The 10 Biggest Problems in Ecommerce and Why Brands Can’t Solve Them

Choose a focused 3‑problem target and implement a 90‑day plan with two‑week sprints to drive measurable outcomes for your business. Map friction points along the checkout funnel, seek fixes that deliver a quick win, and link each change to metrics like conversion rate, average order value, and repeat purchases.

Cart abandonment sits around 60–70% in ecommerce; even small changes lift revenue. Focus on guest checkout, saved payments, and streamlined forms to uplift most segments. If you can move enough shoppers to complete orders, you’ll see resulting improvements in margins and loyalty.

Use live dashboards and sharing of findings across teams. Present forecasts for the next sprint and turning insights into actions that drive improved outcomes. Encourage cross‑functional involvement to keep changes broadly applicable and to build loyal customers.

Invest in lightweight apps that integrate with your platform, focusing on speed, reliability, and frictionless checkout. Keep teams involved, test changes quickly and effectively, and collect enough data to justify wider rollouts.

Finally, frame outcomes around loyalty and efficiency: those fixes should be presented with clear numbers, including forecasts and real‑world results. Use broad sharing of learnings to encourage adoption beyond a single channel and keep the business moving forward.

Outline

Start with a policy audit that allows faster handling of returned items and aligns expectations across teams to prevent missed revenue.

Problem 1: Returned items drive cost and inflate weight on inbound stock. Action: dedicate a returns unit, tag why items are returned, implement a 48-hour disposition window, and adjust policies to allow restocking credits or resale where feasible, while recording size and weight at intake to improve forecasting.

Problem 2: Easy checkout friction hurts acquisition. Action: enable guest checkout, reduce form fields to essential data, store preferences securely, and offer saved carts; aim to cut cart abandonment by 20–30% within six weeks.

Problem 3: Missed expectations around delivery windows and service levels. Action: publish clear delivery estimates on product pages and order confirmations, set a target on-time rate (for example 95%), and trigger proactive alerts if delays exceed the threshold.

Problem 4: Attacks on accounts and payments threaten trust. Action: deploy 2FA, device fingerprinting, risk scoring, and tokenized payments; establish low-friction checks for trusted users and tighten controls for high-risk sessions to reduce fraud losses by a measurable margin.

Problem 5: Size of catalog creates noise and slows relevance. Action: assign dedicated category leads, prune underperformers quarterly, and implement fast, size-based filtering plus leanRecommendations to surface relevant items quickly.

Problem 6: Streamlining fulfillment across warehouses and carriers. Action: automate routing within 15 minutes of order placement, standardize carrier SLAs, and cut average processing time from intake to ship by 30–40%.

Problem 7: Acquisition efficiency varies by channel. Action: track CAC by channel, reallocate budget to the top 2–3 drivers, run 12-week tests to validate changes, and shift spend toward channels with clear, sustainable gains in new customers.

Problem 8: Missed cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. Action: trigger bundles and personalized prompts at key moments, test at least three variants per stage, and target a 10–25% uplift in revenue per order while expanding gain from every customer.

Problem 9: Policies that deter returns or create friction. Action: consolidate returns, refunds, and shipping terms into a single, accessible hub; publish clearly across touchpoints and monitor policy adherence to reduce confusion-driven refunds.

Problem 10: Understanding data gaps that slow action. Action: build a dedicated analytics stack focused on understanding shopper behavior, track 12 core metrics (including returned rate, weight, size, acquisition, and customers who convert), and give cross‑team access to insights for rapid decisions.

Data quality and catalog governance across multiple channels

Centralize product data in a single source of truth and enforce cross-channel governance to ensure consistent, high-quality information across online and offline touchpoints.

At the forefront of this effort, deploy a unified product information management (PIM) that maps every attribute to channel requirements and keeps data organized from day one of the catalog lifecycle.

Think of data issues as Moriarty at play in your catalog; outsmart him with lineage, clear ownership, and robust validation checks.

Digitalization of catalog operations accelerates approvals, reduces manual errors, and supports forecasting and reporting with real-time accuracy.

This matters for a small company aiming to meet a growing audience and maintain pricing integrity across channels, from marketplaces to offline materials.

• Define a robust data model with fixed taxonomy, mandatory attributes, and channel-specific mappings; assign data stewards to meet policies and drive organized catalog content.
• Implement data quality checks with clear targets: attribute completeness 95–98%, price parity across channels within 1.5%, and critical field updates within 10–15 minutes, non-critical within 24 hours.
• Automate enrichment and validation for imagery, specifications, variants, and pricing; integrate PIM with ERP, CMS, and marketplaces to prevent drift across channels and improve reporting accuracy.
• Establish governance roles, workflows, and a cross-functional team across marketing, merchandising, and IT; publish a rolling policy roster and maintain revision history to meet compliance and transparency needs.
• Align data across channels–storefronts, marketplaces, influencer campaigns, and offline collateral–so pricing, specs, and assets reflect the same truth, reducing customer friction and traffic loss.
• Incorporate forecasting into data quality management: track data gaps, project future needs, and run daily dashboards to catch issues before they impact conversions or revenue.

