Digital business is undergoing a revolution. The world of e-commerce has changed more in recent years than in the entire decades before. Customers are more demanding, competition is fiercer, and technologies evolve almost daily. It’s no longer enough to have just a pretty website — every second of load time, every click, every word in a product description matters.

This study presents 13 key trends and challenges that influence the success of modern online stores. From outdated design and UI flaws, to mistakes in logistics, personalization, and customer support. Each point is backed by up-to-date data from 2024 and concrete recommendations you can implement immediately.

If you’re already doing business online or just planning to enter the world of digital sales, this analysis will give you a practical framework to improve your e-commerce project and increase profit.

UI: Outdated Design

Frankly, explaining to someone without experience what exactly constitutes an outdated website isn’t always easy. Yet it remains one of the main reasons visitors leave an online store within the first few seconds. A visually outdated site fails to meet current standards — old fonts (e.g. Times New Roman), stale color schemes, deprecated interface elements, or poor page structure. Though we focus on e-shops, this issue often appears on corporate sites too, especially in industrial sectors.

When a user encounters an outdated site, they subconsciously form a negative impression of its owner and business: perhaps the store is no longer operating, the company is in financial trouble, or simply doesn’t care about its image.

Don’t forget the mobile version — older e-shops often perform poorly on smartphones, which is a major drawback today.

What to do:
The simplest solution is to hire professionals to build you a new site. Even a template-based build will ensure a modern look and mobile optimization. However, I recommend a custom site tailored to your specific business needs.

UI: Insufficiently Detailed Product Page

At first glance this seems obvious, but we often see a lack of basic product information or its complete absence. Of course, the depth of data depends on the product: complex tech items require detailed descriptions and specifications, while a simple T-shirt needs far less.

For instance, in one example you won’t find weight or nutritional values for a food item, even though that’s standard today for food-delivery menus. Conversely, a well-crafted product page signals a responsible approach to business.

What to do:
Start with a comprehensive description for every product. Yes, it’s time-consuming, especially if you’re not used to handling large data sets, but every marketer, analyst, or business coach will confirm it’s key to boosting conversions. Also optimize titles and descriptions for search engines to help customers find your products more easily.

UI: Unattractive Ad Copy

There are countless ways to craft effective ad copy—even tools like ChatGPT can generate quality sales text in seconds. But for copy to truly work, you must know your target audience and the goal of your message precisely. Here are some recommendations:

  • Simplicity — The less effort a user needs to understand your text, the better. Avoid jargon and double meanings.
  • Brevity — Shorter copy is more likely to be read in full. Keep it concise and to the point.
  • Customer focus — Don’t tell them how great your product is; explain the benefit it brings them.
  • Honesty — Over-embellishing doesn’t work. Authenticity always wins.

According to Forbes, users spend on average only about 5.59 seconds reading text on a page. That brief window must maximize impact.

What to do:
Experienced copywriters and tools like ChatGPT can help, but the key is continuous skill development—read widely, study successful examples, and regularly test what works best.

UI: Use of Stock Photos

Using stock images isn’t ideal: they’re often impersonal, unoriginal, and can raise copyright issues. While not forbidden, remember that customer loyalty hinges on authenticity—and stock photos can undermine your brand perception. Research shows they fail to create emotional connections, weakening ad effectiveness.

Today, AI-generated visuals (e.g. via neural-network services) are gaining popularity. These can serve as supplementary material, but must be clearly labeled as AI-generated. A viral social media post once showed a beautiful seaside villa with whales offshore—viewers thought it was a real offer, though it was purely digital. Such visuals can be convincing, but transparency is paramount.

What to do:
For high-quality images, hire a professional photographer. Each product on your site should have real photos—no exceptions.

UX: On-Site Search

Good website navigation is crucial. Most agencies start development by prototyping (often without analytics), but I want to focus on search—it plays a key role. Studies show up to 30 % of e-shop users search for specific products via the search field. Key principles:

  • Always include search. Even with only 200 products, it greatly simplifies shopping, especially for return customers who know exactly what they want.
  • Personalize results. If someone bought a particular shade of lipstick, offer a matching lip liner—not foot cream.
  • Handle typos. Many browse on mobile and type mistakes are common. Search must be tolerant and infer user intent.

What to do:
If you’re developing an e-shop now, be sure to include a robust search function with suggestions and autocomplete. For example, typing “Fil” could suggest “filtered coffee,” “film poster,” etc., improving navigation and UX.

UX: Poor User Experience

The two most critical web quality factors are responsiveness and load speed. In our analysis of food-delivery e-shops, most pages loaded within an acceptable 4 seconds.

According to Baymard Institute, optimal load times are:

  • 1–3 seconds — Excellent
  • 4–7 seconds — Acceptable but needs improvement
  • 8–11 seconds — Very poor

Many sites also fail on responsiveness. Developers tend to test only a few screen types—mobile to desktop—yet real-world devices vary widely. With mobile dominating, sites must render correctly everywhere.

What to do:
Check your site speed using tools like GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights. If load time exceeds 3–4 seconds, consult experts. For responsiveness, press F12 in your browser to open the developer panel and simulate the top ten device formats—this ensures stable performance across devices.

