7 Costly Web Design Mistakes Holding Back Your Ecommerce Store

A strong online presence is no longer optional for Southeast Asian brands—it’s mandatory. In Singapore, over 84% of people access the internet through mobile devices and online businesses relying more on digital channels to reach customers, a well-designed website is crucial. The rapid growth of online shopping in Singapore and Southeast Asia means companies need to adapt to changing consumer behaviour and regional digital trends, with online stores being the core of ecommerce. As part of a comprehensive offering for ecommerce brands in Singapore, businesses should consider a full suite of digital services, including website design, ecommerce solutions, and digital marketing solutions, to ensure a robust and competitive online presence that delivers results.

The Singapore ecommerce market is projected to reach USD 8.2 billion by 2025, driven by increased mobile adoption and changing consumer behaviour accelerated by the pandemic. The rise of ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Magento, along with marketplaces like Lazada, Amazon and Shopee, enables businesses and first-time sellers to reach international markets and expand their customer base beyond Singapore. These ecommerce platforms allow online businesses to accept payments from international shoppers through various local and global payment gateways and payment terms, making cross-border ecommerce more accessible and seamless.

Whether you’re a new DTC brand or an established fashion label looking to expand regionally, a strong, user-friendly website builds trust, drives conversions and sets the foundation for long-term growth. However, many SMEs fall into several web design mistakes that silently erode trust, kill conversions, and waste marketing dollars. These mistakes are even more costly in Singapore’s competitive digital landscape, where shoppers have many alternatives.

This guide breaks down those web design mistakes and provides actionable digital solutions to help your business stand out, perform better, and grow faster online. Tailoring these solutions to your business needs is essential to achieving the best results. 

Regarding web design best practices, clean layouts and visually appealing websites are essential for engaging users and creating a strong first impression. As a web design company, our expertise covers all things digital, and with over a decade of experience in the industry, we ensure your ecommerce business has the support it needs to succeed online.

Why good custom web design and web development matters

Your website isn’t just a digital marketing brochure—it’s your most powerful sales tool. In Singapore’s mobile-first market, where 94% of consumers research products online before buying, your store’s design and web development can make or break a sale within seconds. First impressions matter more than ever—studies show that users form opinions about your website within 50 milliseconds of landing on your page.

A design that resonates with your target audience builds instant trust, guides customers to buy and turns first-time visitors into brand advocates. The design should reflect your brand values while addressing specific pain points of Singapore consumers, such as product authenticity, delivery reliability and secure payment processing.

Professional website design services and website development services, delivered by a professional team with a diverse portfolio and extensive experience, provide measurable results and are directly aligned with your ecommerce business goals. These digital solutions focus on building high-performance websites that enhance user engagement and search visibility so your digital presence is optimised for success. A good web design agency understands the nuances of the Singapore market, including local consumer behaviour, cultural preferences and regulatory requirements such as PDPA compliance.

A well-designed website enhances your digital presence and creates a foundation for sustainable growth rather than short-term gains. Key performance indicators include conversion rate, average order value, customer lifetime value, and return on advertising spend.

Critical ecommerce mistakes that hurt growth

Mistake #1: Poor mobile web design optimisation

A mobile experience that kills conversions

With 85% of Singaporeans shopping on mobile and over 60% of ecommerce sales coming from mobile devices, a poor mobile experience quickly drives customers away. SMEs often invest in beautiful desktop sites to neglect the mobile-friendly experience. In Singapore’s mobile-first market, a clunky mobile site breaks trust. It costs conversions, no matter how polished your desktop version is.

Common issues include buttons that are too small to tap, layouts that don’t adjust to different screen sizes, and slow or broken checkout flows. These problems frustrate users, make navigation difficult, and increase cart abandonment, especially when pop-ups are hard to dismiss, and images aren't optimised for mobile loading.

Many brands mistakenly believe they need a native app to deliver a great mobile-friendly experience—but that’s not true. A well-designed, mobile-optimised website can offer an excellent user experience without the high development costs and ongoing maintenance of an app.

Steps to fix a poorly optimised mobile site

• Customise for mobile-first user journeys: Don’t just use themes out of the box; modify them or do custom development with a web design company to prioritise mobile user experience with larger touch targets, simplified navigation, and streamlined user flows. For more tips before building your Shopify store, check out our recommended considerations.
• Make sure images are mobile-specific: Some landscape images that look good on a desktop are small and short on mobile, leading to a bad experience. Create separate image sets optimised for mobile aspect ratios and use different images for different screen sizes.
• Make sure text is readable on mobile: Use a minimum 16px font size for body text, ensure sufficient contrast ratios (at least 4.5:1), and test readability across different devices and lighting conditions.
• Implement lazy loading and mobile-specific optimisations: Load images and content as users scroll to improve initial page load times and use mobile-specific optimisations like WebP image format and compressed CSS.
• Test on actual mobile devices weekly: Don’t rely solely on desktop browser developer tools; test on real devices with different screen sizes, operating systems and network conditions.
• Ensure all touch targets are at least 44px: Apple recommends a minimum touch target size of 44px for all interactive elements, including buttons, links, and form fields.

