. Unfortunately, many new online store owners treat visuals and user experience (UX) as secondary considerations. The result? Customers leave the store faster than they arrived.

How an unreadable interface and lack of responsiveness kill sales

One of the most serious UX mistakes is an overloaded or chaotic interface. Too many elements on the homepage, confusing category names, unintuitive navigation, or hidden shipping information – all of these things discourage users from further browsing.

Research shows that users need only 2-3 seconds to decide whether to stay on a site. If they don't immediately find what they're looking for, they simply close the tab and move on to a competitor.

Another critical aspect is the lack of responsiveness , meaning the store's adaptation to mobile devices. Currently, most e-commerce traffic comes from smartphones, and if a store doesn't work smoothly on a phone, it loses a significant portion of potential customers. An "add to cart" button that doesn't fit the screen, fonts that are too small, and pop-up windows that are difficult to close on mobile devices—these are details that directly contribute to cart abandonment.

Examples of good practices in store design

A good user experience and aesthetically pleasing online store don't mean flashy graphics. In e-commerce, less is more – it's crucial that customers can easily find products, understand the offer, and complete their purchase seamlessly .

Here are some rules for effective UX and store design:

• Clear navigation: categories clearly described, understandable to the customer (e.g. "Women's Clothing > Dresses" instead of "New Arrivals > Styles 3.0").

   

• Visible path to purchase: shopping cart and "buy now" button always easily accessible and highlighted.

   

• Minimalism in the visual layer: lots of white space, subdued colors, limited number of banners.

   

• Professional product photos: high-quality photographs with the possibility of enlargement and multiple shots.

   

• Clear CTA (Call to Action) messages: buttons with a specific request, e.g. "Order with free delivery", instead of the general "Click here".

   

• Loading speed optimization: even the best design won't help if the page takes 5 seconds to load.

   

It's also worth conducting A/B tests to see which versions of a page or elements (e.g., buttons, headers) yield better sales results. This allows your store to become increasingly more aligned with real-world user behavior.

Insufficient mobile optimization

In today's e-commerce, mobile devices are no longer a byproduct—they're the primary channel through which users browse and make purchases. Yet, many new store owners still treat mobile as secondary to the desktop version. This is a serious mistake that results in customer loss, low conversions, and poor advertising campaign results.

Why is mobile-first already the standard?

The statistics are clear: in many industries, over 60-70% of online store traffic comes from mobile devices. Customers browse offers on their way to work, on the couch, during breaks – the smartphone is now the primary shopping tool. Furthermore, Google algorithms favor mobile-optimized websites , both in organic SEO and in paid search results.

If your store is slow, awkward to use, or difficult to navigate on a phone, users will likely simply abandon it. Worse still, they may never return. In a mobile world, there are no second chances for a good first impression.

Key elements of mobile UX

Mobile optimization isn't just about "small screen fit." It's a comprehensive approach to store design with the mobile user in mind—their behaviors, constraints, and expectations. Here are the key elements to consider:

1. Charging speed

Page load times should be as short as possible—ideally under 2 seconds. The longer a user waits, the greater the risk of abandoning the site. Large images, unnecessary scripts, and suboptimal hosting are the most common causes of slow websites.

2. Friendly navigation

Menus should be simple, expandable, and easily visible. Avoid too many levels of categories, and place the most important options (e.g., search, shopping cart, login) at the top of the screen.

3. Large, easy-to-click elements

Buttons and links must be large enough to be comfortably clicked with a finger. This also applies to checkboxes, drop-down lists, and icons in purchase forms.

4. Purchasing forms simplified to a minimum

The fewer fields you have to fill out, the better. Eliminate mandatory registrations before purchasing, simplify your data to the essentials, and enable easy mobile payments, such as BLIK, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

5. Visibility of key information

Information about price, availability, shipping costs, and delivery times should be immediately available—ideally without the need to scroll. This is crucial for making a purchasing decision.

6. Testing on different devices

Don't rely solely on simulating the mobile version in a desktop browser. Test how your store performs on real phones—different brands and resolutions. This will help you see the problems users encounter in real life.

Weak or no SEO strategy

One of the key sources of traffic for an online store should be organic search engine traffic. Yet, many e-commerce owners neglect this area, focusing solely on paid advertising or social media activities. SEO is often treated as optional or too complex to understand. The result? The store's website doesn't appear in search results, and potential customers are directed to competitors.

What are the consequences of lack of visibility on Google?

For most internet users, Google is the first step in their product search. If your store isn't visible on the first page of search results, your chances of attracting customers significantly decrease. A lack of an SEO strategy means not only reduced revenue but also reliance on paid traffic sources, which are expensive and unsustainable.

