Said It Here

Why won't people buy from my new online store?

Visitors like the product and leave positive feedback, but the site fails to convert them because it lacks an immersive brand world and prominent customer reviews. Without a compelling brand identity beyond basic product photos, potential buyers and future partners hesitate to trust the new business enough to make a purchase.

Overview
People affected6 accounts across 4 forums
Workarounds found18 items attempted
Community agreement13 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

18 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Lowering prices
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    Planning to highlight customer reviews
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    Considering a differentiation strategy
    Did this help you?
  4. 4
    Posting product pictures consistently
    Did this help you?
  5. 5
    Hiring visual designers, copywriters, or a branding agency
    Did this help you?
  6. 6
    Setting up a simple website or landing page with contact details, policies, and secure payment options
    Did this help you?
  7. 7
    Using Instagram DMs initially just to test demand
    Did this help you?
  8. 8
    building in public videos
    Did this help you?
  9. 9
    simple talking head videos
    Did this help you?
  10. 10
    loom videos demonstrating the product
    Did this help you?
  11. 11
    founder led sales
    Did this help you?
  12. 12
    setting up clear policies
    Did this help you?
  13. 13
    providing detailed photos
    Did this help you?
  14. 14
    communicating quickly
    Did this help you?
  15. 15
    putting your face behind the business
    Did this help you?
  16. 16
    Filming a workshop tour showing tools, workbenches, and half-finished pieces to prove legitimacy.
    Did this help you?
  17. 17
    Providing a video of the step-by-step making process from drawing to finished product.
    Did this help you?
  18. 18
    Building an independent business website alongside marketplace shops to establish an official brand presence.
    Did this help you?
Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/smallbusiness3 people · September 2026 – October 2026

“I have a few sells but I struggle to build my credibility towards future partners … everyone says the product is good, smells good (essential oils) the website is but no purchase. I lowered the price and still nothing….”source ↗

Visual-Squirrel-7086 · r/smallbusiness · 3 upvotes

“I run an online collectibles business, and new buyers are naturally cautious when a seller doesn’t have a long review history. For anyone who has been through that stage, what helped most early on?”source ↗

Bourbon_Bullion_Coin · r/smallbusiness · 3 upvotes

“Recently, my friends and I started a business, but we are struggling to actually create a brand world. We are posting consistently, but for our product, which is kind of weird, I don't think it would sell just by posting product pictures.”source ↗

Tadbit007 · r/smallbusiness · 2 upvotes

“Yes I was thinking this too : I need to highlight better customer reviews on the front page”source ↗

Visual-Squirrel-7086 · r/smallbusiness · 1 upvotes
r/ecommerce1 person · September 2026

“At $200+, people need trust more than artificial scarcity.”source ↗

rsc9422 · r/ecommerce · 2 upvotes
r/Entrepreneur1 person · October 2026

“You answered your own question. It’s about trust and nobody trusts AI content right now.”source ↗

edkang99 · r/Entrepreneur · 1 upvotes
r/Etsy1 person · October 2026

“I'm a small jeweler in India, and I'm trying to understand what it would take for a buyer abroad to trust a shop like mine.”source ↗

Alternative-Pay-447 · r/Etsy · 1 upvotes

“The hard part with made-to-order jewellery is trust. The buyer pays before the piece exists, and the seller is far away.”source ↗

Alternative-Pay-447 · r/Etsy

Where this came up

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