UX: Personalization

Research by Forbes and Salesforce shows up to 52 % of online customers expect individualized offers. Paying attention to client needs is fundamental to success in digital commerce. Personalization methods include:

  • Content. Display recommended products (e.g. suggest a lip liner with a lipstick). Use this at checkout and during browsing. Large platforms like Amazon show newly personalized offers after each login, which raises LTV (lifetime value).
  • Site appearance. Beyond complex UX analyses, simple tweaks—like adding an accessibility mode or a light/dark theme switch—go a long way.
  • Notifications. Offer products based on browsing, cart additions, or favorites. For emails or push messages, always obtain consent.
  • Personal touches. Greeting users by name (in admin areas or headers) builds trust and conveys care.

These steps foster trust and increase customer loyalty.

What to do:
Start simple—use the customer’s name in their account and recommend similar products. Gradually implement advanced personalization, as most people now expect tailored suggestions.

UX: Product Unavailability

If a product is temporarily out of stock, it’s not catastrophic; you can restock. The real issue arises when you don’t carry it at all—customers leave for competitors. Many come with a specific item in mind; if they can’t find it, bounce rates climb and you lose conversions.

What to do:

  • Don’t remove out-of-stock items; mark them “temporarily unavailable” and let users sign up for restock alerts—this also yields valuable analytics.
  • Offer alternatives on the product page to keep customers engaged.
  • Track user behavior—what they view, add to cart, and how long they stay—to better understand their needs.
  • Analyze competitors to see what they offer versus your assortment, and list any gaps in your catalog.

Ordering/Delivery: Complicated Checkout Process

The fewer steps a customer must take, the more likely they are to complete a purchase—simpler is more effective. Many purchases are emotional, and a lengthy process can cool off the buyer. Baymard Institute (2024) notes one of the main reasons for abandoned carts is mandatory account creation. Not everyone wants to register, especially for a one-time order.

What to do:

  • Allow guest checkout—only require name, phone, and address. Combine fields (e.g. full name in one).
  • Minimize required data—Baymard finds 22 % abandon carts if too much info is needed.
  • Use auto-complete for country, city, and ZIP to reduce typing—especially important on mobile.
  • Show recommended and related products during browsing or in the cart, not during form entry.
  • Confirm orders via SMS or phone for guests (faster than email), while registered customers need no further verification.

Ordering/Delivery: Payment Errors

Seemingly small but critical: Baymard Institute (2024) reports 15 % of users abandon orders due to technical errors. The payment process is a frequent conversion barrier.

What to do:

  • On larger sites, designate an admin to monitor site health and promptly address issues.
  • When integrating a payment system, test every scenario to ensure a smooth flow. Customers should receive immediate and clear confirmation after payment.
  • Track failed transactions—spikes may indicate technical problems or security concerns.

Ordering/Delivery: Personal Data Leak

According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024:

  • Average breach cost in 2024 was $4.88 million, up 10 % from 2023.
  • One in three breaches involved “shadow data” (data outside the central management system).
  • Companies using AI and automation in cybersecurity saved an average of $2.22 million in breach-related costs.

Security is no longer just a technical issue—it underpins brand trust.

What to do:

  • Use an SSL certificate (HTTPS) to encrypt communications.
  • Regularly update your CMS and plugins—ignoring updates is a common cause of attacks.
  • Back up your site at least weekly, ideally daily (e.g. via plugins or automation).
  • Enforce and promote strong passwords for registrations.
  • Consider basic AI-driven security solutions like behavioral monitoring.

Ordering/Delivery: Customer Support

High-quality support is a competitive advantage. Giants like Amazon or Zalando set a high bar—customers expect similar service from smaller shops. Delivery issues count as support: if problems arise, clients want communication, not silence. Baymard (2024) finds 19 % abandon carts to avoid account creation and an additional 21 % due to slow delivery.

What to do:

  • Ensure a dedicated phone line is available during business hours for issue resolution.
  • Train staff for crisis communication.
  • Respond professionally (never defensively) to negative reviews; aim to resolve issues publicly if possible.
  • Follow up by call or message after resolution—this builds trust and loyalty.

Logistics: Poor Shipment Tracking

More customers want real-time package tracking. Failing to provide this erodes trust. Previously, email confirmation of dispatch sufficed; today, carriers like DHL, DPD, or Packeta offer detailed movement tracking from dispatch to delivery.

What to do:

  • Use third-party APIs from carriers for live tracking on your site.
  • Send automatic email or SMS notifications at each shipment milestone.
  • If you work with multiple couriers, implement a unified tracking interface.

Logistics: Long Wait Times

Sometimes delays are unavoidable—supplier issues, customs holdups, sudden order spikes. But frequent delays indicate problems with logistics or inventory management. According to Forbes (2024), customers consider 2–3-day delivery standard; over 65 % abandon carts if delivery is quoted beyond 5 days.

What to do:

  • Don’t overpromise on delivery estimates—if it takes 5 days, say so. It’s better to pleasantly surprise than disappoint.
  • Optimize stock for best-selling items.
  • Evaluate suppliers and warehouses for reliability and speed, with clear contractual terms.
  • Keep customers informed of any status changes—transparency builds trust.

Conclusion: UX and UI Are More Than Design

UX and UI go beyond graphics—they encompass strategy, trust, processes, and attention to detail. A modern e-shop must run like clockwork: from first click, through product selection, to delivery and after-sales service.

Each point in this study is a standalone tool for boosting profit. Addressing just 3–4 of the problems described can increase conversion rates, loyalty, and return on investment.