Securing and Optimising Your E-Commerce Store – Top 10 technical issues and their remedies 

E-commerce store websites becoming increasingly complex: In the constantly evolving business landscape, having an online store is indispensable. What was once a novelty is now an essential building block of a business strategy. So, the significance of finding differentiating factors to make the e-commerce store more appealing than what the competition has in store cannot be overstated. The quest to add more features and functionality makes e-commerce stores increasingly complicated, harder to run and maintain, and prone to technical issues. 

Regardless of the features you can pack into your e-commerce site, ultimately, what matters most is your ability to deliver a flawless user experience. You can offer the latest features and cutting-edge functionality, but they all fulfill their purpose only if they function smoothly and deliver a good user experience. Technical issues can ruin the user experience and cause a significant drop in conversion rates. 

Picture this: a potential customer eagerly navigates your online store, only to face persistent technical glitches, such as server errors, SSL certificate malfunctions, or issues with dynamic IP addresses. The promising prospect instantly transforms into a frustrated visitor, and a sale slips through the digital cracks. 

Top 10 issues affecting e-commerce sites 

1. Server Issues 

a) Bandwidth Issues: 

Bandwidth is the digital pathway facilitating data transfer; more bandwidth lets more users visit your online store without experiencing a slowdown or malfunction. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining a responsive and reliable online store. 

If the bandwidth of your e-commerce site is inadequate, it can lead to slow page load times, frustrating users and potentially driving them away. To address this issue, you must upgrade to a hosting plan with ample bandwidth. While selecting your bandwidth, you must consider your peak traffic rather than just accommodating the number of visitors per day on average. It will ensure smooth data transmission, even during the most demanding peak traffic periods. It is vital to regularly assess and forecast the growth in traffic to your online store and adjust your bandwidth requirements in advance to accommodate the evolving needs of your e-commerce site. 

b) Server Downtime Issues: 

Server downtime is a critical concern that directly impacts the accessibility of your e-commerce site. Server downtime may occur due to hardware failures, software issues, or routine/unscheduled maintenance activities. When the server is down, the customers cannot reach your site. As a result, the longer the downtime greater the loss of revenue, customer frustration, and damage to your brand reputation. You can mitigate server downtime, reduce disruptions, and maintain a consistently available online storefront by implementing redundant server setups, scheduling maintenance during off-peak hours, and investing in reliable hosting services with robust backup and recovery plans. 

c) Server error codes 

The server can encounter several other errors. They are denoted by specific 5xx error codes, as follows. 

500 – Internal Server Error 

501 – Not Implemented 

502 – Bad Gateway 

503 – Service Unavailable 

504 – Gateway Timeout 

505 – HTTP Version Not Supported 

506 – Variant Also Negotiates 

507 – Insufficient Storage 

508 – Loop Detected 

510 – Not Extended 

511 – Network Authentication Required 

2. IP Address Issues 

 The IP address of your e-commerce site stands as a pivotal element that can either fortify or undermine the accessibility of your online store. The IP address could either be static or dynamic. Each of those options presents unique challenges, demanding different strategic solutions. 

a) Dynamic IP Address Issues 

As the nomenclature suggests, a dynamic IP address changes. It is often cost-effective and introduces an element of unpredictability, providing an extra layer of security. On the downside, the unpredictable, changing nature of the dynamic IP address can lead to potential interruptions in accessibility for customers. Mitigating this issue requires implementing effective DNS management. As an alternative, you can consider opting for a static IP address. 

b) Static IP Address 

In contrast to the dynamic IP address, a static IP address remains the same and provides stability with a fixed access point. However, it may expose your site to security risks if not managed properly, making your e-commerce site a potential target for malicious activities. To protect it from security threats, you must regularly update security protocols and ensure a secure online environment where sensitive customer data remains safe. Striking a balance between stability and protection is crucial for maintaining the integrity of your e-commerce operations. 

3. Security Issues 

a) Cyber Security 

Cyber security is and will always remain paramount for e-commerce sites, as malicious actors are always looking for the chinks in your armor to get their hands on sensitive customer data. To keep them at bay, you must stay ahead of potential risks by implementing robust encryption, secure payment gateways, and conducting regular security audits.  

b) Data Privacy and Security 

Prioritizing data protection is a cornerstone of building customer trust. While external actors pose a serious threat to customer data, how you handle the data internally also plays a vital role in building trust in your brand and creating an online reputation. So, you must demonstrate commitment to safeguarding customer data by establishing stringent data privacy policies, securing user information, ensuring transparency over how you use the collected data, and achieving compliance with relevant regulations. 

c) Online Identity Verification 

Impersonation and unauthorized access to user accounts and customer data can be catastrophic for the e-commerce business. To avert that, you must strengthen online identity verification processes and implement security measures, such as multi-factor authentication and periodic user verification. 

d) HTTPS Issues 

HTTPS protocols are fundamental for data security and to ensure a secure user experience for the customers. HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, adds an extra layer of security by using encryption protocols, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or its successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS).  