Consequences of poor search engine visibility:

• Low organic traffic (i.e. free),

   

• High costs of paid campaigns (no alternative),

   

• Difficulties in building brand and trust,

   

• Fewer returning users.

   

It's worth remembering that SEO in e-commerce is a long-term strategy that pays off over time. Regular work on store optimization can lead to a stable and free source of customers that no paid advertising campaign can provide.

Basics of e-commerce positioning

SEO for an online store is slightly different from SEO for a blog or company website. It focuses primarily on the product page, category structure, and user purchasing intent. Here are some key elements that should be included in an online store's SEO strategy:

1. Keywords with purchasing intent

It's not enough to use general phrases like "shoes" or "furniture." You need to focus on phrases that clearly indicate purchase intent, such as "women's Nike running shoes" or "black gaming desk with drawers." It's worth using tools like Ubersuggest, Senuto, Google Keyword Planner, or AnswerThePublic.

2. Unique product and category descriptions

Copying manufacturer descriptions is a common mistake. Google rewards unique content—not only on product pages but also in category descriptions. It's important to ensure the text is helpful to the customer, contains key phrases, and truly supports the purchasing decision.

3. Technical optimization of the store

Your store should have friendly URLs, properly configured title tags (

4. Internal linking

A well-designed internal linking structure helps both users and Google crawlers. Link to related products, showcase bestsellers, and create logical navigation paths, such as from categories to products, from blog to product page, and so on.

5. Content marketing as SEO support

An online store blog is not only a source of advice but also an SEO tool. With guide articles ("How to choose a mattress for your bed?", "5 ways to set up a home office"), you can attract traffic from long-tail keywords, build authority, and direct users to your offerings.

6. Mobile version and Core Web Vitals

Google also evaluates a website's quality based on user experience. If a store performs poorly on mobile devices or loads too slowly, this can impact its ranking in the results. Therefore, technical SEO should also include Core Web Vitals analysis and mobile optimization.

Lack of trust and social proof

In the world of online shopping, trust is one of the most important factors influencing purchasing decisions. Customers can't touch a product, speak with a salesperson, or see a store in person. Therefore, they must rely on what they see on the website and what others say. Despite this, many e-commerce owners overlook or marginalize the importance of social proof —elements that confirm a store's credibility and the quality of its offerings.

Opinions, reviews, certificates – how to build credibility?

One of the strongest sales arguments is customer reviews . Their absence on a store's website or under specific products creates uncertainty – "if no one has bought it yet, maybe something's wrong?" Even a few simple but authentic reviews can significantly increase conversion rates.

The most effective ways to build trust are:

1. Customer reviews (with date and photo)

Authentic user reviews, ideally including name, purchase date, and even a product photo, act as social proof and provide customers with a sense of security. It's worth using external review systems (e.g., TrustMate, Opineo, Google Reviews), which increase the credibility of ratings.

2. Product Reviews with Questions and Answers

The "ask a question about a product" feature helps resolve doubts and build relationships. Customers see that the store is responsive, proactive, and provides excellent customer service.

3. Certificates of trust and quality marks

Certifications like "Trusted Shops," "Reliable Company," and SSL (secure payment) markings reinforce the belief that purchases are safe. It's also worth displaying company information, registration details, and phone number—it's a simple way to increase transparency.

4. Social media as a source of trust

An active Instagram or Facebook profile, order fulfillment reports, customer feedback, and photos of products in real life—all of this works to the store's advantage. Customers feel that "something is happening" and that others are actually buying and being satisfied.

5. Information about the store and the team

The "About Us" section shouldn't be a formal, generator-generated text. It's a space to showcase the real people behind the brand, its history, mission, and values. Authenticity and brand personality are increasingly important factors in attracting customers.

Examples of elements that increase conversion

To strengthen trust and influence purchasing decisions, it's worth including specific elements in your store that combine informational and emotional elements. Here are a few examples:

• Number of product units sold (e.g. "218 people have already bought this product"),

   

• "Someone just bought..." notification bar (real-time social proof),

   

• Ranking of the best-rated products in the category,

   

• Trusted reviews from external sites (with the source logo visible),

   

• Case studies or photos from clients (e.g. customers show the product in use),

   

• Guarantees and return conditions clearly described and visible on the product card.

   

All these elements should be embedded in a well-designed interface so that they are not intrusive, but visible and understandable.

