7 E-commerce Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Your Sales
Your products are good. Your copy is costing you sales.
Most e-commerce sites sound identical: “High-quality materials. Fast shipping. Great value.” It’s commodity language for products that shouldn’t feel like commodities.
Meanwhile, cart abandonment stays high. Product pages get traffic but not purchases. Email lists grow but revenue doesn’t.
The problem isn’t your products or your prices. It’s these seven copywriting mistakes nearly every e-commerce brand makes.
Mistake 1: Feature Lists Instead of Benefit Stories
The mistake: Your product description is a bullet-pointed spec sheet. “100% cotton. Machine washable. Available in 6 colors.”
Why it fails: Features tell people what the product IS. Benefits tell people how their life CHANGES. Specs inform. Benefits persuade.
Your customer doesn’t want 100% cotton. They want a shirt that feels good, looks good after 50 washes, and doesn’t make them sweat through a presentation.
The fix:
Instead of: “Stainless steel construction”
Write: “Won’t rust, chip, or look tired after years of daily use”
Instead of: “2000mAh battery”
Write: “Lasts all day—charge it when you sleep, not when you’re working”
Instead of: “Ergonomic design”
Write: “No more wrist pain after long work sessions”
The test: For every feature, ask “So what?” The answer is your benefit.
Mistake 2: The “We” Problem
The mistake: Your copy is about you. “We source the finest materials.” “Our craftsmen have 50 years of experience.” “We’re passionate about quality.”
Why it fails: Customers don’t care about you. They care about themselves—their problems, their desires, their transformation.
“We” copy puts you at the center. “You” copy puts the customer at the center.
Common offenders:
- “We believe in quality” → “You get quality that lasts”
- “Our mission is…” → [delete entirely]
- “We’re proud to offer…” → “You’ll love…”
- “We source from…” → “You’re getting…”
The fix:
Instead of: “We use premium leather sourced from Italian tanneries with over 100 years of tradition.”
Write: “The leather on your bag comes from the same Italian tannery that supplies Hermès. You’ll feel the difference the moment you touch it.”
The test: Count the “we/our” vs “you/your” ratio. If “we” wins, rewrite.
Mistake 3: Generic Descriptions That Could Fit Any Product
The mistake: Your product descriptions use the same adjectives as everyone else. “Premium quality.” “Beautifully designed.” “Perfect for any occasion.”
Why it fails: Generic language signals generic products. If your copy could describe your competitor’s product, it’s not doing its job.
When everything is “premium” and “high-quality,” those words mean nothing.
The fix:
Be absurdly specific.
Instead of: “High-quality leather bag”
Write: “Full-grain vegetable-tanned leather that develops a rich patina over time—this bag looks better at year 5 than year 1”
Instead of: “Comfortable fit”
Write: “The collar sits low enough that you forget you’re wearing it—no neck irritation even in 90-degree heat”
Instead of: “Perfect for everyday use”
Write: “Sized for your laptop, notebook, and lunch—without looking like you’re commuting to a corporate job”
The test: Could a competitor paste your description on their product? If yes, it’s too generic.
Mistake 4: Weak or Missing Urgency
The mistake: Your product pages give no reason to buy now versus “later.” There’s no scarcity, no time pressure, no cost of waiting.
Why it fails: “Later” means never. Without urgency, customers add to cart, get distracted, and forget. Cart abandonment isn’t about price—it’s about priority.
E-commerce brands often avoid urgency because:
- Products aren’t truly scarce
- They don’t want to seem pushy
- They assume desire is enough
The fix:
Create legitimate urgency through:
Real scarcity: “Only 12 left in this size” (if true)
Seasonal timing: “Summer collection ends September 1—these colors won’t return”
Shipping cutoffs: “Order in the next 4 hours for delivery by Friday”
Social proof momentum: “47 people bought this today”
The cost of waiting: “Your current [product] is costing you [specific problem] every day you wait”
You’re not creating fake scarcity. You’re helping customers prioritize.
