Websites | Part 2: eCommerce

Part 2 of our 4-part Website focused episode In this episode, our hosts Daniel McGowan (Head of Digital Marketing) and Rashan Senanayake (Head of Design turn their attention to e-commerce websites and the very different pressures they place on design, systems, and decision-making. Unlike service websites, an e-commerce site is where money changes hands. That single difference shifts everything. Design choices affect conversion rates, platform choices affect operations, and small points of friction can directly impact revenue. Daniel frames e-commerce as both a marketing and business-systems problem, explaining why many online stores struggle despite strong products or high traffic. Abandoned carts, confusing checkout flows, unclear delivery expectations, and missing trust signals often do more damage than poor advertising ever could. Rashan unpacks why e-commerce design is a specialised skill, from mapping purchase journeys to integrating payments, inventory, fulfilment, and automated customer communication. They also discuss why platforms like Shopify have become dominant for small businesses, not because they are trendy, but because they reduce technical risk and ongoing maintenance. This episode is designed for business owners who want to sell online in a way that is reliable, scalable, and operationally sound, rather than discovering too late that their website is creating friction, compliance risks, or manual work behind the scenes.