Ineffective pricing policy and lack of USP

One of the most common mistakes made by novice online store owners is assuming that the lowest price equals the highest sales . While this approach may work in the short term, in the long term it leads to profitability issues, a lack of customer loyalty, and a price war in which only the largest players win. At the same time, many stores lack a clearly defined USP (Unique Selling Proposition), a unique value proposition that differentiates their offering from the competition. Without it, it's difficult to convince customers why they should choose your store.

Why isn't "lowest price" everything?

At first glance, the price-competition strategy seems logical – since customers are looking for savings, the store offering the lowest price should attract the most orders. However, this approach has several serious drawbacks:

• Margin is falling, which, given the small scale of sales, prevents investments in development, marketing or customer service.

   

• The susceptibility to seasonal price fluctuations increases and competitive actions that may lower prices even further at any time.

   

• There is a lack of customer loyaltywho will look for a lower price elsewhere if they have no reason to return to your store.

   

• Price is no longer an argument, when the product appears in large marketplaces (e.g. Allegro, Amazon), where the scale effect works.

   

Instead of competing on price, it is better to build value – that is, show the customer that the price is adequate to the quality, service, available options and additional benefits.

How to stand out from the competition?

This is where the key concept of USP – Unique Selling Proposition . It's not a marketing slogan, but a specific answer to the question: "Why should a customer buy from me?" Without a USP, a store becomes just another anonymous supplier of goods – and that doesn't build trust or encourage purchases.

What are some examples of an effective USP?

• Faster delivery than the competition, e.g. shipping within 24 hours, even on weekends.

   

• Author's selection of products or specializing in a niche (e.g. only zero waste products, only local producers).

   

• Unique quality of customer service, e.g. the possibility of easy contact via chat, hotline or even video consulting.

   

• Extended warranties and returns policywhich reduce the risk for the client.

   

• Additional benefits when purchasing, e.g. samples, freebies, gift wrapping, product personalization.

   

It is important that the USP is specific, visible and credible – and not generic slogans such as "the best quality", "we are here for you" or "many years of experience".

How to communicate USP and product value?

It's not enough to have a USP – you also need to effectively communicate it in your online store and across all customer touchpoints. The main places where it should appear are:

• Home page – as the main password/claim, visible immediately after entering.

   

• Product cards – in the form of benefits next to the price or the “add to cart” button.

   

• Landing pages and advertising campaigns – as a distinguishing feature that immediately attracts attention.

   

• “About Us” page – extending the USP with the brand’s mission, values ​​and history.

Neglecting marketing and remarketing

Having a great product and a well-designed store isn't enough if no one knows about it. In e-commerce, marketing is the driving force behind sales , and a lack of well-thought-out promotional activities means a store remains invisible. Unfortunately, many beginner e-commerce owners either don't conduct any marketing activities at all or operate haphazardly and without a strategy. Remarketing , or re-engaging with users who have already visited the store but haven't completed a purchase, is equally often ignored. This is a serious mistake that results in wasted potential and advertising budget.

What not to do in advertising and social media

Many e-commerce owners start their marketing efforts with sponsored Facebook posts or Google Ads campaigns without any prior planning. The result? No conversions, wasted budget, and the belief that "advertising isn't working." The truth is, ineffective marketing is most often the result of flaws in the strategy , not the tools themselves.

Common errors include:

• Lack of communication coherence – each channel speaks a different language, with no established brand narrative.

   

• Imprecise ad targeting – campaigns directed “to everyone” instead of to a specific target group.

   

• No A/B testing – store owners rarely test different creatives, headlines, CTAs or audiences, which means they don’t learn from the data.

   

• Giving up on activities too quickly – ads disabled after 2 days if there are no immediate sales, without analysis and optimization.

   

A common problem on social media is the lack of consistency and valuable content. Stores often post random promotional graphics or "buy now" posts that fail to engage the community and build relationships with their audience.

How to build a sales funnel from scratch

Instead of conducting marketing activities intuitively, it's worth thinking of them as a sales funnel —a structured process that guides a customer from their first contact with a brand to purchase (and then to repeat purchase). Such a funnel typically consists of three main stages:

1. Awareness (TOFU – top of the funnel)

This is the stage where the customer is just getting to know the brand. The goal is to engage and attract attention . Examples include:

• reach campaigns (Facebook Ads, Google Display),

   

• valuable content (e.g. guides, blog, video),

   

• SEO – articles answering customer questions.

   

2. Interest and Consideration (MOFU – middle of the funnel)

At this stage, the user compares offers and considers a purchase . The key factors here are:

• specific product ads (Google Shopping, dynamic remarketing),

   

• reviews, opinions, case studies,

   

• subscription to a newsletter with discounts or bonuses,

   

• well-constructed landing pages.

