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Ecommerce Conversion
Conversion Optimisation
Ecommerce Growth
Conversion Strategies
Conversion Rate Optimisation
ARTICLE #107
How to increase conversion rates for your ecommerce store?
Written by:
7 min read
Updated on: September 02, 2024
Toni Hukkanen
Head of Design
Creative Direction, Brand Direction
The digital world holds over a billion websites, and roughly 26.5 million of them specialise in ecommerce. Meanwhile, average conversion rates linger between 2.5% and 3%—hardly jaw-dropping, but that’s the current reality for many online stores.
If your shop hovers near those numbers, it might be time for a shake-up. Simply listing products and hoping for miracles won’t do the trick. Instead, focus on an optimised site, savvy engagement tactics, and a distinctive spark that pulls shoppers in. And it’s not just about ticking items off a checklist—subtle, well-executed strategies can inch your conversion rate beyond the lacklustre 3% mark. Let’s walk through some of those key moves and see how you can outshine the digital crowd.
Optimise user experience (UX)
Studies reveal that while 60% of ecommerce traffic arrives via mobile, 53% of resulting sales come from mobile commerce. If your site isn’t set up to accommodate smaller screens (and impatient thumbs), you risk losing out. Here are some steps to keep visitors happy—and ready to buy.
Easy navigation: If your bounce rate is high, it often means people can’t find what they’re looking for quickly. Provide clear drop-down menus and visible search icons. Consider highlighting new arrivals or top sellers and prioritising essential elements. Think of navigation as your store’s signposts: if the signs are confusing, potential buyers leave.
Use responsive web design: A responsive website adapts to fit the viewer’s device. Although many designs still focus on desktop layouts, mobile traffic makes up nearly half of all web visits. With Google switching to mobile-first indexing, a mobile-friendly setup is critical. Don’t hand over customers to a rival just because they did a better job accommodating smaller screens.
Ensure fast loading times: About 47% of shoppers expect a webpage to appear in two seconds or less. One study showed that pages loading in 2.4 seconds had a conversion rate of 1.9%; at 5.7 seconds, it plummeted to 0.6%. Compress your images, reduce needless redirects, and disable unused plugins. Every extra second of load time can chip away at your sales.
Add clear CTAs: Strong calls to action nudge visitors to make decisions. Test different placements through A/B testing and keep an eye on heatmaps to see where visitors click most. However, don’t flood the same screen with multiple CTAs—it’s just overwhelming. Refine the text, button style, and placement regularly until you strike the right balance.
Enhance product pages
It’s not enough to show a generic photo and price tag. People want to understand precisely what they are buying. Here’s how to polish your product pages:
Improve product images: High-quality images from several angles help replace that in-store “pick up and inspect” feeling. Avoid images that are so small visitors have to squint—or worse, find them pixelated. If feasible, try 3D product views. Just remember to optimise file sizes so your page doesn’t crawl.
Add explainer videos on product pages: People of all ages are consuming more videos than ever, so consider short clips that highlight features or show your product in action. Clear audio, crisp visuals, and captions help viewers stay engaged. You can also repurpose these videos for YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels.
Write detailed and persuasive product descriptions: Focus on benefits, not just features. If you’re selling rechargeable hand warmers, for instance, mention how they can make commuting more comfortable on chilly mornings. Show trust cues, like loyalty points or referral bonuses, to remind users of added value. Keep the language direct and appealing—nobody wants to read a novel, but they do want clarity.
Put customer reviews and ratings: Authentic social proof goes a long way. Encourage buyers to leave honest feedback, and if you spot any negative comments, address them promptly and professionally. People appreciate seeing how you handle less-than-glowing opinions—silencing them often appears suspicious.
Clear pricing and shipping information: Unexpected costs at checkout are a top reason people abandon carts. List all taxes and fees upfront. Consider offering free or minimal shipping if feasible: data shows buyers tend to spend more per order when shipping doesn’t break the bank.
Simplify the checkout process
According to insights from Facebook Business, 87% of shoppers admit that a complicated checkout leads them to abandon their carts. Keep things simple.
Guest checkout options: Forcing users to register before they can buy is a sure way to lose some potential sales. Offer a guest checkout for one-time purchases, then invite them to create an account afterwards. That way, you capture their details later, once they trust you.
