How to Improve Your Ecommerce Conversion Rate

Summary

• An ecommerce conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who make a purchase; the average is 2% to 4%.
• Key factors that affect conversion rates are site speed, mobile design, user experience (UX), product visuals, and checkout simplicity.
• Common methods for increasing conversions include improving page speed, using high-quality images, simplifying navigation, and building trust with reviews and security seals.
• Cart abandonment can be reduced by offering free shipping, multiple payment methods, guest checkout, and sending recovery emails.

Understanding Your Ecommerce Conversion Rate

Your ecommerce conversion rate is the percentage of website visitors who complete a purchase. It's one of the most important metrics for your online store because it directly affects revenue without requiring more traffic. The average ecommerce conversion rate is between 2% and 4%, but some stores reach 10% or higher. Even a small improvement can generate significant returns. For example, Expedia increased profits by $12 million by removing just one field from their checkout form.

Increasing conversions requires understanding customer behavior and removing friction from the buying process. This means improving everything from page speed to product photography and from navigation to the checkout flow. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) helps turn more of your existing traffic into paying customers, increasing revenue from your current audience.

I'm Steve Pogson, founder of First Pier, a Shopify Expert Agency in Portland, Maine. Over the past two decades, I've helped brands like Wyman's Blueberries and Hyperlite Mountain Gear increase ecommerce conversion rates using specific testing and analysis.

Must-know increase ecommerce conversion rate terms:

• Ecommerce UX Design
• ecommerce call to action
• mobile ecommerce website

Improving Site UX and Technical Performance

Here at First Pier, we know that a solid foundation is important for any online business. This starts with how your website performs and how easily customers can use it. Slow sites and confusing layouts cause visitors to leave.

Improve Website Speed and Responsiveness

Page load time is a critical factor in whether a visitor stays or goes. Research shows that users are 32% more likely to bounce from a page that takes three seconds to load. Double that to six seconds, and the probability surges to 106%. This translates to a 12% drop in conversion rate for every second of load time. For an ecommerce site making $100,000 per day, a one-second delay means $2.5 million in lost sales annually.

Mobile speed is especially important; Google reports that over half of mobile users will leave a site if it takes more than three seconds to load. With 70% of shoppers buying on mobile devices, site speed has a large impact on revenue.

To fix slow load times, we focus on several areas:

• Image compression: Large image files are a common culprit for slow pages. We compress images to reduce their size without losing quality.
• Minify code: Unused or excessive code can slow down your site. We work to minimize CSS and JavaScript files.
• Browser caching: By enabling browser caching, we allow returning visitors' browsers to store parts of your site, making subsequent visits faster.

Beyond speed, your site needs to look and function perfectly on any device. Responsive design adapts your website to different screen sizes, from desktops to tablets to smartphones. A mobile-first approach means designing with the mobile experience in mind from the start. This ensures that your site is easy to use for the nearly 50% of web visits that come from mobile devices. You can check your site's mobile performance with a mobile-friendly compatibility test.

If you’re looking to improve your site's performance, our team can help with Shopify Development to build a fast and responsive online store.

Create Intuitive Navigation and Search

Customers do not want to search for hours trying to find what they need. Clear navigation is like a well-organized store, guiding shoppers effortlessly to their desired products. This means clear categories, logical subcategories, and often, mega menus that display a wide range of options at a glance.

Effective on-site search functionality is also key. Shoppers who know what they want often head straight to the search bar. Features like autocomplete, which suggests products as they type, and filtered search, which lets them narrow down results by attributes like color, size, or brand, are crucial. Baymard Institute research shows that 69% of shoppers go straight to the search bar on an ecommerce site, and 80% will leave if they have a bad search experience. By improving site navigation, you can increase conversion rates by 18.5%.

Our team specializes in Ecommerce UX Design, creating interfaces that are functional and easy to use.

Maintain Technical Health

Imagine walking into a physical store only to find locked doors, broken shelves, or products missing. That's what technical issues feel like to an online shopper. Broken links (404 errors) or glitches in your site can quickly lead to frustration and cart abandonment. In fact, 17% of people abandon online carts because the site doesn't work or has glitches.

Regular site audits are essential to catch and fix these problems. Tools like Screaming Frog can crawl your site to identify broken links and other technical SEO issues. Maintaining your site’s technical health is an ongoing process, but it’s a necessary part of providing a good customer experience.

Here at First Pier, we conduct thorough audits and provide ongoing support to keep our clients' sites running well. You can learn more about how we approach this with Shopify CRO services.

Creating Effective Product Pages and CTAs

Your product pages are often the last stop before a purchase, so they need to be compelling and clear.

