Web Design Inspiration: Curated Awwwards Sites
We're exploring five standout websites from Awwwards and breaking down what makes each one stand out. From structur...
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UX isn't "decoration." It's the environment through which a user discovers a product, evaluates it, adds it to the cart, and ultimately decides whether to complete the purchase.
Below, we've gathered 10 of the most common mistakes we see in e-shops that directly affect user experience and performance.
1. Slow page loading
Speed directly affects how a user interacts with an e-shop. Heavy product images, unnecessary scripts, plugins, and unoptimized code can create delays and make even simple browsing feel tiring.
Proper image compression, lazy loading, code optimization, and regular performance checks are core elements of a fast, stable experience.
2. A complicated checkout process
Checkout is the point where the user has already decided they're interested in buying. There's no reason to make the process harder for them.
Unnecessary steps, mandatory account creation, and forms with too many fields all increase the likelihood of cart abandonment. Guest checkout, clear stages, and asking only for essential information can make the process significantly more straightforward.
3. Hidden or unclear shipping costs
Extra charges shouldn't come as a surprise at the last step of the purchase.
Shipping costs, free-shipping thresholds, and available delivery options need to be communicated early and clearly. The more information a user has before reaching checkout, the clearer their decision becomes.
4. Poor mobile experience
For many users, the smartphone is the main point of contact with an e-shop. A responsive layout on its own isn't enough.
Small buttons, hard-to-use menus, filters that take over the whole screen, forms that are hard to fill in, and CTAs that get lost in the content all create friction.
The mobile experience needs to be designed around how a small screen is actually used — not as a smaller version of desktop.
5. Low-quality product photos
In a physical store, a customer can see, touch, and examine a product. In an e-shop, the image has to do that job.
Clear, high-quality photos, different angles, close-up details, and zoom capability help the user form a fuller picture of the product and feel more confident before buying.
6. Incomplete or unclear product descriptions
A product description shouldn't just repeat the manufacturer's specs.
It needs to answer the user's real questions: What size is it? What material is it made of? What's it compatible with? How is it used? How is it maintained? Who is it suitable for?
The more of these questions a product page answers, the less uncertainty remains before the purchase.
7. CTAs with no clear visual priority
The main call-to-action on a product page needs to be easy to spot and stand out from secondary actions.
When "Add to Cart" is competing with too many different buttons, colors, and messages, the page loses its hierarchy.
A good CTA doesn't need to shout. It needs to sit in the right place, have a clear role, and lead naturally into the next step.
8. Lack of social proof and trust signals
A new visitor needs reasons to trust an e-shop they don't already know.
Reviews, ratings, and genuine feedback act as social proof, while secure payment methods, a clear returns policy, contact information, and certifications act as trust signals.
Trust shouldn't be something the user is asked to give. It should be built at every stage of the experience.
9. Poor structure for categories, filters, and search
Even the best product can't sell if the user can't find it.
Categories need to follow a logical, understandable structure, filters need to reflect the actual attributes of the products, and search needs to handle synonyms, variations, and even common spelling mistakes.
Good information architecture reduces the time it takes someone to reach exactly what they're looking for.
10. No testing or real data
An e-shop shouldn't be designed once and left unchanged for years.
Good design doesn't end at launch. Heatmaps, funnel analysis, conversion data, user behavior, and A/B testing can reveal where users struggle, which points cause abandonment, and which changes actually move the needle on performance.
UX doesn't need to run on assumptions when there's data available to confirm what actually works.
UX doesn't end at launch
An e-shop's experience is an ongoing process of measuring, evaluating, and improving.
Speed, navigation, mobile experience, product pages, and checkout all function as parts of the same system. When one of them creates friction, it affects the entire path to purchase.
Because a beautiful e-shop only has real value when it helps the user find what they need and complete their purchase with ease.
At DontMatter, we design and evolve custom e-commerce experiences focused not just on aesthetics, but on functionality, speed, and measurable performance.
