E-commerce without a strategy – a costly mistake that hinders business growth

What does a company lose when e-commerce decisions are made at the operational level?

Lack of strategic approach to e-commerce
In many organizations, the development of e-commerce is subordinated to ongoing operational activities. Decisions about technology, platform functionality, promotions, or product range are made at the level of specialists or mid-level managers. E-commerce then functions as just one of many projects handled within daily tasks – without a long-term vision, development roadmap, or cohesive strategy. Meanwhile, the role of the online channel in the sales structure is growing steadily, and its impact on the overall functioning of the company is becoming increasingly complex.

E-commerce as a foundation, not just a sales channel
A modern e-commerce platform is much more than an online shop. It is a central hub of data, processes, and system integrations – a point where purchasing, logistics, marketing, customer service, and business analytics converge. Treating e-commerce solely as an order-fulfillment tool reduces its role to a technical function. In reality, a well-designed e-commerce ecosystem can shape the product offering, influence pricing strategy, enable new sales models (such as B2B or subscriptions), and support international expansion.

Consequences of operational-level decision-making
One of the main consequences of operational e-commerce management is fragmentation. Individual departments optimize their work in isolation – marketing launches campaigns and integrations without consulting IT, sales adjusts promotions without logistics coordination, and purchasing decisions ignore insights from the online platform. This leads to internal inconsistency, implementation delays, and increased maintenance costs.

Another consequence is technological debt. Temporary solutions are implemented to meet immediate needs – new integrations, external plugins, automations operated by third-party tools. Without a central technology strategy, the whole system becomes difficult to maintain, expensive, and inflexible. Over time, the company ends up investing twice – first in provisional solutions, and later in fixing or replacing them.

Wasted data potential
One of the biggest losses resulting from an operational approach to e-commerce is the failure to use data generated by the platform. Information about user behavior, most-viewed categories, conversions, abandoned carts, or campaign effectiveness can be an invaluable source of business insights. However, without strategic-level involvement, this data is not analyzed systematically. As a result, decisions are made based on intuition or limited departmental views rather than facts.

Lack of readiness for scaling and change
Companies that develop e-commerce solely at the operational level are often unprepared for major shifts: entering new markets, launching a B2B platform, activating a marketplace channel, or changing the sales model. They lack system architecture, technological flexibility, and team capacity. Scaling then requires a full reorganization of IT infrastructure, logistics processes, and integration with ERP, PIM, or CRM systems. Every change comes with additional costs, delays, and risk.

What do companies gain from strategic e-commerce management?
Organizations that make e-commerce decisions at the executive level build advantages in several key areas. Above all, they gain a coherent development vision, clearly defined goals, and measurable outcomes. E-commerce becomes an integrated part of the business model, not a siloed initiative. Technology supports company objectives rather than working against them. Departmental collaboration improves, and processes are designed with scalability and adaptability in mind.

A strategic approach also means a higher return on investment. Companies know what they are investing in and why – every decision is tied to a broader development plan and analytics. Team building, selecting technology partners, and designing system architecture are all done with both current needs and future challenges in mind. This allows e-commerce to respond dynamically to market and consumer changes without needing a total rebuild every two years.

How to move from operational to strategic management?
The first step is to audit the current state – analyzing the platform, team, integrations, processes, and sales performance. Next, it’s essential to engage the executive team and department leaders in developing a shared vision for e-commerce growth. It’s also crucial to define a roadmap that takes into account both business objectives and technological capabilities. At this stage, choosing an experienced implementation partner is key – one that not only understands technology but also grasps the logic of modern digital commerce.

The benefits of planned growth
Companies that treat e-commerce as just another operational task pay a high price in missed opportunities. Lack of a coherent strategy, fragmented implementations, untapped data potential, and limited scalability are just some of the issues that hinder growth. In contrast, organizations that make e-commerce decisions at the executive level are able to design their online presence in a deliberate, scalable way aligned with their long-term business vision.

At CREHLER, we support companies that want to move beyond reactive e-commerce management. We help design technology environments based on real needs, scale sales operations, and turn online channels into engines of growth. If you feel your current e-commerce setup is falling short, it’s time to ask: who is really making the decisions about its future?