In the world of e-commerce and brand websites, it’s easy to get swept up in shiny, “must-have” features. Trends shift fast, competitors launch cool new tools, and before you know it, you’re convinced your site needs to do everything all at once.
But here’s the truth: many features brands insist they need end up collecting dust — draining budgets, slowing down sites, and distracting teams from what actually drives conversions.
Below are the most common features businesses think they need… but rarely use to their full potential.
1. Fully Custom-Built Theme When a Premium Theme Would Do
A custom theme sounds glamorous — until you realize the cost, maintenance, and technical overhead.
For many brands, a high-quality premium Shopify theme paired with light customizations:
- performs better,
- is easier to update,
- and is far more cost-effective.
Unless your business model demands unique, complex functionality, a custom theme often becomes more burden than benefit.
2. Interactive Animations and Complex Visual Effects
Brands love the idea of sleek animations — scrolling parallax, animated icons, dynamic image reveals. But in practice:
- They slow down site speed
- They rarely influence purchase decisions
- They’re expensive to maintain
Most users care more about fast load times and clear product value than artistic flourishes.
3. Build-Your-Own Product Customizers
Product customizers look impressive, but unless customization is central to your business (e.g., engraved jewelry, custom apparel), these tools are often:
- expensive to build
- underused by customers
- prone to technical issues
Worse, they often become a distraction from the core buying experience.
4. Blog Megasites With Dozens of Categories
Content marketing is valuable. But many brands launch large, complex blog hubs before they have the bandwidth to produce regular content.
What usually happens?
- Categories remain empty
- Posts become outdated
- Blogs turn into digital graveyards
A simpler, well-maintained blog with a clear content strategy performs better every time.
5. Loyalty Programs Without a Retention Strategy
Brands often want a loyalty program because “everyone has one.” But without:
- a clear incentive structure,
- ongoing promotions,
- email automation, and
- real value for members…
…a loyalty program ends up unused and forgotten. It’s a strategy, not a switch you can flip.
6. Excessive App Integrations
Apps feel like easy wins — install one, get instant features. But over-installing apps:
- slows down your store
- creates version conflicts
- complicates troubleshooting
- increases recurring costs
In the end, most brands actively use only a fraction of the apps they pay for.
7. Live Chat With No One to Manage It
Adding a chat widget is easy. Managing it is not.
Many brands quickly discover:
- customers expect rapid real-time replies
- the team doesn’t have the bandwidth
- chat becomes another abandoned channel
In many cases, a well-built help center or clear FAQ performs better.
8. Overbuilt Mega Menus
Complex mega menus look impressive in mockups, but customers often just get overwhelmed.
If you’re not a retailer with hundreds of SKUs, simpler navigation leads to better conversions.
9. User Accounts for Stores That Don’t Need Them
A full customer login system seems essential — until analytics show:
- most customers prefer guest checkout
- login friction kills conversions
- managing account-related support requests consumes time
If there’s no compelling reason to force account creation, skip it.
10. Custom CMS Sections for Every Possible Content Type
Brands often request unique CMS templates for every page type.
But most end up using:
- only a few sections regularly
- the same layouts repeatedly
- generic content structures that don’t require custom development
Too many custom templates just create clutter in the admin.
Why Brands Overestimate Their Feature Needs
There are a few predictable reasons:
1. Competitor Pressure
“If they have it, we need it too.”
But you don’t know whether it’s actually performing for them.
2. Overvaluing Novelty Over Practicality
Shiny, new features feel exciting — but excitement doesn’t equal ROI.
3. Misunderstanding Customer Behavior
Brands imagine ideal user journeys.
Actual users take the fastest path from A to B.
4. Not Considering Long-Term Maintenance
A feature isn’t “set it and forget it.”
Every new tool requires upkeep, monitoring, and a purpose.
What Brands Actually Benefit From
Instead of bloated features, high-performing websites tend to excel in:
- Fast load times
- Clear navigation
- Trust-building UX (reviews, social proof, policies)
- High-quality product pages
- Simple, clean design
- Effective email/SMS automation
- Conversion-focused optimization
- Reliable analytics
These foundational elements drive real revenue — and don’t go underused.
Final Thoughts
A great website isn’t about having the most features — it’s about having the right ones.
Before adding anything new, ask:
- Will customers actually use this?
- Does this improve the buying experience?
- Can our team maintain it?
- Does this drive revenue or efficiency?
Often, less truly is more.
