By Expert Panel

This article originally published in Forbes Agency Council

E-commerce brands face unique marketing challenges, from rising acquisition costs and attribution issues to platform integration hiccups and market saturation. Successfully navigating these obstacles is a constant effort that requires innovative strategies tailored to an always-evolving customer base and digital landscape.

Here, 19 members of Forbes Agency Council share proven solutions to some of the most pressing pain points their e-commerce clients encounter. Online sellers can use their recommended tactics to maximize their impact and long-term profitability.

1. Build Custom Content And High-Trust Backlinks

When looking at SEO for e-commerce websites, we find that the competition level in the space is extremely competitive. Building trust with Google without breaking the bank takes time and energy. We need to build custom content and high-trust backlinks to show Google our expertise. – Chris Siebeneck, Upward Engine

2. Use First-Party Tools For Accurate Attribution

A major pain point for our e-commerce clients is inaccurate attribution due to ad platforms relying on modeled data. We solve this by using first-party tools that track real user behavior across channels. This gives clients a clear, real-time view of return on ad spend and performance so they can scale what works and stop relying on guesswork. – Chris Gutierrez, Dealer Blue Sky

3. Address Negative Brand Commentary On Reddit

Many direct-to-consumer brands end up on Reddit through misguided reviews. A curious buyer, a troll or even a competitor will pose a product question and end it with, “Are they a scam?” This leads to the worst commentary you could receive attached to your brand, creating a negative feedback loop. We typically see this with e-commerce brands, DTC stores and digital retailers. – Yousif Yalda, Full Stack Clarity

4. Diversify Strategies To Reduce Reliance On Paid Media

We often see e-commerce clients caught by the “golden handcuffs” of paid media. Even as costs increase and returns diminish, they feel compelled to pump more budget into paid channels to keep sales flowing. Our advice is to improve CRM marketing and diversify sales sources. This enables them to confidently lower reliance on paid channels and regain control of their marketing budgets. – Nikos Lemanis, Luxid

5. Prioritize Retention And Smarter Paid Media Tactics

Rising customer acquisition costs are a major pain point for e-commerce marketers, so focusing on retention strategies—email and SMS flows, loyalty programs and content that builds brand affinity—is key. Equally important is refining paid media with smarter segmentation and creative testing to help drive more efficient growth. – Jeff Kaplan, TARA Media

6. Shift From Transactional To Emotional Storytelling

A big pain point for e-commerce companies is standing out in an oversaturated, price-driven market. That reality is made more complex by the uncertainty of the current economic climate. We help them shift from transactional to emotional storytelling, helping them connect with customers through values, not just discounts. The result is stronger loyalty, higher lifetime value and a memorable brand. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

7. Leverage Influencer Marketing For Market Expansion

Scaling to new markets is a significant challenge. Raising brand awareness among new audiences or localizing to cultural peculiarities requires a strategic approach, and influencer marketing can be a part of it. Influencers are able to convey the value of an e-commerce brand organically in the local language, taking into account the cultural characteristics of the audience. – Michael Kuzminov, HypeFactory

8. Consolidate Customer Data Across Platforms

A distinct pain point for e-commerce clients is tracking and understanding customer behavior across multiple platforms. To resolve this, I implement integrated analytics tools that consolidate data from various sources, allowing for a clearer picture of customer journeys. This helps broaden marketing strategies, personalize experiences and improve overall conversion rates. – Robert Nikic, Why Unified

9. Optimize Ad Spend With AI And Audience Insights

Putting ad spend in the right places is key. We pinpoint valuable audiences, the highest-performing creatives and the best channels for acquiring and converting customers. Doing all this manually (with speed) is nearly impossible, so we leverage technology and AI to streamline at scale, focusing on gathering and leveraging all available data (ethically) to give our e-commerce clients an advantage. – Bernard May, National Positions