Mistake #2: Prioritising performance marketing over site design

The performance marketing money pit

Adding to the point above, many brands spend heavily on digital marketing ads—often 20-30% of their revenue on Google Ads, Facebook Ads and other paid channels—but send traffic to sites that are not designed or optimised and get bad conversion rates and wasted advertising spend.

Increasing traffic can be a misleading vanity metric for business owners. While high visitor numbers may look impressive on analytics dashboards, they mean little if those visitors don’t convert. It’s like drawing shoppers into a store only for them to walk out immediately. The issue worsens when businesses focus on metrics like click-through rates and cost-per-click, while overlooking more meaningful indicators like conversion rates and customer lifetime value.

As Google and Meta's costs increase year on year—with average cost-per-click rising 15-20% annually in competitive markets like Singapore, brands find themselves in a cycle of increasing ad spending to maintain the same level of sales as business grows. The disconnect between performance marketing spend and website optimisation creates a scenario where businesses pour money into digital marketing services and social media campaigns while losing potential shoppers due to poor user experience, slow loading times, or unclear value propositions.

Steps to fix poorly performing ad spends

• Track metrics that drive business growth: Focus on conversion rate, bounce rate, average order value, and ROAS—not vanity metrics like page views or social media likes.
• Create dedicated landing pages for campaigns: Direct traffic to landing pages tailored to your ad messaging and customer segments instead of sending everyone to the homepage.
• Optimise conversions before scaling paid ads: Improving your conversion rate by 1% is often more valuable than a 20% increase in traffic and is usually more cost-effective.
• Audit the full customer journey from click to checkout: Map out each step a customer takes post-click to identify where they drop off and fix friction points that hurt conversions.

Mistake #3: Slow loading speed

Page speed that costs you sales

Amazon found that every 100ms of delay costs 1% in revenue. The loss is even more critical for SMEs in Singapore’s competitive market. A site that loads in over 3 seconds not only drives customers away but also signals poor web design and hurts your SEO rankings, creating a compound negative effect on your business.

A good website strikes the right balance between user experience and speed. High-quality images and videos can enhance the shopping experience by showcasing products more effectively and building trust. Still, they can also slow down your site's loading time. The same goes for third-party apps. Features like live chat or customer reviews add value, but too many can negatively impact performance.

However, don’t get too caught up with your Google PageSpeed score—it’s just one indicator. It doesn’t always reflect real user experience or conversion rates. Many successful e-commerce brands, especially in fashion, lifestyle, and luxury, prioritise user experience and design over perfect technical scores. A smooth, well-designed site that converts is far more valuable than a 100/100 score that compromises visual appeal or functionality. Compare your performance against direct competitors in your category and focus on real-world loading times experienced by your actual shoppers.

Steps to fix a slow-loading website

• Compress images using WebP format: WebP images are 25-30% smaller than JPEG while maintaining the same quality, and all modern browsers support them.
• Remove third-party apps whenever possible: Audit your installed apps and remove those that aren’t essential; each app adds 200-500ms to loading time.
• Build as much functionality into the website as possible. Custom-coded features typically load faster than third-party apps and integrate more seamlessly with your site’s design. To support long-term growth, partner with a web design agency with the technical expertise to build tailored solutions for your ecommerce business.
• Use faster servers: Use a CDN service or a SaaS ecommerce platform like Shopify, which automatically handles load speed optimisation and uses global CDN servers. A content delivery network helps your website load quickly, regardless of your users' location.
• Implement critical CSS and defer non-essential scripts: Load essential styling first to prevent layout shifts, and delay non-critical JavaScript until after the page loads.
• Enable browser caching for repeat visitors: Set appropriate cache headers so returning visitors don’t need to download the same resources again.
• Work with professionals to optimise your code: Professional web design services can identify and fix performance bottlenecks that are not obvious to business owners.

Mistake #4: Confusing website navigation

Navigation that creates confusion instead of conversions

Visitors leave if they can’t find what they’re looking for quickly. Poor navigation—like cluttered menus, confusing categories, or too many options—creates friction and drives shoppers away.

Common mistakes include structuring navigation based on internal business logic instead of how customers shop, using unfamiliar industry jargon, overwhelming menus with too many items, and lacking a clear visual hierarchy to guide users. Many businesses unknowingly base their navigation on inventory systems rather than the customer experience.

Steps to Simplify and Optimise Site Navigation

• Organise categories based on how customers shop: Structure your site around customer needs, use cases, or occasions rather than internal inventory logic to make navigation more intuitive.
• Limit top-level menu items to 5–7: Reduce cognitive load by keeping your main navigation simple. Users process 5–9 items best without feeling overwhelmed or confused.
• Use search and breadcrumbs: Help users find products faster with intelligent search suggestions and breadcrumb trails that clearly show where they are on your site.
• Use visual hierarchy to declutter the page: Avoid cramming everything above the fold. Guide attention with clear visual cues that prioritise key actions and content.