Use High-Quality Visuals and Compelling Copy

Customers can't touch or feel your products online, so high-quality visuals are their best substitute. We recommend:

• Multiple angles: Show your product from every side.
• 360-degree views: Allow customers to rotate the product virtually.
• Product videos: Show the product in use or explain its features. Videos can help visitors imagine what ownership is like, especially with in-depth walkthroughs.

Baymard research indicates that 10% of ecommerce sites have insufficient product descriptions. This means customers are left with unanswered questions, leading to doubt. Your product descriptions need to be detailed, yet easy to skim. Focus on benefits, not just features. For example, instead of just saying a jacket is "waterproof," explain how it "keeps you dry and comfortable during unexpected downpours." A clear value proposition tells the customer exactly why they should buy from you.

Our team at First Pier helps brands create effective product content. Find more about how we do this with Collateral Design.

How to increase ecommerce conversion rate with A/B Testing and Personalization

A/B testing is a method to increase ecommerce conversion rate. It involves creating two versions of a webpage element (A and B) and showing them to different segments of your audience to see which performs better. You can test almost anything:

• Headlines
• Copy
• Images
• Calls-to-action (CTAs)

Tools like Optimizely and VWO help you run these tests and determine statistical significance, ensuring your results are reliable. It replaces guesswork with data.

Personalization tailors the shopping experience to individual customers based on their past behavior, demographics, or preferences. Dynamic content, which changes based on who is viewing it, can be effective. Personalized calls to action are 202% more likely to convert. For example, showing "Continue Shopping for Dog Toys" to a customer who recently bought pet supplies is more effective than a generic "Shop Now."

Understanding your data is key to effective testing and personalization. Here at First Pier, we help clients interpret their analytics to make smart decisions. Learn more about Ecommerce Analytics & Analysis.

Design Effective Calls to Action (CTAs)

A call to action (CTA) tells the customer what to do next. It needs to be clear and direct.

• Clear and concise copy: Use action-oriented verbs like "Add to Cart," "Buy Now," or "Shop the Collection." Avoid vague phrases like "Click Here."
• Contrasting colors: Your CTA button should stand out from the rest of the page. Use a color that contrasts with your background but still fits your brand.
• Button size and placement: Make the button large enough to be easily clickable and place it where it's naturally seen, often above the fold or near product details.

Avoid the "paradox of choice" by sticking to one primary CTA per page. Too many options can overwhelm a customer and prevent them from making any decision at all.

Building Trust and Reducing Friction

Trust is essential for any online transaction. Without it, customers will hesitate to share their payment information or commit to a purchase.

Build Trust with Social Proof and Security

Social proof tells potential customers that others have bought from you and had a good experience. This includes:

• User-generated content (UGC): Photos or videos from real customers using your products. UGC can increase conversion rates by as much as 200%.
• Customer reviews and testimonials: Display these prominently. Customer reviews can increase conversion rates by as much as 270%, and nearly 70% of online shoppers read between one and six reviews before buying.
• Security seals and trust badges: Displaying an SSL certificate, payment provider logos, or other trust seals during checkout can build confidence. According to one study, 18% of consumers abandon a purchase at checkout because they did not trust the site with their credit card information.

A clear and reassuring returns policy also builds trust. Many shoppers hesitate to buy online because they can't physically examine the product. Knowing they can return an item easily removes a significant barrier.

Here at First Pier, we help brands build customer loyalty. Explore our E-commerce Community & Loyalty services.

Reduce Friction in the Checkout and Shipping Process

Friction makes the buying process harder for the customer. Our goal is to make checkout as easy as possible.

• Free shipping: This is a strong incentive. 50% of consumers who abandoned items in an online shopping cart did so due to extra costs at checkout, such as shipping. Studies show customers will spend more to qualify for free shipping, and 60% won't consider buying from a retailer that doesn't offer it.
• Multiple payment options: Offer popular credit cards, digital wallets like Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and PayPal, and even "buy now, pay later" services like Klarna. Digital wallets are preferred by many mobile shoppers for their speed and convenience.
• Guest checkout: Requiring account creation is a common reason for cart abandonment. Allow customers to check out as a guest, then offer them the option to create an account after their purchase.
• Simplified checkout form: The fewer fields a customer has to fill out, the better. Remember Expedia's $12 million profit increase by dropping a single field. According to Facebook, 87% of consumers say a complicated checkout process will make them abandon their cart.

We help our clients simplify their shipping processes to improve customer satisfaction. Learn more about our Shopify Shipping Optimization Support.

Create Urgency and Recover Abandoned Carts

Sometimes, a customer needs an extra reason to complete a purchase.

• Scarcity tactics: Messages like "Only 2 left in stock!" or "Limited supply" can create a fear of missing out (FOMO) and encourage immediate action.
• Limited-time offers: A countdown timer for a sale or a special discount expiring soon can create urgency. Time-sensitive offers convert up to 332% more visitors than evergreen deals.
• Abandoned cart emails and texts: Most online shopping carts (60-80%) are abandoned. Sending automated reminders can recover lost sales. The highest recovery rates occur when the first reminder is sent within one hour of abandonment, with conversion rates up to 20% higher than emails sent 24 hours later. Welcome campaign emails, a type of follow-up, have a particularly high open rate of around 50%.