The roadmap includes a 90-day push to cut data errors by a measurable margin, halve time-to-publish for new SKUs, and sustain an overall data quality index above a practical threshold, ensuring the company meets growth targets and maintains trust across the customer journey.

Search optimization and discovery friction hurting conversions

Start with a fast, relevant on-site search. Enable auto-complete, typo tolerance, and synonyms to capture common spellings and product names. Map queries to product pages and surface top results quickly. Track query-click paths and adjust ranking within 48 hours based on data.

Improve discovery by adding broad filters and clear result signals. Show price, rating, stock status, and shipping estimate in each card. Make mobile results readable within one second and ensure images load quickly. This reduces friction and speeds the path to a purchase.

Technical steps include indexing the catalog with a responsive search engine, enabling incremental updates, and leveraging in-memory caches. Pre-render the most frequent results for the top queries, and use structured data so results render with rich snippets in search pages. Run 2–3 A/B tests per week on result ordering to find a better balance between relevance and discoverability. Measure CTR, time-to-purchase, and purchase rate per query to gauge impact.

These moves reduce funnel drop at discovery and align search with shopper intent, protecting revenue and improving overall experience. Align metrics with business goals, review results weekly, and scale the changes that lift engagement and purchase rate.

Checkout friction: reducing form fields and streamlining payments

Consolidate the checkout to five or fewer fields and enable a trusted one-tap payment option. Auto-fill contact and shipping data, and provide address lookup to reduce manual entry. Offer guest checkout for new buyers to remove entry barriers immediately.

Keep only essential data visible at first, and reveal optional fields only when the user explicitly asks for them. Present clear labels, real-time validation, and concise error messages to minimize pauses. A streamlined flow keeps the shopper oriented toward completing the purchase without unnecessary detours.

Support multiple payment methods, including cards, wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and BNPL options. Tokenize payment data and reuse saved tokens to accelerate processing. This approach demonstrated faster checkouts and higher completion rates while maintaining security and trust.

Detailed testing plan: run A/B tests on field counts, track conversions, measure time to complete, and monitor drop-off by step. Gather analytics and customer feedback to distinguish between friction sources and genuine causes of abandonment. Use these insights to refine the form and the payment options, then compare results against a stable baseline.

Implementation path: build a phased rollout starting with a core product group, then extend to other categories. Map data flows, adjust validation rules, and create reliable fallbacks if a payment attempt fails. Expect lower support costs and faster cycle times as the checkout becomes more resilient across devices.

Accessibility and experience: ensure inputs are easy to select on mobile, provide keyboard-friendly navigation, and keep error states visible until resolved. These adjustments accommodate a broad range of devices and shoppers, helping shop teams respond to consumer demands while preserving the momentum of the purchase journey.

Pricing strategy, promos, and inventory visibility gaps

Set a proactive pricing baseline linked to current stock and demand signals. Implement a 3-tier ladder: base price, time-limited promos, and a clearance lane that activates when inventory exceeds a threshold. Tie base adjustments to purchasing costs and supplier lead times, so prices reflect real cost changes instead of reflex markdowns. Instead of blanket discounts, tailor promos by category, channel, and shopper segment to protect margins. Maintain clear communication with your team and merchant partners; alignment speeds decisions and reduces confusion. Market signals from drapers and other industry briefs help you set actionable bounds for forecasts. For each SKU, create a merchant map that shows stock location, current demand, and what comes next in promos, so you can plan from making to selling in the shop and beyond.

Inventory visibility gaps across shop, marketplace, and warehouse create pricing distortions and spillovers. To fix, unify stock data with a single SKU map that flags gaps by channel and location. When stock is tight, adjust promos selectively to protect margins; when stock is abundant, accelerate to prevent obsolescence. If you cannot see stock in real time, youll over-discount or miss opportunities; getting real-time feeds lets you respond quickly to unexpected shifts. Align with purchasing and merchandising to ensure replenishment signals drive price updates, not vice versa. govindaluri notes cross functional visibility as a key driver of margin stability; use those insights to train your teams and calibrate thresholds.

