Why Most Marketing Strategies Fail (And How to Get It Right)
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The e-commerce industry never sleeps. If we look at the numbers, global e-commerce sales are expected to reach nearly $6.8 billion by the end of 2028.
In this hyper-competitive market, the future is promising, but competition is fierce. Without a rock-solid marketing strategy, survival is tough. Easier said than done…
90% of new e-commerce businesses shut down within the first 120 days. One of the main reasons for this failure is a poor marketing strategy (37%) and a lack of online visibility (35%).
Why Do E-Commerce Brands Fail at Their Marketing Strategy?
In general, the challenges e-commerce brands face stem from a poor understanding of their target audience, insufficient planning, a lack of adaptation to online marketing trends, and a confusing execution of marketing tactics. Neglecting e-reputation and the benefits of social commerce also adds to the long list of mistakes brands make.
In this article, discover the key pitfalls that e-commerce brands must absolutely avoid when launching their marketing strategy.
Poor Understanding of the Target Audience
Neglecting the Buyer Persona
A poor understanding of the target audience can lead to a completely misguided marketing strategy, resulting in wasted time and money. Taking the time to define a product or service’s buyer persona precisely is crucial for an effective marketing strategy. Without this, a brand often casts too wide a net or targets the wrong people.
Failing to Develop a Unique Value Proposition (USP)
Beyond that, failing to study the target audience properly can lead to an inconsistent message. When a brand’s branding is weak, too generic, or lacks positioning, potential customers struggle to relate and connect with its message. In an overcrowded market, lacking differentiation is fatal. A brand without a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) quickly blends into the crowd and struggles to achieve its marketing goals. As a result, without a strong brand identity, businesses are often forced to compete on price alone, which erodes profitability and makes long-term growth unsustainable.
Insufficient Planning and Neglecting Analytical Tools
Launching a marketing strategy without a well-defined plan, industry insights, or analytical tools is like setting out on a mission doomed to fail. Ignoring available data inevitably leads to major gaps in an e-commerce brand’s marketing strategy.
Key Steps Often Overlooked:
- Defining clear, measurable goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track progress
- Creating detailed buyer personas
- Establishing precise branding: brand archetype, messaging, tone, colors, etc., to build a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
- Conducting thorough competitive analysis to assess strengths, weaknesses, and market opportunities
- Identifying the best communication channels and content formats tailored to the target audience throughout the year
Neglecting Analytical Tools
Implementing various tools to analyze marketing performance—such as Google Analytics for websites—is essential for an e-commerce brand’s success. Tracking the performance of different marketing channels allows continuous adjustments, ensuring long-term success.
Social media platforms offer tracking tools that enable real-time adjustments. Social media scheduling tools also provide powerful analytics and easy-to-understand dashboards.
Other useful tools include email marketing platforms (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Sendinblue), SEO tools (Ahrefs, Moz), and CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce), all of which help measure and refine marketing strategies over time.
Additionally, engaging directly with customers—virtually or in person—is an excellent way to identify a marketing strategy’s strengths and weaknesses.
Lack of Adaptation to E-Reputation Trends
A 2023 survey of 8,153 U.S. respondents found that 93% consider ratings and reviews when making purchase decisions.
Neglecting E-Reputation
Ignoring approval systems such as reviews, testimonials, influencer endorsements, and positive mentions on blogs or forums is a critical mistake for many brands. Tools that measure a brand’s reputation and user satisfaction metrics are among the most important KPIs to define when assessing a marketing strategy’s performance.
Limited Customer Loyalty Programs
Beyond that, the absence of loyalty initiatives—such as email marketing campaigns or rewards programs—hinders the development of a strong online reputation. Well-crafted on-site content, such as an “About Us” page, also adds to a brand’s legitimacy.
Confusing Execution of the Marketing Strategy
Even when brands develop a relevant and effective marketing strategy, they sometimes struggle with execution.
Lack of Adaptability
Brands often fail to keep up with rapidly changing online trends and search engine algorithm updates. What worked yesterday may no longer work today. Brands must continuously adapt to avoid missing key opportunities. Successfully leveraging communication channels requires a smart mix of proven strategies and trending tactics.
Falling Behind Current Trends
New digital marketing channels evolve quickly—TikTok Shop, AI-driven personalization, live shopping, etc. Additionally, content formats are changing fast. High-ROI formats today include short-form videos and AI-powered content.
Overlooking User Experience
A poor user experience on an e-commerce website—such as slow loading times, complex navigation, or a frustrating checkout process—drives visitors away. Inactive social media accounts, outdated information, or a lack of order tracking also push customers toward competitors.
Over-Reliance on Paid Media
Over-relying on paid media is another common reason why e-commerce brands fail to achieve their marketing goals. Betting everything on Google and social media ads without investing in organic strategies—such as SEO, content marketing, or organic influencer marketing—sets a brand up for failure.
Conclusion
A strong and effective marketing strategy requires e-commerce brands to continuously analyze and understand their environment, target audience, and customer journey. Performance must be constantly monitored and adapted based on preferred channels and evolving online trends.
Building and strengthening e-reputation is essential through both paid and organic tools, as well as social commerce, which is now indispensable for any brand. However, managing all these elements efficiently can be a challenge—that’s where Glowtify can help.
Turn your marketing into profit with Glowtify! Our AI-powered platform helps ecommerce brands grow by identifying high-impact revenue opportunities while simplifying marketing execution. No prompts, no hassle—just smarter, faster content creation. Generate blogs, ads, emails, and social posts in one click, fix SEO issues instantly with actionable recommendations, and track performance with an easy scoring dashboard. Glowtify optimizes your marketing so you can focus on scaling your business. Want to try it out? Let’s glow!