Mistake #5: Ignoring SEO and Search Visibility

The Invisible Website

Many businesses invest heavily in digital marketing services and paid advertising but neglect the fundamentals of SEO. A beautiful website means little if potential customers can’t find it due to low search engine visibility. SEO is essential for driving organic traffic and boosting brand visibility in search results, where shoppers often compare multiple options before purchasing.

Organic search traffic is often the highest-converting traffic source. Users who find you through search are actively looking for what you offer, making them more likely to convert than users from other traffic sources.

Partnering with a web development agency gives you full control over your website to meet your business needs, combining responsive web design, performance optimisation, and SEO best practices to support your growth goals. Incorporating SEO from the design stage with an experienced web design company is far more effective than adding it later to an existing site.

Steps to improve your website's SEO

• Write meta titles and descriptions that drive clicks: Craft titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160 characters using your target keywords to improve visibility and attract more qualified traffic.
• Optimise product listings with local language: Use detailed, relevant descriptions that include Singapore-specific terms and shopping language to boost your search visibility and drive growth.
• Reach diverse audiences with multilingual support: Build multilingual websites to connect with Singapore’s multicultural market and expand reach into regional audiences through inclusive shopping experiences.
• Add alt text to all product images: Improve accessibility and help search engines understand your visual content by adding clear, keyword-rich alt text to product and lifestyle images.
• Optimise mobile performance for SEO: Ensure your site loads quickly and functions smoothly on mobile devices, as Google prioritises mobile-first indexing in its rankings.
• Secure your site and customer data: Use HTTPS to protect user information and payment information. Visible security features like SSL certificates and trust badges build customer confidence and support SEO performance.

Mistake #6: Weak storytelling and no product confidence

The Generic Brand

Relying purely on product specifications and features misses the mark—especially in a diverse and emotionally driven market like Singapore. Shoppers today, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are not just evaluating a product's utility. They want to know who you are, what you stand for, and how your brand fits into their lives.

Many ecommerce sites read like technical manuals, listing features and specs without explaining benefits or emotional value. This makes it hard to stand out and doesn’t address the deeper motivations behind purchase decisions. Customers aren’t just buying products—they’re buying a better version of their lives or a reflection of who they are.

Without a compelling brand story, you become interchangeable. You end up competing solely on price or surface-level features—which is not sustainable in a saturated market.

Steps to Tell a Better Story

• Highlight product value with context and emotion: Show your products in use, demonstrate their benefits, and let satisfied customers tell their stories through reviews and social proof.
• Tell your brand’s origin and mission: Share your founder’s journey, the challenges you overcame, and the passion behind your products. Authenticity builds emotional connection.
• Create a brand story page that resonates emotionally: Go beyond basic “About Us” content to share your mission, values and the problem you’re solving for customers.
• Extend your story across channels: Use email marketing, social media marketing and various social media channels to enhance customer engagement and storytelling.

Mistake #7: Inconsistent branding and web design

Generic web design that looks cookie-cutter

Using the same off-the-shelf Shopify themes or paid templates as everyone else creates a forgettable experience. It fails to communicate what makes your brand different. Singaporean shoppers gravitate toward brands that look and feel distinct, not cookie-cutter.

Inconsistent branding can appear in mismatched fonts and colours, clashing photography styles, or messaging that don’t align across channels. Without a unified identity, your brand becomes hard to recognise or remember, weakening trust and reducing long-term loyalty.

In a fast-moving market like Singapore, where shoppers are constantly exposed to new options, a diluted or forgettable brand quickly blends into the background noise of generic ecommerce sites.

Steps to create a stronger, memorable brand

• Create a distinct visual identity: Develop custom fonts, colours, and web design elements that reflect your brand’s personality and appeal to your ideal customer.
• Move beyond cookie-cutter templates: Work with a web design company for a custom web design that aligns with your brand values and sets you apart visually and experientially.
• Keep branding consistent everywhere: Apply your visual and messaging identity consistently across your website, ads, email campaigns, packaging, and customer support.

Many brands think they need an app to deliver a good mobile experience. However, a mobile app is only necessary for ecommerce brands if they require advanced features, offline access or want to provide a highly personalised shopping experience beyond what a mobile-optimised website with good web design can offer. For most, a well-optimised mobile site is sufficient to engage users and drive conversions.

Additional considerations for long-term ecommerce success

Software solutions are critical to enable and manage online stores and support seamless operations and customer engagement. These solutions directly contribute to business growth by streamlining processes and supporting expansion. To ensure your ecommerce brand can support that growth, using ecommerce platforms that scales with you is essential. Enterprise solutions like Shopify and ongoing support from a trusted web design company provide the foundation for long-term success. E-commerce integration with other business systems like ERP ensures smoother operations as you expand, while using trusted payment processors like Shopify Payments helps you scale efficiently and securely.

Government grants like the SME Go Digital programme are available through pre-approved PSG vendors to support digital transformation and ecommerce web design projects. To ensure a comprehensive business approach, promoting your business through online stores and investing in digital web marketing services is essential. These, including web design services, web development, search engine optimisation, email marketing, marketing solutions, and customer relationship management—are essential for supporting broader business operations and driving long-term growth.