When your e-commerce website uses HTTPS, the information users exchange with the site, such as login credentials, contact information, credit card details, or financial transactions, are encrypted. The data exchanged between the end user’s web browser and your server remains confidential and protected from potential eavesdropping, data theft, and tampering. 

But sometimes, even when your website uses HTTPS protocols, you may have overlooked some links that point to pages that use insecure HTTP protocols. That would redirect users to insecure pages without their knowledge. So, you must regularly audit your e-commerce store, check for mixed content issues, and promptly correct the HTTPS page links that connect to HTTP pages. 

4. Customer Experience Issues 

a) Product Return & Refund Policies 

Clear and transparent return and refund policies are integral to a positive customer experience. The customers must be able to easily return faulty products or the ones that do not suit their use case, and promptly get refund. Create customer-friendly return and refund policies, communicate them effectively, enable hassle-free return and refund processing, reduce potential conflicts, and build trust. It will go a long way in ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

b) Customer Support 

Customers must be able to get instant responses when they have doubts, queries and complaints. Responsive and knowledgeable customer support leads to customer satisfaction. Companies sometimes fail to offer customer support through various channels.  

For instance, chatbots enable instant automated response to customers’ mundane questions and requests, and Whatsapp lets users connect with the business account of their favourite brands through messaging. Without these new customer support channels, users would endure a waiting period to speak to a human customer care executive.  

Offer support through multiple communication channels and address queries promptly. Leverage automation and back those initiatives with empowered support teams with technical knowledge to resolve complex issues effectively. 

c) Order Handling and Management 

Issues in order handling may include failed payments, failure to generate the order causing refund initiation, order errors, wrong product shipment, etc. Every order issue distances your customers from your business and pushes them to find alternatives. 

You can avoid these order issues by optimizing order processing workflows to prevent errors, enhancing order accuracy, and ensuring timely deliveries. You can invest in efficient order management systems to improve order management and overall customer experience. 

5. Duplication Issues 

a) Duplicate Titles and Meta Descriptions 

Issues with metadata and titles are not necessarily visible to the users. But, they offer vital information to the search engine and are critical for search engine listing and ranking. When they are clear and unique, your e-commerce site and relevant product pages are listed in search results prominently. 

However, duplicate metadata and repeated use of titles can hinder your site’s search engine performance. So, you must regularly audit your website for duplicate titles and meta descriptions and ensure each page has unique and relevant information. This optimization improves SEO and helps you reach customers through organic search. 

b) Duplicate Content 

Similar to the duplicate metadata and titles, duplicate content too can negatively impact search engine rankings and penalize search engine visibility. You can prevent this by strategically employing canonical tags and 301 redirects. 

6. Performance Issues 

Performance issues may occur due to various factors, including server errors, low bandwidth during peak traffic, unnecessarily complicated code, use of resource-intensive assets such as videos, etc. If the site does not load or respond fast enough to user inputs, it can lead to poor user experience. Websites with performance issues may also suffer in terms of search engine optimization.  

You can prevent these issues by optimizing images, reducing site complexity, eliminating resource-intensive assets, leveraging browser caching, and investing in content delivery networks (CDNs) to enhance page load speed. 

7. Not Found Issues 

a) Broken Internal Links 

Internal linking of pages clarifies the structure of the e-commerce site. When these links are intact, the search engine bots crawl through your e-commerce site and identify it as a well-structured website. Similarly, backlinking to credible sites to back the information you provide on your e-commerce site improves SEO.  

Broken links can impact user navigation and SEO. So, it is imperative to regularly check and fix broken links to maintain a well-structured website. 

b) Broken Images 

Missing images can seriously dent the visual appeal of your site. Lack of visuals can impact the user experience and user engagement. It can also seriously hinder the user from understanding and experiencing the product from the site.  

You can address this issue by conducting image checks regularly and promptly fixing broken images. 

8) 4xx Errors 

Sometimes, the website may encounter unexpected errors, which carry the 4xx error codes. Following are the various 4xx errors and what they each denote.  

400 – Bad Request 

401 – Unauthorized 

402 – Payment Required 

403 – Forbidden 

404 – Not Found 

405 – Method Not Allowed 

406 – Not Acceptable 

407 – Proxy Authentication Required 

408 – Request Timeout 

409 – Conflict 

410 – Gone 

411 – Length Required 

412 – Precondition Failed 

413 – Payload Too Large 

414 – URI Too Long 

415 – Unsupported Media Type 

416 – Range Not Satisfiable 

417 – Expectation Failed 

418 – I’m a Teapot 

421 – Misdirected Request 

422 – Unprocessable Entity 

423 – Locked 

424 – Failed Dependency 

425 – Too Early 

426 – Upgrade Required 

428 – Precondition Required 

429 – Too Many Requests 

431 – Request Header Fields Too Large 

451 – Unavailable For Legal Reasons 

Monitor and rectify 4xx errors promptly, implement redirects wherever necessary, and ensure a user-friendly error page to guide visitors back on track. 

