DGAS stands for Don’t Give A Shit and it’s the most common, least discussed problem in e-commerce. Stores don’t fail because of ads, shipping, competition, or “the algorithm.” They fail because nobody involved actually cares — and it shows everywhere.
The Hidden Plague of E-Commerce
The myth is that e-commerce fails because it’s too competitive or too technical. The reality is simpler and more uncomfortable: most people involved just don’t give a shit.
You see it in broken product pages, unanswered emails, vague policies, generic templates, abandoned analytics, and stores that clearly haven’t been used by their own owners in years.
What DGAS Looks Like in Shop Owners
Product-obsessed but customer-blind
Some owners deeply care about the product but completely ignore the shopping experience. They assume that if the product is good enough, everything else will take care of itself. It won’t.
Money-obsessed but brand-indifferent
Others just want revenue. They don’t care about the customer, the brand, or the long game. The store becomes a thin wrapper around a checkout button.
Common symptoms include copy-pasted AI descriptions, low-effort design, unclear policies, and zero interest in retention.
Burnout and learned apathy
Some owners used to care. Then the chaos set in. Over time, caring got replaced with “good enough,” and the store slowly started bleeding out. They blame the easy targets, but never consider that the fact they no longer give a shit is becoming apparent to the customer.
More Ads. More Marketing
Marketing and ads can move the needle, but it cannot combat all of the other issues. The United States has 330M customers, but 50 bad reviews can sink your company. Treat the 50 like royalty and enjoy the 330M.
What DGAS Looks Like in Employees and Contractors
The bare-minimum problem
Tasks get completed, but nothing is owned. People do exactly what’s asked and nothing more.
The “not my job” culture
No one owns the full customer journey. Site speed, product accuracy, checkout friction, support issues — everyone assumes someone else is handling it.
Outsourcing to people who DGAS even less
Cheap help follows instructions but doesn’t think. The hard truth is you can outsource skills, but you can’t outsource caring.
How You Know Someone Actually GAFs
People who give a shit are obvious. They do the following:
- Fix things you didn’t ask them to fix.
- Check the site on mobile.
- Notice friction and it bothers them.
- Advocate for the customer.
- Want to streamline and improve things. eCommerce should be easy. You’re competing with AMAZON.
They understand that caring isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s a long term growth and revenue strategy. Better experience leads to higher retention, fewer support tickets, stronger referrals, and higher lifetime value.
Why DGAS Is So Common
E-commerce is sold as easy money, so people show up expecting a vending machine.
There are no immediate consequences for not caring. DGAS doesn’t explode — it leaks profit slowly.
And the work itself is unglamorous. E-commerce success is mostly detail work, repetition, and maintenance. A lot of people quit emotionally long before they quit officially.
How to Build a Team That Actually GAFs
Hire curiosity, not résumés. You can train skills. You can’t train “I give a shit.”
Give ownership, not chores. Someone should own speed. Someone should own product pages. Someone should own customer experience.
Reward outcomes, not activity. Conversion improvements, retention, faster response times — those matter.
And fire DGAS fast. Apathy spreads. “Good enough” becomes culture if you let it.
The DGAS Test for Your Store
- Would you buy from your own site today on your phone?
- Is it obvious what you sell and why it matters?
- Does anyone check the store daily with real intent?
- Does someone own the customer journey end-to-end?
If any of those answers are no, DGAS is already at work.
Final Thought
E-commerce isn’t hard. It’s just boring.
Most competitors are running on DGAS by default. If you can care more than the other guy — consistently — you win. Not because you’re smarter, but because you actually do or manage the boring stuff.. and care about your customers and their experience.
It’s common that Ecommerce companies dont even look at their competition. Why? Don’t ask me.
As a microagency that does a lot of eCommerce Foxco does give a shit– only if you do too.
One last thing:
Foxco has a huge multinational client where a .25% increase in conversion rate means big money and we hit that target every month. But for most eCommerce companies GAS could increase your conversion rate ROAS and CPA AOV etc drastically… and in our estimation it’s only about 10-15% more effort.
We’ve stopped working with clients who DGAS, it’s just not worth it.