An online company store is a strong tool for sales, marketing, and HR. It provides easy access to items like branded swag, uniforms, and digital templates.

When optimized, it boosts efficiency, ensures brand consistency, and helps employees, partners, and franchisees represent your brand effortlessly.

However, many stores fall short, becoming cluttered, underused, or hard to manage. The key difference between a thriving store and a neglected one? Active management and strategic optimization.

10 Reasons Why Online Company Stores Underperform (and How to Fix Them)

If your store isn’t delivering the results you expected, one or more of these common pitfalls might be holding it back:

1. Not Offering Materials the End-User Values

• If the products offered aren’t desirable, relevant, or high quality, then employees, sales reps, or franchisees won’t use the store.
• Potential Fix: Conduct regular surveys and analyze order history to understand what your users actually need. Refresh inventory based on feedback.

2. Holding on to Stale Products That Don’t Turn

• Outdated or unpopular items clog up your store, making it harder for users to find relevant products.
• Potential Fix: Regularly audit product performance. If an item hasn’t moved in six months, replace it with something more relevant.

3. Running Out of Popular Products

• If high-demand items are frequently out of stock, users become frustrated and may stop relying on the store.
• Potential Fix: Use sales data to anticipate demand and establish an automated restocking system.

4. Poor Store Navigation and UX Design

• If users struggle to find what they need, they’ll get frustrated and abandon the store.
• Potential Fix: Improve search functionality, categorize items clearly, and simplify the checkout process.

5. Lack of Awareness or Promotion

• If employees don’t know the store exists or forget about it, usage will be low. New products? New features? Limited time only options? What is on clearance?
• Potential Fix: Promote the store through internal emails, training sessions, and company meetings.

6. Pricing That Discourages Use

• If employees feel the prices are too high, they’ll look for alternatives outside the store.
• Potential Fix: Ensure pricing is competitive and consider offering subsidized options for key stakeholders. Provide Good, Better, Best options to target multiple audiences.

7. No Clear Ordering Guidelines

• Confusion about who can order, how orders are approved, or who pays for them can lead to underuse.
• Potential Fix: Create clear ordering guidelines and communicate them effectively across departments.

8. Inventory That Doesn’t Reflect Branding or Current Campaigns

• If the store's products feel old or out of touch with current marketing, they won't be used.
• Potential Fix: Align store offerings with brand campaigns, seasonal events, and corporate messaging.

9. No Data-Driven Decision Making

• If inventory decisions are based on assumptions rather than real data, the store will be inefficient.
• Potential Fix: Leverage analytics to track top-performing items, identify trends, and adjust product offerings accordingly.

10. Lack of Active Management

• If no one is responsible for regularly updating and optimizing the store, it will stagnate. All stores (online and brick & mortar) must be refreshed and actively merchandised to stay fresh.
• Potential Fix: Assign a dedicated team to actively manage and refine the store.

The Key to Success: Active Management and Continuous Optimization

An online company store isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ solution. Without active management, even the best-designed stores will struggle to reach their full potential. By regularly evaluating product performance, listening to user feedback, and aligning offerings with company needs, you can transform your store into a high-value resource for your organization.

At Symphonix, we specialize in developing, merchandising, and actively managing online company stores that truly work for our clients. Our hands-on approach ensures that your store remains optimized, engaging, and valuable to all intended users. If you’re ready to take your branded materials to the next level, let’s connect and explore how we can build a custom solution that meets your needs. Whether you stay where you are or consider a move, we would be happy to help you.