Our work in Email & SMS Marketing helps businesses create effective campaigns to bring customers back.

Long-Term Strategies for Continuous Improvement

To increase ecommerce conversion rate effectively, you need a continuous cycle of learning and adaptation. This is an ongoing process.

Use Data and Customer Feedback

Data shows what's working and what isn't.

• Customer interviews and surveys: Don't just look at numbers; talk to your customers. Ask them why they bought, what was important, and if they had any hesitations. On-site surveys can gather feedback in real-time.
• Data analysis: Use tools like Google Analytics to understand traffic sources, user paths, and conversion funnels. This helps you identify where users are dropping off.
• Heatmaps and scroll maps: Tools like Heatmap.com show you exactly where users click, move their mouse, and how far they scroll on a page. This visual data helps identify friction points that might not be obvious in traditional analytics.

By continuously analyzing data and gathering feedback, you can systematically identify areas for improvement. Our team specializes in Ecommerce Data Analytics to help you interpret your data.

How to increase ecommerce conversion rate with Automation and Retention

Automation and retention strategies can significantly increase ecommerce conversion rate over time.

• Chatbots for customer service: Many brands think chatbots depersonalize the user experience, but 69% of consumers prefer using chatbots because they quickly answer simple questions. Chatbots can handle common inquiries, freeing up your human team for more complex issues, and can even guide users through the purchase process.
• Subscription programs: For suitable products, subscription models can be an effective retention method, ensuring recurring revenue and boosting customer lifetime value.

Here at First Pier, we help businesses implement smart automation solutions that improve customer experience and increase conversions. Learn more about Shopify Automation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

It's easy to make common mistakes that hurt conversion rates.

• Ignoring mobile users: With mobile traffic hovering around 49.78% of web visits, failing to optimize for mobile is a critical error.
• Complicated checkout: We've covered this, but it's worth reiterating: long forms and multi-page checkouts drive customers away.
• Hidden costs: Surprise shipping fees or taxes at the final step of checkout are a primary reason for abandonment. Be transparent.
• Lack of trust signals: Without reviews, security badges, or clear policies, customers will hesitate.
• Poor quality images: Blurry, small, or limited product images create uncertainty.
• Not A/B testing: Relying on gut feelings instead of data means you are missing opportunities for more sales.

Frequently Asked Questions about Increasing Conversion Rates

What is a good ecommerce conversion rate?

The average ecommerce conversion rate across industry verticals is typically between 2.5% and 3%. However, this can vary significantly. For instance, Food and Beverages average 3.7%, while Electronics and Accessories are closer to 1.9%. Conversion rates also differ by device, with desktops (3.64%) generally converting higher than mobile devices (2.49%). Instead of chasing a specific number, we advise clients to focus on continuously improving their own baseline conversion rate.

What is the difference between macro and micro conversions?

Macro conversions are the primary goals of your website, typically a completed purchase in ecommerce. This is the main goal you're aiming for.

Micro conversions are smaller actions that visitors take on their way to a macro conversion. These could include:

• Signing up for an email newsletter
• Adding a product to their cart
• Creating an account
• Viewing a product video
• Downloading a product guide

Tracking both macro and micro conversions helps us understand the entire customer journey and identify potential friction points before they affect the final sale.

Why do visitors abandon their shopping carts?

Cart abandonment is a common problem in ecommerce. Baymard Institute's research found that 70.19% of shopping carts are abandoned. The top reasons include:

• Unexpected extra costs: This is the biggest reason, accounting for almost half of all abandonments. Customers often leave due to high shipping fees, taxes, or other charges added at checkout.
• Requiring account creation: 26% of shoppers abandon their cart if they are forced to create an account before purchasing. Offering guest checkout is important.
• Complicated checkout process: A long or confusing checkout process leads to frustration. 87% of consumers say a complicated process will make them abandon their cart.
• Not trusting the site: 18% of consumers abandon a purchase because they don't trust the site with their credit card information. Security seals and trust badges help here.

Conclusion

Increasing the ecommerce conversion rate is a process of understanding customers, improving the website, and continuous testing. We've covered strategies from technical fixes like page speed to building trust with social proof. The main point is that CRO is an ongoing process of testing, measuring, and repeating. Small improvements across your site can add up to significant revenue growth over time.

Here at First Pier, we are passionate about helping brands build effective online businesses through expert development and testing. If you're ready to turn more visitors into customers, our team in Portland, Maine, is here to help. Contact us to improve your conversion rates and start seeing the impact of an improved ecommerce experience.