{"id":5454,"date":"2020-10-27T21:52:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T20:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fact-finder.com\/blog\/?p=5454"},"modified":"2025-05-21T17:48:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T15:48:39","slug":"ecommerce-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/ecommerce-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"10 common eCommerce mistakes that could be costing you millions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not getting the sales you hoped for? Chances are you’re making some small but avoidable eCommerce mistakes. Even tiny oversights can snowball into a poor online shopping experience and serious lost revenue. Time to fix them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

With eCommerce competition at an all-time high and consumers’ expectations growing by the day, a “good enough” online shopping experience isn’t good enough. Even the smallest pitfalls can lead to missed opportunities, lower conversion rates and lost customers. The good news? They’re easy to fix. Read on to learn how to turn typical errors into high-value sales and long-term customer loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

eCommerce mistake #1: overlooking spelling mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Too many online shops lose sales by not optimizing for typos and spelling mistakes<\/a>. This store, for example, offers several kettlebells. But when a shopper searches with the phonetic spelling “cettelbell,” they’re shown gilets. Patient customers might try again. More often, though, they’ll give up when they don’t get the right results straight away, or simply assume the store doesn’t offer kettlebells, and head to a competitor. Don’t let typos stop a sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solution: error-tolerant site search<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn clumsy typers into paying customers by ensuring your search can handle typos<\/a>, spelling errors, synonyms and multiple languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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K\u00fcbler Sport’s error-tolerant site search makes shopping feel effortless. When a customer types in “cettelbell,” the search returns relevant results, helping them find the right products faster. This lowers bounce rates, speeds up the path to purchase and creates an online shopping experience that keeps people coming back. Discover how K\u00fcbler Sport boosted conversions by 35%<\/a> with advanced product discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Customer frustration has significantly decreased and we continue to receive positive feedback both externally and internally.”<\/em> \u2014 Marvin Wagner, Online Marketing & eCommerce Manager, K\u00fcbler Sport<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

eCommerce mistake #2: cluttering results with irrelevant and unavailable items<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cluttering search results with unavailable and irrelevant products just creates barriers between shoppers and the items that are in stock. Why show visitors items they can’t actually buy or that vary wildly from their query? It just means they have to scroll to find the right products \u2014 and even further if they’re using a mobile. Most visitors will bounce before they see the relevant products you offer. Say goodbye to another potential customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is exactly the problem Germany’s leading rapid food delivery service, Flaschenpost, struggled with before switching from open source to FactFinder<\/a>. With thousands of SKUs in their database and manual ranking rules, their search often prioritized irrelevant products, resulting in frustrated customers and lost sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen I as a customer enter \u2018vegan mayo,\u2019 I don\u2019t want to see 48 different mayonnaises, of which the right product might show up in position 24. Rather, I want to see in the search results exactly the two vegan mayonnaises that are in the range<\/em>.” \u2014 Aron Spohr, CTO, Flaschenpost<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Solution: AI ranking rules<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting the right products in front of your customers is crucial. AI ranking rules<\/a> makes this easy, automatically displaying the most relevant items for every search. Since switching to a product discovery solution with a sophisticated ranking system, Flaschenpost can now help customers quickly find the right products from their extensive catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a noticeable difference. You find the products you need at the top of the results.”<\/em> \u2014 Aron Spohr, CTO, Flaschenpost<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By sorting products based on relevance, popularity and availability, Flaschenpost delivers an enjoyable online shopping experience that drives conversions and customer loyalty. Find out how Flaschenpost transformed its UX.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For businesses that want more control, FactFinder offers the perfect balance of AI automation and manual rule-setting. The intuitive interface makes it easy to tweak ranking rules. You can highlight featured brands, set up campaigns and hide irrelevant results, optimizing the customer experience while meeting your marketing goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want a more visual explanation?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Hit play on this dynamic demo experience<\/a> to see how FactFinder works, from the transparent backend interface to the smooth online shopping experience.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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eCommerce mistake #3: uninspiring search suggestions<\/h2>\n\n\n
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This online store ticks the box of suggesting relevant products before customers finish typing their search query. But the plain presentation hinders the experience. Visitors have to scroll to see the featured categories, brands, ideas and advice. While they’re not making a mistake, this retailer is overlooking key chances to instill excitement and inspire sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solution: smart suggestions that sell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring the excitement back to online shopping by showing relevant product suggestions<\/a> from just two typed letters. Boost their impact with images, ratings, pricing and links to matching categories.<\/p>\n\n\n

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At OBI<\/a>, searching for “pool” also brings up helpful content, like how-to articles and inspirational tips. This intelligent menu does more than save time. It helps shape the search and opens up new paths the customer may not have thought of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

eCommerce mistake #4: irrelevant filters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Are you losing customers by not providing enough relevant filters? Most people shop with certain preferences in mind. If they can’t easily narrow down their search, they get frustrated and leave, especially in shops with large product ranges.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This shop selling house plants only offers basic filters: color, type and price. But that ignores what customers really care about. Plant lovers also like to filter by things like size, sunlight requirements and maintenance needs. Without these options, potential customers are left scrolling and can easily become overwhelmed. Another sale lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solution: relevant filters, relevant results<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Help shoppers find the right product quickly with dynamic filters<\/a>, which self-learn with every interaction. For example, you might provide a simple check mark system that helps refine search step by step. The more filters clicked, the more criteria applied, resulting in highly-relevant items.<\/p>\n\n\n

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G\u00e4rtner P\u00f6tschke<\/a> has taken its on-site navigation to the next level with filters that adapt to each search. Irrelevant options, like lifespan or heyday, are hidden when someone looks for “plant pots.” Even the price range adjusts automatically to match the product category. This creates a smooth online shopping experience where customers find what they need in just a few clicks. They’re also likely to feel more confident in their purchase decision, leading to higher conversion rates and fewer returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5-minute checklist: Evaluate your search and discover untapped revenue potential<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Get your 5-minute checklist<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

eCommerce mistake #5: sub-standard customer support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether a customer is shopping for themself or someone else, choosing the right product can be hard. Sometimes, they need help. Here’s where most eCommerce businesses fall short. While physical retailers offer trained sales advisors ready to help people the moment they walk through the door, online shops can leave their visitors feeling lost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solution: 24\/7 life-like customer service with AI sales advisors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until recently, it was nearly impossible for online shops to provide truly helpful advice without a person at the other end. But now you can. AI Guided Selling<\/a> automatically generates interactive product advisors in seconds. Just like an expert in-store assistant, your shop can ask the right questions, tailor results to each shopper and guide them to the ideal product, all without the manual set-up work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through guided selling campaigns, the leading electronics retailer, Elkjop,<\/a> turns typically non-converting searches into sales. Its digital consultant helps shoppers make technical product decisions by asking simple questions about the type and style of product they’re looking for. Not only does this improve conversion rate and customer satisfaction, but it also minimizes returns, because customers are more involved in the product selection process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Prior to introducing guided selling, shoppers struggled to find the right products. But now, even the most clueless customers easily find their ideal device. See the before and after<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a closer look at AI Guided Selling in our quick demo video<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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