After working with thousands of small business sellers, certain mistakes come up again and again. They're rarely dramatic — no one decides to run their business badly. But these small, fixable errors quietly cost sellers customers and revenue every single day.
Here are 7 of the most common ones, and what to do instead.
Mistake 1: Hiding Your Prices
"DM for price" is the single most common selling mistake among Indonesian small business sellers.
The reasoning behind it is understandable: sellers fear competitors seeing their prices, or want the flexibility to negotiate. But the reality is that most customers who see "DM for price" don't DM — they leave and find a seller who shows their prices.
The fix: Put your prices on every product. If prices vary by quantity or customization, show a "starting from" price. Visible prices remove friction and increase conversion.
Mistake 2: Only One Product Photo
A single photo gives customers one angle and leaves too many questions unanswered. What does the back look like? How big is it? What's the texture?
The fix: Upload at least 3–4 photos per product: front, side/angle, close-up detail, and in-use or in-context shot. Multiple photos increase purchase confidence significantly.
Mistake 3: Product Names That Don't Describe the Product
Product names like "Brownies A1" or "Package 3" tell customers nothing. They have to read the full description — which most won't — just to understand what they're looking at.
The fix: Use descriptive product names. "Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies – Box of 9" or "Oversized Linen Shirt – Sage Green" tells customers exactly what they're looking at before they click.
Mistake 4: Inconsistent Response Times
Replying instantly when you're available, then going silent for 12 hours when you're busy, creates uncertainty. Customers who can't reach you in a reasonable time window will go elsewhere.
The fix: Set a WhatsApp auto-reply that tells customers your response hours: "Hi! We reply to messages between 8am–9pm daily. We'll get back to you shortly." Expectations set in advance reduce frustration.
Mistake 5: No Way to Browse Your Full Product Range
If the only way to see all your products is to scroll through your Instagram feed or ask you to list them in a message, you're losing customers who want to browse before deciding.
The fix: Create a digital catalog page where all your products are visible at once, organized and searchable. Your Catalo.id store does exactly this — one link, all your products, always available.
Mistake 6: Inconsistent Product Quality
The second order is as important as the first. A customer who orders and receives something different from what they expected — in quality, appearance, or quantity — may not order again. Inconsistency is the silent killer of repeat business.
The fix: Develop and follow a consistent production process. Document your recipes, specifications, or assembly process so every unit is predictable. Quality control every batch before delivery.
Mistake 7: No Follow-Up After Delivery
Most sellers' relationship with a customer ends at delivery. Payment received, order sent, done. This misses the highest-value moment for building long-term loyalty.
The fix: Send a short WhatsApp message 1–2 days after delivery: "Hi [name], hope you're enjoying your [product]! Let us know if everything was great. We'd love to hear from you 😊"
This serves multiple purposes:
- Catches any problems before they become negative word-of-mouth
- Creates an opening to ask for a review or testimonial
- Keeps your business top-of-mind for the customer's next purchase
The Common Thread
All 7 mistakes share a common thread: they create friction or uncertainty for the customer. Every unnecessary question, every moment of doubt, every unanswered DM is a small chance for a potential customer to leave and not come back.
Fixing even 2–3 of these in the next week will have a measurable impact on your conversion rate and repeat purchase rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really that bad to hide prices?
For online selling, yes. Studies consistently show that product pages with visible prices have significantly higher conversion rates. The customers you think you're protecting with hidden prices are mostly just leaving.
What if I genuinely can't afford to fix all of these right now?
Prioritize. Fix Mistake 1 (show prices) and Mistake 5 (create a catalog page) first — they have the highest impact on conversion for the least effort.
Do these mistakes apply to all product types?
Most of them, yes. The specific fixes may look different for a food seller vs. a fashion seller, but the underlying principles — clarity, consistency, accessibility — apply universally.
You don't need to fix everything at once. Pick the mistake that resonates most, fix it this week, then move to the next one. Small, consistent improvements compound into a dramatically better business over time.