The Challenges Of Content Marketing For eCommerce Brands

Creating great content has many benefits. However, keeping a successful content strategy is a different challenge. This is especially true when resources are limited; your position in the business can also be tricky if your responsibility is broad and spread thinly across verticals.

Gathering focus, momentum, and cadence is key, as is making time to reflect and analyse content performance. It’s just as important to optimise content as it is to create it.

My thoughts below are not just about blog admin. They are about understanding the wider impact content has on your eCommerce business. When we absolutely nail this, your content strategy helps SEO. It builds authority and improves visibility in search results. It also connects your product with the audience, making the buying journey shorter.

I’ve been writing and creating content to support marketing since early in my career, with my first professional experience of content strategy being one that managed to hook some big fish, the likes of Nokia and Manchester United as clients in the late 90s. Ouch!

Whether I’ve been agency-side, in-house, or now back in an agency at blubolt, the same challenges pop up time and again. If you’re reading this, you’ll surely have experienced the same issues, so perhaps ping the link to this blog to your CMO or CEO - I’m more than happy for you to use this to evidence your challenges too. Here are some of the challenges I’ve we’ve faced and seen others face, along with some ways to perhaps overcome them.

1. Content fatigue.

Coming up with fresh, engaging content ideas consistently is one of the biggest hurdles. We all start strong, but often run out of steam within months.

There are some straightforward tactics that can help. Build a content calendar that aligns with product launches, seasonal trends and customer FAQs. This gives you a checklist and plan to work from.

Don't forget to check reviews, support tickets, and competitor content. You can often find new ideas right in front of you.

This planning saves time. It also helps link your content to business chances and larger marketing ideas.

2. Balancing content & commerce.

It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve seen across teams, finding that sweet spot between useful content and product promotion. If there is too much product focus, it feels like a hard sell. Too much educational content, and you risk missing the commercial opportunity.

I tend to approach this with the 80/20 rule – 80% informative, helpful content and 20% promotional. Weave product mentions into content that’s genuinely useful. A buying guide or trend report, for example, can naturally feature products without feeling forced. Soft CTAs like “Explore our collection” can gently nudge readers toward conversion without breaking the flow.

Content like this builds topical relevance too. It supports your authority in your niche, especially when linked into product pages and key SEO landing pages.

3. Scaling without burning out.

Creating content for different audiences is powerful, but it can also feel overwhelming. Different interests, buying stages, product preferences – how do you keep up?

Start by segmenting your email list and recommending blog content based on behaviour. Use Shopify’s tagging system to create content buckets (e.g. skincare tips, men’s fashion, home styling), and surface these based on browsing patterns. AI-driven tools can help, but even basic segmentation can elevate relevance and drive more engagement.

More than that, personalisation connects content strategy to retention, giving your audience a reason to stay engaged post-purchase.

4. Converting blog readers into customers.

Engagement is great, but at the end of the day, we’re here to drive sales. A well-written blog can build trust and awareness, but without clear next steps, readers might never convert.

Simple tweaks make a difference. Include inline CTAs or highlight related products in a way that feels natural. Use features like embedded product carousels, “shop the look” widgets, or even just a well-placed button at the end of the post. Make it easy for readers to take action.

Tracking these actions lets you link content performance to product performance. This is an important step for creating effective content clusters and measuring real value.

5. Maintaining consistency when time is tight.

This one hits hard – everyone starts with energy, but when the day-to-day takes over, blogging often drops down the priority list. I know this as I’m drafting this article late on Friday evening, but it's okay to drop the ball occasionally, right?

That said, we all know the trick is to plan ahead, not on the fly. Build a three-month plan and create in batches where you can. Use scheduling tools like Shopify’s built-in planner or third-party apps to stay on track. Be realistic – it’s better to publish one quality piece a month than to burn out while trying to finish weekly posts.

Consistency builds topic clusters. Topic clusters drive topical authority. This is where our SEO value grows over time.

6. Knowing what’s working & measuring ROI.

Blogging is often seen as a top-of-funnel activity, so proving its impact on sales and revenue can be difficult. But just because attribution is complex doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Use UTM tags on internal links and track click-throughs to product pages in Google Analytics. Keep an eye on bounce rates, time on page and assisted conversions.

Tracking every user's journey perfectly is almost impossible for most brands. However, you can see trends over time. This is true, especially when content helps users get closer to a purchase.

Data like this helps confirm that our keyword strategy is working. It lets us focus on the topics that attract high-intent traffic.

7. Juggling content with everything else.

If you’re a small team – or a team of one – blogging can feel like another job on top of an already long to-do list. Customer support, stock management, trading updates, and reporting squeeze out the enjoyment of writing content.

When this happens, prioritise efficiency. Create outlines in advance. Use voice notes or dictation tools to capture ideas on the go, and feed your thoughts into AI. There’s nothing I like more than having a conversation with ChatGPT to build out a draft article based on my thoughts and experience on a topic. If it makes sense and you have the budget, bring in a freelance writer or partner agency to support production.

Oh, and remember, not every post needs to be 1,000 words. Short-form content, product-focused articles or quick tips can still deliver amazing value to a brand.

Conquering the content challenge.

Each of these challenges is real, you know that as much as I do, but you also know none of them are deal breakers. As I mentioned earlier, artificial intelligence can help save you time when researching, drafting, and proofreading. With the right mindset, structure, and a level of support, you can make content marketing a strong advantage for your Shopify website.

Looking for eCommerce support?

We’re blubolt, the Centra and Shopify Plus agency that helps brands extract maximum value from their digital marketing investment through superior conversion and brand experience. Explore our expert services and browse our client work for eCommerce inspiration, or get in touch for a chat about your eCommerce requirements. We would love to help!