Mistake 5: Ignoring Objections
The mistake: Your product page presents only positive information. It doesn’t acknowledge what customers are worried about.
Why it fails: Every customer has objections—about price, quality, fit, durability, returns. If you don’t address them, they leave to “think about it” (and never come back).
Unaddressed objections don’t go away. They just block the sale silently.
Common e-commerce objections:
- “Is this worth the price?”
- “Will it fit/work for me?”
- “What if I don’t like it?”
- “How long will it last?”
- “Is this company legit?”
The fix:
Address objections directly on the product page:
Price: “Yes, it costs more than the Amazon version. Here’s why that matters…” Then explain the difference in materials, construction, or longevity.
Fit: Include detailed sizing, comparison photos on different body types, and clear return policies.
Quality: Show durability tests, warranty information, and long-term customer photos.
Trust: Display reviews prominently, show your returns policy above the fold, include trust badges.
The test: What’s the most common reason people DON’T buy? That objection should be answered on the page.
Mistake 6: Buried or Boring Social Proof
The mistake: Your reviews are hidden at the bottom of the page. Or they’re all generic five-star praise: “Great product! Fast shipping! Would buy again!”
Why it fails: Social proof is one of the strongest conversion drivers—but only if it’s visible and specific.
Generic reviews don’t convince anyone. “Love it!” doesn’t tell the next customer anything useful.
The fix:
Make reviews visible: Star rating and review count should be above the fold, near the price.
Feature specific reviews: Pull quotes that address common objections or highlight specific benefits.
Use photo reviews: Customer photos are more convincing than studio shots.
Highlight transformation: “Before I bought this, I was using [inferior solution]. Now…”
Example of a useful review to highlight:
Instead of: “Great bag! Five stars!”
Feature: “I’ve carried this bag every day for 8 months. The leather has developed this beautiful patina, and the stitching hasn’t loosened at all. My previous bag fell apart in 3 months.”
Mistake 7: Treating All Products the Same
The mistake: Every product page uses the same template and copy approach—whether it’s a $15 item or a $500 item, a first purchase or a repeat buy, a commodity or a luxury.
Why it fails: Different products require different selling strategies. A $15 impulse buy doesn’t need 500 words of copy. A $500 considered purchase does.
The fix:
For low-price impulse buys ($1-30):
- Keep copy short
- Focus on immediate desire
- Make checkout frictionless
- Urgency matters more than education
For mid-price considered purchases ($30-200):
- Balance desire with justification
- Address main objections
- Include social proof
- Explain value relative to alternatives
For high-price investment purchases ($200+):
- Tell the full story
- Build substantial value before showing price
- Address every objection
- Include guarantees and warranties
- Show long-term value and durability
The test: Is your copy length and depth appropriate for the price point and purchase type?
The Quick Audit
Run through these questions for your product pages:
- Does every feature have a corresponding benefit?
- Do you use “you” more than “we”?
- Is your description specific enough that competitors can’t use it?
- Is there a reason to buy today vs. next month?
- Are the top 3 customer objections addressed on the page?
- Is specific social proof visible above the fold?
- Does copy depth match price point?
If you answered “wrong” to more than two of these, your copy is probably costing you sales.
The Bottom Line
E-commerce copy fails when it describes products instead of selling transformations.
Your customers don’t want products. They want to become the person who owns those products. They want to solve problems, feel good, impress others, or simplify their lives.
The fix for all seven mistakes is the same: stop describing what you sell and start describing how life changes when someone buys.
That’s copy that converts.
Related Reading
- Copy That Justifies Premium Prices — Sell value, not discounts
- Copy That Handles Objections — Address concerns before they block the sale
- Why Your Copy Isn’t Converting — Diagnose conversion problems
Want a system for e-commerce copy that converts? See the Blogs That Sell methodology—the complete framework for turning browsers into buyers.
Or start with the free training for the core principles.
About the Author
John Fawkes is a veteran copywriter with over 15 years of experience helping businesses turn attention into action through clear, persuasive writing. He writes about copy, psychology, and what actually moves people to buy.
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