Last week I put myself in the shoes of the customer and it was rough out there.
It's rare for me to be so ready and willing to part with my money, but I had a list, I had intent and I was in full blown "shut up and take my money" mode. Sadly what followed was an unexpected masterclass in friction, a “how-to” in getting between a customer and their wallet, if you will.
Irrelevant landing pages, not being able to find products and bugs - I experienced all of it in the space of a few hours. And because I apparently can't help myself, I then slide into these brands’ DMs.
Here's how it went.
Offender 1: kikki.K
What I wanted to buy: a notebook to keep game scores.
What happened: I searched "cute notebooks," and saw their Google Ad. It didn’t mention notebooks but I know they stock them so I gave the benefit of the doubt on the creative and clicked. It took me to the homepage which was featuring their new bags.
This absolutely reeks of poor PMax setup.
What I told them: Their landing page and ad copy aren't aligned with what people are actually searching for. That’s literal search basics.
Did I give them my money? Absolutely not. Maybe a bigger fan of the brand would have put in the work to find what they were looking for, but the jump from notebooks → bags lost me completely.
Offender 2: The Quirky Cup Collective
What I wanted to buy: Still on the hunt for a good notebook for games night.
What happened: I clicked a shopping ad, loved the look of the products and signed up for the 10% first purchase code. Added everything to my cart, went to checkout - and nothing. Every time I clicked it just wouldn't load. I was stuck in a loop.
What I told them: There's a checkout bug - could be device specific (I have a Pixel, don't come for me). Check your GA4 conversion reports by operating system and device model to see if others are hitting the same wall.
Did they get my money: Yes. I was already invested in the product and then they sent one of the best abandon cart emails I've ever received. But I had to rebuild my cart on desktop to get there, and in doing so I halved my basket value. They got the sale, but left money on the table.
I “broke the curse” and this offender redeemed themselves.
Offender 3: Eliya The Label
What I wanted to buy: A dress for an upcoming movie premiere (Mortal Kombat II, in case you were wondering).
What happened: I saw a video ad with beautiful, vibrant dresses and clicked on a pink one I liked. It took me to new arrivals - so winter-coded it was genuinely jarring. I searched through every new arrivals page and couldn't find the dress anywhere.
What a jump scare! Doesn’t even look like the same brand.
What I told them: The landing page needs updating as the pink dress is no longer a new arrival. Basic mistake and more basic fix.
Did they get my money: No. I was power shopping in a very small window of time and I wasn't about to go digging. The dress is probably somewhere on the site, but that's not my problem.
Final Takeaway
Online shoppers don't owe brands anything.
When they hit friction, most just leave. No DM, no feedback, no second chance - they're just gone. So when someone does reach out, resist the urge to roll your eyes and say "Sorry we couldn't replicate this on our end." That person is trying to hand you money, and there were plenty more like them who didn't bother to say anything.
The silent friction is worth hunting for. Landing page bounce rates from your marketing channels and GA4 conversion reports cut by device and operating system will tell you where people are dropping off without a word.
Hit reply and name a brand you wanted to give your money to until they made it too hard.
Cheers,
Sarah Arvela Webb
Brought to you by a week of underwhelming online shopping.
