Why Caching Can Be Problematic for E-commerce Sites

Why Caching Can Be Bad for Ecommerce Sites

Caching is widely used to improve website speed by storing static versions of pages. However, for ecommerce sites, caching can cause serious functional issues because they rely on dynamic content that updates frequently. Below are key reasons why caching can be problematic for ecommerce sites and how to handle or deployed properly as to not impact your sales.

1️⃣ Cart and Checkout Pages Need to Be Dynamic

Issue: Ecommerce platforms generate unique session data for each customer, including their cart items, billing info, and order details.

If a checkout page is cached, customers might see outdated, inconsistent or incorrect cart contents.

Example: A user adds an item to their cart. If the cart page is cached, it may show an old version of the cart or even another user's cart contents.

✅ Solution: Exclude checkout, cart, and account pages from caching.

2️⃣ User-Specific Data Can Be Cached and Exposed

Issue: Ecommerce sites display personalized data such as:

• Cart contents
• Logged-in user information
• Order history

If caching is enabled, the site might serve another user’s session data, creating security risks.

Example: A customer logs in, views their order history, and leaves the page. If caching is enabled, the next visitor may see the previous customer's order details.

✅ Solution: Enable private caching or session-based caching for logged-in users.

3️⃣ Payment Processing Issues

Issue: Ecommerce sites often use payment gateways (e.g., PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.Net), which require real-time transaction processing.

If a cached page is served instead of a live transaction request, payments may not be processed correctly. Payments may not be recorded because previous data will not be made available to the gateways because the website is showing old/cached data.

Example: A customer completes an order but, due to caching, sees an old order confirmation page instead of their actual payment success message. Or your payment gateway has a successful payment but it is not recorded in your ecommerce website like Event Espresso.

✅ Solution: Disable caching on payment processing pages.

4️⃣ Inventory and Stock Levels Might Not Update

Issue: Many ecommerce sites use real-time inventory tracking to prevent overselling.

If a product page is cached, it may still show "In Stock" or "Available" even if the last inventory item was sold.

Example: A event has only 1 ticket remaining available. If multiple customers see a cached version of the event/ticket page, they may all attempt to buy it, causing overselling.

✅ Solution: Use AJAX or disable caching for event pages.

5️⃣ Promotional Discounts and Pricing Updates May Not Apply

Issue: Ecommerce sites frequently run sales, discount codes, and flash deals.

If a product page or checkout is cached, users may see outdated prices.

Example: A site runs a Black Friday Sale for 24 hours, but customers see last week's prices due to cached product pages.

✅ Solution: Use cache expiration rules or disable caching for sale pages.

6️⃣ Dynamic User Interactions Get Blocked

Issue: Features like live chat, user reviews, or real-time recommendations rely on live data.

If caching is enabled, users may not see new reviews or get outdated recommendations.

✅ Solution: Use AJAX-based content updates instead of full-page caching.

🚀 How to Cache Ecommerce Sites Safely

Follow these best practices to avoid caching issues on an ecommerce site:

• Exclude Critical Pages from Caching:

  /cart/
  /checkout/
  /my-account/
  /thank-you/<br>/events/
  /registration-checkout/<br>/event-registration/<br>/transactions/<br>/thank-you/<br>/registration-cancelled/
  <br>other Payment gateway return URLs (PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
  	

• Use AJAX for Dynamic Data – Prevents caching issues for inventory, prices, and user-specific data.
• Enable Fragment Caching – Cache only parts of the page while keeping cart/checkout dynamic.
• Use Session-Based Caching for Logged-In Users – Ensures customer data stays private.
• Clear Cache When Products or Orders Update – Trigger automatic cache clearing when stock levels change.

🔎 TL;DR - Why Caching Can Be Bad for Ecommerce

• ❌ Cart & checkout may show outdated data
• ❌ Users may see someone else’s session info (security risk)
• ❌ Payments may not process correctly
• ❌ Inventory may not update in real time
• ❌ Promotions & prices may display incorrectly
• ❌ Live chat, reviews, and recommendations may not refresh

✅ Solution: Exclude critical pages from caching & use AJAX for real-time updates.