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Guide · online store diagnosis · by John Kiskipelis
My online store is not selling: the 8 things we check first
“My online store is not selling” is the most common sentence we hear in a first call — and it almost never means one thing. Sometimes nobody comes, sometimes people come and leave, sometimes they buy and at the end of the month there is no profit left. This guide, written by John Kiskipelis from the checks UpCommerce runs on stores of every size in Greece, shows how to find which of the three numbers is failing, the eight things we check first, and what usually is not to blame — before you spend the next euro on advertising.
Which number is failing
Before you look for a culprit: three numbers say where the problem is
A store that is not selling usually has a problem in one of the three, not in all three. You see them in ten minutes in GA4 and in the store’s backend — and from there you know where to look.
Visitors per month, and from where: search, advertising, Skroutz, social, email. If they are few, the problem is promotion — and no redesign fixes it.
Orders divided by visitors, per device. If many come and very few buy, the problem is inside the site or in the price compared with others — and extra advertising magnifies it.
What remains from each order after product, shipping, commissions, returns and advertising. If you sell and do not come out ahead, the problem is the margin — and more sales bring a bigger loss. Online store profitability →
The 8 checks
The eight things we check in an online store that is not selling
They are the same things we check in every intro call and every audit. Most of them need no budget to fix — they need to be seen.
1 · Does the measurement tell the truth?
Before any conclusion: does GA4 count the orders? Does it agree with the backend? Does every channel have its own tracking? Often “not selling” is “not measuring” — and decisions get made on wrong numbers.
2 · Who comes
A thousand visitors from a viral post and a thousand from a product search are not the same. Look at the conversion rate per channel: if advertising brings people who do not buy, the targeting or the product being advertised is at fault, not the site.
3 · The product page
Images that zoom, price and availability visible without scrolling, shipping cost and delivery time next to the button, answers to the questions the customer would ask in a physical store. It is the page where the decision is made.
4 · Price and delivery in comparison
Your customer sees you next to others — on Skroutz, on Google, in two open tabs. A price slightly higher with slower delivery or more expensive shipping loses silently. You do not need to be the cheapest; you need to know where you stand.
5 · The checkout
Mandatory account, shipping cost revealed at the last step, few payment methods, a form that does not work on mobile. See how many start the checkout and how many finish it — if you lose half, this is where the problem is.
6 · Trust
A returns policy in one sentence, a phone that answers, an address, reviews from real customers, secure payment. An unknown store has to prove it exists before anyone hands over their card.
7 · Advertising is judged on margin
A “good ROAS” in the dashboard can be a loss on your margin. If advertising brings orders that leave less than they cost, the store “sells” and does not come out ahead. Work it out: ROAS calculator →
8 · Nobody buys again
If every order is from a new customer, you pay for advertising again and again. Abandoned-cart, welcome and repeat-purchase emails: the cheapest repeat-purchase channel, which often has not been set up. Email marketing for online stores →
The three cases — and what you do in each
The site can be flawless and empty. The answer is promotion: channels where the customer already searches for your product, measured in cost per order, not impressions. How to promote an online store →
A conversion rate below what is expected for your category, especially on mobile. The answer is inside the site: product page, shipping, checkout, trust. More advertising here buys more loss. CRO for online stores →
Revenue going up and cash not following. The answer is in the numbers per category: margin, shipping, commissions, returns, advertising per order. Often two or three categories eat the profit of the rest. Online store profitability →
The most common one. The Online Store Profitability Index is a few-minute test that shows in which of six areas your store stands weakest — before you decide where to put time and money. Take the test →
What is not to blame
What usually is not to blame — and what gets spent for nothing
Five “solutions” we often hear in the first meeting. None is wrong by itself; it is wrong when it comes before the diagnosis.
“It needs more advertising”
If the conversion rate is low, advertising multiplies it: more visitors who leave, at a cost. The budget goes up after the site is fixed, not before.
“It needs a new design”
A redesign solves speed, structure and trust problems — when they exist. It does not bring people and does not fix a price that loses in comparison. Numbers first, then the decision.
“It needs a discount”
A discount lifts revenue and hides the problem for a month. If the margin was already thin, you sell more at a loss — and the customer learns to wait for the next one.
“It’s the platform”
Rarely. Most platforms can sell; the gaps are usually in content, shipping, checkout and measurement, which are settings, not a platform change.
“It needs social media”
Organic presence builds trust; it does not bring orders by itself to a store with a conversion problem. It is measured with the same numbers as every channel — if it does not bring, the algorithm is not to blame.
Online Store Profitability Index
A few-minute test across six areas. It shows where your store stands weakest and where to start — free.
Take the test →E-commerce Profitability Audit
The full check: UI/UX, advertising, business model, legal compliance, Skroutz, payments and shipping. Written report in about 15 days, by the UpCommerce team.
Profitability Audit →Performance marketing
When nobody comes: Google, Meta, Skroutz, email, measured in cost per customer.
Performance marketing →Ads Audit
When advertising runs and does not return: an independent review of Google and Meta Ads, in a separate engagement.
Ads Audit →The next step
First find which number is failing
Open GA4 and the backend and write down three numbers for last month: visitors, orders, what was left. In ten minutes you know whether the problem is promotion, inside the site or the margin — and the guide above tells you where to look next. If you want to see it with your own numbers, the Online Store Profitability Index → is the first step.
If you would rather have someone look at it with you: the UpCommerce team in the 30-minute intro call, or John Kiskipelis as an ecommerce consultant → in a separate engagement, when the question is strategic and not only about channels.
Frequently asked questions about an online store that is not selling
Why is my online store not selling?
Usually for one of three reasons: not enough people come, people come who do not buy, or they buy but no profit is left. The three numbers — visitors, conversion rate, what is left per order — show which of the three applies. Each reason has a different fix, and the wrong fix costs money.
I have visitors but they do not buy. What is wrong?
The conversion rate. Check in order: who comes (from which channel and whether it matches the product), the product page, price and delivery compared with others, the checkout on mobile and the trust signals. In the stores we review, the problem is usually in two or three of these, not all of them.
My online store has no visitors. Where do I start?
From the channels where the customer already searches for your product, measured in cost per order and not impressions — and from measurement, before the first euro. Which channel fits depends on the product and the margin; the guide on promoting an online store explains them one by one.
I sell but I do not make a profit. Why?
Because revenue is not profit. Per category, subtract VAT, product cost, shipping, commissions, returns and advertising per order — and see what is left. Often two or three categories or one advertising channel eat the profit of all the others.
Do I need a new online store to sell?
Rarely. A redesign solves speed, structure and trust when those are the problem. It does not bring people, does not fix a price that loses in comparison and does not fix the margin. First the diagnosis with the numbers, then the decision about platform or design.
If I spend more on advertising, will it sell?
Only if the problem is that nobody comes and the site converts reasonably. If the conversion rate is low, advertising multiplies it at a cost. And with a thin margin, every extra sale grows the loss.
How do I know whether Skroutz or my site is at fault?
Compare the conversion rate per channel. If visitors from Skroutz buy less than the rest, look at price, shipping and delivery as they appear next to the other stores. If everyone buys little, the issue is inside the site.
Can I do the diagnosis myself?
Yes, the three numbers and the eight checks above are enough to see where the problem is. The Online Store Profitability Index does it in a few minutes. UpCommerce’s Profitability Audit is the full written review across six areas, when you want someone to look at it objectively and with an action plan.
