The #1 Mistake eCommerce Owners Make (and How to Fix It)

"What’s the #1 mistake eCommerce owners make?"

Recently, someone hit me with this question at an event. And honestly, I didn’t even need time to think about it. My answer was clear—because it’s a mistake I see all the time:

"They focus way too much on aesthetics and completely forget about user experience and functionality."

Now don’t get me wrong—I’m not anti-aesthetics. A beautifully designed website can make a killer first impression, but that’s only step one. If your website is slow, clunky, or feels like it was built in the age of dial-up internet, all those pretty visuals won’t stop your customers from heading to your competitor.

The Glow-Up Stories of Functionality-First Brands

Here are some brands I’ve worked with that nailed the balance of beauty and brains (aka UX and functionality):

Temptu: Making Beauty Seamless

When Temptu—a luxury beauty brand—came to Tekglide, the brief was clear: "Make us look good, but make it work even better."

We built them an eCommerce store that didn’t just look premium—it felt premium. The website was fast, mobile-friendly, and the checkout process? Smooth like their airbrush makeup. Long story short, their conversions went up, and their customers were glowing inside and out.

Glytone & Rene Furterer USA: Let’s Talk Results

For these iconic beauty and skincare brands, the goal was simple: make product navigation and mobile responsiveness as flawless as their products. We added intuitive search filters, sped up the checkout process, and ensured their websites stayed true to their gorgeous branding. The result? More conversions and happier customers who didn’t have to wrestle with clunky filters.

Why Aesthetics Alone Won’t Pay Your Bills

I get it—focusing on aesthetics is tempting. Who doesn’t want a website that makes people go “Wow!” the second they land on it? But here's the thing:

• 53% of mobile users bounce if your site takes longer than 3 seconds to load. (No patience in 2025, folks!)
• 88% of shoppers won't return after a bad experience. Ouch.
• A 1-second delay in page load can cost you 7% of conversions.

The Core of a Functional eCommerce Website

If you’re ready to level up your website game, focus on these four pillars:

1. Website Speed

Your website should load faster than your morning coffee takes to pour. We helped Watsons, a health and beauty retailer, achieve this by compressing images, implementing a CDN, and optimizing their backend— which resulted in faster load times and happier customers.

(Pro tip: Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check your speed stats.)

2. Mobile Optimization

Real Food Bar came to us because most of their traffic was from mobile. We gave them touch-friendly navigation and fast load times, and their mobile sales took off. Think of it this way: If your website doesn’t work on mobile, you’re leaving money on the table.

3. Simplified Navigation

Herrschners (a crafts retailer) needed a better way to guide their customers. We introduced advanced filters by category, price, and popularity, making their website as easy to navigate as a Netflix menu on a lazy Friday night.

4. Seamless Checkout

Hot Air Tools saw their cart abandonment drop when we turned their multi-step checkout into a one-page design. The easier you make it for people to pay you, the faster they’ll purchase at your online store.

My Final Thoughts

Your website isn’t just a pretty face. It’s your virtual salesperson, your cash register, and your 24/7 store. So stop obsessing over making it "look cool" and start focusing on how it works.

Here’s the deal: with 16+ years of eCommerce experience under my belt, I’ve seen it all. If this sounds like the wake-up call your business needs, contact me for a free personalized demo. Let’s transform your website into a functionality-first powerhouse that actually gets results.

And remember: good design might win hearts, but great functionality wins wallets.