   

3. Decision and purchase (BOFU – bottom of the funnel)

This is the moment when a customer is close to making a purchasing decision. Here are some factors that come into play:

• time-limited promotions,

   

• free delivery or freebies,

   

• abandoned cart emails,

   

• direct remarketing to people who have been to the product page.

   

Building a funnel doesn't require large budgets – the key is to organize your activities, adapt your messages to the purchasing stage, and measure the results.

Remarketing – the cheapest way to win back a customer

Remarketing is one of the most effective, yet most neglected, tools in e-commerce. It allows you to reconnect with people who have already visited your store but haven't made a purchase—users who are familiar with the brand, have seen the product, and are potentially interested.

Forms of remarketing worth implementing:

• Dynamic remarketing in Google Ads and Meta Ads – shows exactly the products that the user viewed.

   

• Email remarketing – e.g. messages reminding about an abandoned shopping cart or a discount on a viewed product.

   

• Retargeting campaigns time-based – e.g. ads to people who visited the store in the last 7 days.

   

Remarketing works because the cost of reaching such a user is lower and the chance of conversion is higher than with a new recipient. Not remarketing wastes potential that has already been developed.

Logistics and customer service problems

Logistics and customer service are the pillars on which trust in an online store rests. Even the most well-designed store and effective marketing campaign will fail to deliver long-term success if customers don't receive their order on time, aren't informed about the status of their shipment, or feel ignored after making a purchase. Unfortunately, many aspiring e-commerce owners underestimate the importance of back-end operations , treating them as a technical detail rather than a crucial element of the customer experience.

How do delays and lack of communication affect sales?

In e-commerce, response time and transparency are as important as price and product quality. Customers expect not only fast delivery but also information at every stage of the order process . When a store fails to communicate with a customer or ignores their questions, trust plummets – regardless of whether the delay is caused by their fault or not.

Common mistakes that negatively impact customer experience:

• No automatic order status notifications – the customer does not know whether the parcel has been packed, sent or is stuck in the system.

   

• Long response times to email inquiries – customers left without a response for 24-48 hours often abandon their purchase or leave negative reviews.

   

• Unclear information about delivery times and costs – the lack of this data or hiding it only in the shopping cart raises suspicion and reduces conversion.

   

• Low elasticity – no possibility to change the order, unavailability of the hotline, limited forms of contact.

   

These seemingly minor shortcomings can lead to high cart abandonment rates, poor reviews, and a lack of customer return. And in e-commerce, customer loyalty is a valuable asset.

Automation and best practices in e-commerce support

Fortunately, many logistical and customer service challenges can be solved with simple automation and procedures . Even a small team (or sometimes a one-person operation) can offer a high standard of service—provided the processes are well-thought-out.

1. Email and SMS notification system

Every step of the order process should be automatically communicated to the customer—from purchase confirmation to the tracking number. This minimizes the number of queries and increases the customer's sense of control.

2. External logistics integrations

Tools like BaseLinker, Furgonetka, InPost, Sendit, and integrations with couriers and parcel lockers allow you to automate the processes of packing, sending, and tracking parcels. This makes shipping faster and less error-prone.

3. Simple and clear returns system

A pre-defined, transparent returns policy, described in the "Returns and Complaints" tab, increases trust. It's worth offering the ability to generate a returns label and a simple online form.

4. Multi-channel customer service

Not every customer wants to email. It's worth offering contact via various channels: a website form, live chat, phone, Messenger, or WhatsApp. The faster a customer receives assistance, the greater the chance they'll complete their purchase.

5. FAQ and knowledge base

A well-designed FAQ section reduces the number of customer service inquiries and saves time. It also demonstrates the store's transparency and professionalism.

6. Monitoring service quality indicators

It is worth regularly monitoring indicators such as average response time, number of cart abandonments, return rates, and NPS (Net Promoter Score) to continuously improve the quality of customer experience.

Lack of analytics and testing

Beginning online store owners often rely on gut feeling, intuition, or "I think so." This is one of the biggest mistakes that prevents them from growing, scaling, and understanding why something works—or doesn't . E-commerce is a data-driven environment—numbers, user behavior, traffic sources, and conversion rates. Ignoring analytics and lacking testing means business decisions are made blindly—and that comes at a cost.

How to make decisions without data?

Store owners often invest time and money in marketing activities, store changes, campaigns, and new features without verifying whether they have a real impact on results . Examples:

• Introduction of a new banner on the home page, without comparing CTR before and after the change.

   

• Launching a Google Ads campaign without checking which phrases generate sales.

   

• Adding chat, but not monitoring whether it affects conversion rate.