9. E-commerce Sales Channel Issues 

The target user base of e-commerce businesses remains scattered across platforms. To seize every opportunity and convert, you must have a storefront on all the platforms your target users frequently use. When you manage multiple storefronts, your online store may have inconsistent user experience in various sales channels.  

You can address this issue by creating a robust omnichannel strategy and seamlessly integrating all the channels under one roof with e-commerce integrations that enable a consistent shopping experience across channels.  

For instance, inventory management integrations ensure that the stock information remains uniform and accurate across channels, no matter what. Unified user profiles consolidate customer data across channels, ensure continuity when users switch to a different channel, and provide a unified brand presence.   

10. Scaling & Adaptability Issues 

One of the most common mistakes by e-commerce store owners is the failure to foresee the future demands of the e-commerce business. So, as the number of users increases with time, the e-commerce site will struggle to accommodate the additional users. 

So, you must include scalability in your planning phase, choose flexible e-commerce solutions, invest in robust infrastructure, and continually assess and adapt your system.  

What are the steps that you can take to fix technical issues? 

1. Regular Site Audits 

Inspecting the site and conducting routine audits is the key to identifying and rectifying potential issues before they arise. Site audits help prevent server errors and SSL certificate invalidity and resolve dynamic IP address discrepancies. 

2. Invest in Robust Web Hosting 

The web hosting of your site forms the basic foundation of your e-commerce business. When you opt for the most reliable web hosting services, you get a stable hosting environment that ensures server uptime and prevents disruptions that could impact the customer experience. 

3. Implement SSL Best Practices 

 Adhere to SSL best practices to secure customer data, which include regularly updating and monitoring SSL certificates and keeping encryption protocols up-to-date. 

4. Troubleshoot, Learn from the Experience, and Prevent Similar Issues: 

When you encounter technical issues, initiate a thorough troubleshooting process. Diagnose the root cause, address it, analyze the incident, and extract valuable insights. Use this knowledge to implement preventive measures, fortifying your e-commerce site against similar issues in the future. This continuous learning cycle enhances the resilience of your online platform, ensuring sustained customer satisfaction. 

5. 24/7 Monitoring 

 When you have customers from diverse geographical locations, it is crucial to have an online store that runs trouble-free 24/7 so that even customers in different time zones do not face server issues. You can invest in continuous monitoring tools to promptly detect server issues and respond to potential disruptions before they affect customers. 

6. Customer Support Readiness 

 Equip your customer support team with the knowledge and tools to address technical queries instantly. Efficient and responsive customer service can prevent and mitigate the impact of technical issues on customer satisfaction. 

7. Load Testing 

Traffic to an e-commerce site varies during different times of the year. For instance, the holiday season usually sees peak traffic, and after that, the visitor traffic falls sharply as the customers complete their end-of-year purchases. Your e-commerce site and the hosting server must be capable of handling these traffic fluctuations. Periodic load testing ensures that your website can handle the surge in traffic. 

8. Backup and Recovery Plans 

Data loss can be a disaster for an e-commerce site. For instance, when customer data gets erased accidentally during a crash, it will eliminate the personalization features you have built through the ages for your customers’ convenience. It can erode their trust and severely impact user experience. Implementing a comprehensive backup strategy helps avoid these issues and ensures minimal downtime and data integrity. 

9. Regular Software Updates 

Keep all software, including e-commerce platforms and plugins, up-to-date. Regular updates often include security patches that can prevent vulnerabilities and potential technical issues. 

10. User-Friendly Design 

 Sometimes, glitches can occur when users interact with the site in a way you did not intend them to. For instance, if you design your site for a computer browser without optimizing it for mobile platforms, then the page will not load properly, and interacting with the site may cause a crash. A well-designed, intuitive, user-friendly interface reduces the risk of user errors and enhances the overall customer experience, contributing to fewer technical issues. 

FAQs 

1. What are the common problems encountered in e-commerce? 

Some of the most common technical problems encountered in e-commerce may include server errors, SSL certificate issues, and dynamic IP disruptions. These can lead to customer frustration, impacting sales. Proactive management is essential to ensure a smooth and reliable online shopping experience. 

2. What are the technical limitations of e-commerce? 

Technical limitations arise from server downtimes, SSL vulnerabilities, and dynamic IP fluctuations. These impact site accessibility and compromise customer trust. Overcoming these technical hurdles is crucial for sustained e-commerce success. 

3. How do technological factors affect e-commerce? 

Technological factors form the basic foundations of the e-commerce landscape, influencing everything from server reliability to data encryption. Seamless integration of technology enhances customer experience, while glitches can erode trust. Proactive adaptation and addressing technical problems quickly and efficiently are crucial for thriving in the digital marketplace. 

4. What is the biggest issue with most online retail? 

One of the most prevalent challenges is subpar customer support. When a technical glitch occurs and maintenance becomes inevitable, it is indispensable to have dependable customer support to reassure the users and provide adequate assistance to avert customer dissatisfaction as the technical team fixes the issues. Prioritizing responsive and effective customer service is crucial for resolving problems promptly and maintaining trust in the online retail environment. At the same time, the technical team should address the issues promptly and back up the customer support team.