10. Invest In Brand Building To Improve Performance Metrics

A major pain point is the rising cost of performance (cost per click and cost per acquisition). One client spending $80 million annually on paid search was consistently outbid by competitors. We resolved this by advising them to shift budget away from an exclusive lower-funnel focus, investing instead in upper-funnel brand building. A strong brand creates tailwinds, improving overall lower-funnel campaign performance metrics. – Anthony Chiaravallo, Vallo Media

11. Align Metrics With Strategic Marketing Goals

Pain points include internal teams or other vendor partners pushing tactics that optimize for the metric, not what it’s meant to measure, driven by pressure to prove ROI fast. It’s Goodhart’s Law: short-term spikes, long-term risk. We work to reframe the ask, map behavior and build multi-tactic, integrated plans to enforce accountability. This alignment drives clarity, effectiveness and, most importantly, staying power. – Shanna Apitz, Hunt Adkins

12. Integrate Upsells And Cross-Sells Seamlessly

One distinct pain point is driving effective upsells and cross-sells. Many clients struggle to align these strategies naturally within the customer journey. We resolve this by designing user experiences that seamlessly integrate product recommendations based on behavior, increasing conversion without disrupting the flow. The key is to not interrupt and distract the user from their path. – Goran Paun, ArtVersion

13. Improve Website Speed To Retain Customers

E-commerce clients lose customers to slow websites (that is, three-plus seconds load time). We identify core issues like bloated JavaScript, unoptimized images or conflicting third-party integrations. We provide solutions like image compression, content delivery network integration and code optimization to significantly improve performance and retain customers. This also ensures faster loading times and a better user experience. – Meeky Hwang, Ndevr, Inc

14. Make Use Of Data To Drive Loyalty And Conversions

One of the big pain points for e-commerce clients is making use of the data that they have to better understand the customers’ situation and needs. Analyzing data, both browsing and purchase information, as well as building data-driven programmatic emails, is crucial to increasing loyalty and grabbing a bigger share of the customers’ wallets. – Mike Maynard, Napier Partnership Limited

15. Develop An Authentic Brand Voice For Deeper Connections

In the e-commerce world, standing out in a sea of competition is a common challenge. We solve this by focusing on authenticity, helping brands develop a voice that feels genuine and impactful. By utilizing personalized experiences and leveraging customer data, we create meaningful connections that lead to increased brand loyalty, higher engagement and, ultimately, better conversions. – Jacquelyn LaMar Berney, VI Marketing and Branding

16. Redesign Product Pages For Higher Conversions

One big pain point is high traffic and low conversion. E-commerce brands are great at getting clicks, but they lose the sale on the landing page. Our fix is simple: We redesign the experience with storytelling-driven product pages, clear hierarchy and emotional hooks. It’s not just UX; it’s persuasion architecture that turns browsers into buyers. – Curtis Priest, Pixelcarve Inc.

17. Unify Customer Data To Enhance Targeting

Many e-commerce brands struggle with fragmented customer data, obscuring clear insights. I address this by consolidating all channel data into one dashboard. This clarity streamlines ad spending and sharpens targeting, leading to more efficient conversion strategies. – Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions

18. Ensure POS Systems Integrate With Front-End Websites

Clients often select a point-of-sale system without considering the integration with their front-end website. A great POS is not worth using if it cannot seamlessly integrate with a proven front-end website through an existing API or pathway. We’ve run into the same issue countless times. Our solution is to either consult with them up front on the best options for their needs or create an API for them. – Terry Zelen, Zelen Communications

19. Optimize For Long-Tail Keyword Variants To Increase Profit Margins

Many e-commerce brands are now focused on profit margins. The best way to increase margins is to increase direct sales. While most e-commerce brands rank No. 1 for their “exact” product keyword, they may not rank No. 1 for long-tail brand, product and model keyword variants. If you’re a reseller, find those long-tail brand variants, since most brands focus only on exact names (such as FAQs, blogs and linking). – Daniel Kamen, Serial Scaling