Calibrate promos with precise ROI targets and limited time windows to reduce risk. Create promo templates that specify discount depth, duration, eligible SKUs, and stacking rules, then automatically apply them when stock and demand align. Track the incremental impact on traffic and average order value; if a promo fails to convert above a threshold, pause it and reallocate budget to higher-potential items. Use pacing rules to avoid cannibalization across shop and marketplace channels; you want promos that spark buying rather than erode value. youll monitor performance daily and adjust in minutes when data shows unexpected declines in conversion or rising fulfillment delays.

Hold weekly reviews with the merchant team to translate insights into action. Use a simple dashboard that shows stock velocity, promo uplift, and margin impact by category; pair it with a purchasing forecast to anticipate demand. What matters most is not one promotion but the pattern: successful promos come from aligning pricing, inventory, and communication across channels. Keep a log of surprises, such as sudden supplier delays or unexpected demand spikes, and map a response plan for each scenario.

Action steps you can implement this quarter: map each SKU to stock location and forecast horizon; publish a promo calendar with guardrails; set automated price updates tied to stock thresholds; run a weekly cross-functional sync involving purchasing, merchandising, and shop ops. This minimizes risks and makes promotions more predictable. youll see faster recoveries from stockouts and fewer markdowns, with clearer signals for suppliers and partners like drapers and other merchants. Each decision should accommodate constraints such as lead times and batch sizes, and you should report clear results above expectations for leadership.

Close the loop between pricing, promos, and inventory visibility to keep margins and customer relevance aligned. Maintain proactive communication across teams, reducing risk of misalignment and unexpected stockouts. Use the insights gained to refine the purchasing strategy and stay responsive to changes in supplier terms and shopper behavior.

Voice search readiness: optimizing spoken queries, intents, and apps

Audit product pages for voice-ready data and implement structured data today to capture voice-driven conversions. Ensure titles, descriptions, and FAQs reflect natural speech so spoken queries return precise, actionable results.

Adopt a hybrid approach that blends on-site search with voice assistant prompts, covering several devices and hours of engagement. Align product copy with common questions, such as availability, alternatives, and return policies, to support smooth interactions across touchpoints.

Map intents and phrases to shopper goals, then translate them into concrete actions within your marketplace and app ecosystem. Build a discussion around preferred phrasing, health signals within reviews, and the moments that drive live shopping experiences, while keeping the customer in the driver’s seat.

Implement robust schema (Product, Offer, FAQ) in JSON-LD and ensure consistent on-page data across product pages, category pages, and the marketplace feed. This enables legitimate voice results and reduces the probability of inaccurate responses during transactions.

Data drives decisions. Todays voice-query volume continues to rise, with a meaningful share of shopping queries occurring hands-free. Structure your data to support both quick answers and deeper exploration, then review performance weekly to adjust prompts and content accordingly.

To improve engagement, design concise voice prompts and micro‑interactions that guide users from discovery to checkout. Create live, interactive prompts for critical moments in the funnel, such as stock updates, price checks, and order confirmations, so customers feel confident proceeding with a purchase.

• Focus on user preferences: tailor prompts to preferred brands, sizes, colors, and delivery options to boost satisfaction across voice channels.
• Build a clear intent-to-action path: from a spoken query to product page, add-to-cart, and checkout with one or two natural prompts.
• Support multiple languages and dialects in the apps you offer, reducing friction for international customers and increasing marketplace reach.
• Enable offline and online continuity: allow users to start a shopping session via voice, then continue in live chat or the app without losing context.

In terms of governance, establish a review cadence to assess challenges and adjust prompts. Track metrics such as engagement, conversion rate, average order value, and back-end accuracy of voice results to confirm that the chain of interactions remains legitimate and efficient.

1. Identify top cases where voice reliably converts: address questions about price, stock, delivery windows, and return policies to boost confidence and reduce abandonment.
2. Test a hybrid prompts framework across live events and in-marketplace shopping sessions to understand where voice adds the most value.
3. Set clear goals for voice-enabled engagement: improve completion rates of voice-driven transactions while preserving customer health and satisfaction.
4. Measure the impact on funnel volume and optimize prompts to convert contemplative queries into transactions with minimal friction.

Common challenges include ambiguous intents, noisy environments, and differences across devices. Address these by validating prompts with real users, maintaining a legitimate, privacy-conscious data collection approach, and iterating quickly based on feedback.

Case studies show that brands integrating voice-ready content with app-level prompts achieve higher engagement and faster conversions in live shopping scenarios, even when users switch devices. Translate those lessons into your own playbook and share learnings in a short discussion with product, marketing, and customer-support teams to align goals and responsibilities.

Start now, monitor progress in weekly reviews, and scale successful prompts across the customer journey. This disciplined approach will help you maintain momentum, satisfy todays shoppers, and grow voice-driven revenue without compromising user trust.