   

As a result, it's difficult to tell what's working and what's not , and the store isn't developing in a conscious and controlled manner. Worse still, the owner may be investing their budget where there's no return.

Tools for tracking user behavior and optimizing conversions

Making informed decisions requires basic analytics , even in free tools. You don't need to be an expert to understand key data and make improvements based on it.

1. Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

This is an essential tool for monitoring traffic, traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion paths. It allows you to understand:

• where do customers come from,

   

• which websites they browse most often,

   

• where they fall out in the purchasing process.

   

2. Google Search Console

It allows you to monitor how your store is visible in the Google search engine – what phrases it displays for, what clicks it generates and what indexing errors occur.

3. Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Smartlook

These qualitative analysis tools show user session recordings, click maps (heat maps), scroll maps, and user lingering areas. This makes it easy to identify bottlenecks in navigation and forms.

4. A/B tests (e.g. Google Optimize, VWO, Optimizely)

They allow you to compare different versions of a page or element (e.g., two headlines, two button colors, two product images) to see which version converts better. This is the surest way to make decisions based on facts, not gut feelings .

5. E-commerce analytics

In GA4 or other tools, it is worth activating features typical for e-commerce, such as:

• transaction tracking,

   

• conversion rate,

   

• average basket value,

   

• cart abandonment and their causes.

   

What is worth testing in the store?

Below are examples of elements that can (and should) be tested or analyzed periodically:

• Product pages – photos, descriptions, order of information.

   

• CTA (Call to Action) – their content, color, location.

   

• Shopping path – number of steps, forms, payment methods.

   

• Promotions and Headlines – different slogans on the home page or in the newsletter.

   

• Traffic sources – which channels generate the highest return on investment (ROAS).

Summary

Starting an e-commerce business is an exciting yet challenging process. The ten mistakes described above don't exhaust all the possible challenges, but they do highlight the most common causes of difficult online sales beginnings. The good news? Most of these mistakes can be avoided if you act consciously and treat e-commerce as a strategic process , not a one-time project.

Key takeaways

1. Planning matters – without a strategy it is difficult to make good decisions and develop stably.

    

2. Understanding the customer is the foundation – persona, needs, purchase path – this is not theory, these are practical tools.

    

3. The store is not just about appearance, but also about experience – UX, mobile and speed of operation directly influence conversion.

    

4. Marketing and SEO are not add-ons, but sales channels – you have to invest in them from the beginning.

    

5. Trust and service are competitive advantages – the customer will return to where he feels well served.

    

6. Decisions must be based on data, not hunches – analytics and testing are your eyes and ears in e-commerce.

    

Checklist for a Start-Up Store Owner

If you're just starting out or planning to start, the following checklist will help you organize your activities and avoid key mistakes:

✅ I have a developed strategy (target audience, marketing channels, sales goals)
✅ I know my customers and have created at least one buyer persona
✅ My store is optimized for UX and mobile devices
✅ I have implemented basic SEO activities (descriptions, keywords, meta tags)
✅ I collect and display customer reviews on the website
✅ I have a clearly defined value proposition (USP) and communicate it
✅ I conduct marketing activities tailored to the purchase stage (sales funnel)
✅ I use remarketing tools (Google Ads, Meta Ads, email)
✅ The purchasing process, shipping, and returns are well-defined and work efficiently
✅ I track basic analytics and test changes (e.g., CTAs, layout, prices)

How to learn and develop an e-commerce business step by step?

E-commerce is a dynamic industry, with evolving technologies, trends, and consumer behavior. Therefore, the key to success isn't just a "good start," but continuous improvement . Here are some proven ways to systematically develop your store:

• Analyze data regularly and draw conclusions – do not act on intuition.

   

• Listen to your customers – ask for opinions, observe behavior, respond to needs.

   

• Test changes – layout, prices, descriptions, photos – even a small change can improve conversion.

   

• Develop your knowledge – follow industry blogs, podcasts, webinars, courses (e.g. from Google, Meta, Allegro).

   

• Scale your activities gradually – first refine the basics, only then invest larger budgets in advertising or expansion.

   

• Take care of your team and partners – regardless of whether you work with an agency, supplier or customer service – the quality of cooperation translates into the quality of the customer experience.

   

In conclusion

E-commerce isn't about doing everything perfectly right away. It's about learning, testing, and systematically eliminating mistakes . Each of the problems mentioned in this article isn't a death sentence—it's an opportunity to improve your store, increase sales, and build a solid, competitive brand. Remember: the largest stores also started from scratch once—what distinguishes them is that they knew how to draw conclusions and act consistently .