Multiple payment methods: The fewer fields you require, the better. If you do need more details—say, for personalisation—break them into smaller steps and add a progress bar. This approach can reduce checkout fatigue and make the process feel less like a chore.
Cart abandonment solutions: Send a gentle email or SMS reminder if someone leaves items in their basket. Maybe offer a small discount or highlight how many are left in stock. A well-timed nudge can turn an abandoned cart into a completed sale.
Personalise product recommendations
Everyone’s piling on the bandwagon of “You might also like…” but you can still stand out by being smarter about it.
Highlight star products: Show top-rated or most-purchased items in a simple carousel.
“Just for You” suggestions: If you can customise based on browsing history, do it. People love a tailored experience.
Upselling and cross-selling: Offer customers a slightly upgraded or related product. Studies hint that these cross-promotions can boost sign-ups by up to 50%.
Offer subscription programmes
If you already have repeat buyers, consider subscription plans. People who subscribe are often your most devoted supporters—perfect for upselling relevant items. Monthly or fortnightly shipments can also help them avoid the hassle of reordering essential goods.
Build trust with secure transactions
Around a quarter of customers exit at checkout due to doubts about security. Display trust signals like SSL certificates or well-known payment badges (Visa, PayPal, etc.). It’s a small step that reassures people their data is safe. You can also display GeoTrust, McAfee, or other security badges to ensure you have an active account with them.
Transparent return and refund policies
Nothing shatters trust faster than a murky return process. Be upfront about timelines, restocking fees, and conditions. Some retailers even provide pre-paid labels. Highlight your policy on product and checkout pages so customers don’t have to hunt for it.
Provide multiple customer support channels
Sometimes visitors have questions that a simple FAQ can’t answer. Live chat often ranks highest for user satisfaction, but consider also listing an email address or phone number. Customer experience statistics have revealed that 42% of customers prefer live chat to just 23% for email and 16% for social media or forums. Give them the chance to ask about stock levels, shipping times, or a product’s materials—and reply quickly.
Display UGC on product pages and social media
User-generated content (UGC) is like the secret sauce of ecommerce that too many businesses underestimate. Whether it’s product reviews, customer photos, or videos, UGC brings authenticity to the table. Customers are more likely to trust real feedback from people like them, rather than a shiny, polished description from the brand itself. It’s simple: shoppers trust other shoppers. Statistics don’t lie: 1200 ecommerce sites running UGC technology saw a 3.2% conversion rate boost. That's not small change. Customers who engage with UGC are far more likely to click that buy now button, so why not make sure it's everywhere? Pop some user photos or reviews on your homepage—this can help reduce that pesky bounce rate. Put UGC on your product pages, category pages, and checkout pages, and you’ll notice a nice bump in conversion rates.
But don’t just slap UGC on there willy-nilly. Strategic placement is key. Combine professional content with UGC product videos—this mix can increase brand engagement by 28%, which leads directly to higher conversions. The more genuine and relatable your content, the better.
Conduct A/B testing
If you want to truly understand how your customers interact with your website, A/B testing is your best friend. It’s like a first date, you get to try out different outfits (or, in this case, page layouts) to see which one gets the best reaction. From tweaking your headlines to testing colours, CTAs, and even the navigation, A/B testing lets you figure out exactly what works. Don’t just guess. With A/B testing, you can find out what makes customers click and, even better, buy. Take Eczemacompany, for example, they increased conversions by 158%. Dell? They saw a 300% boost in conversion rates after A/B testing. And, depending on your strategy, some studies show that conversions can skyrocket by up to 400% with proper testing. By constantly comparing what works best for your audience, you’ll make sure that your site isn’t just good—it’s great.
Analyse and use data
Data is your best friend. If you are not tracking your conversion rates, you are essentially driving blind. Use tracking codes on your website so that you have a clear picture of where your sales are being generated. If you are not getting conversions within Google Analytics, it may be time to reconfigure your setup. Tracking codes not only enable you to observe where your conversions are coming from, but also which pages the customers are accessing leading up to their purchase. This can inform you how to optimise your customer path and eliminate any roadblocks that could be causing delays.
Conversion rate optimisation tools
CRO tools are your secret weapon here, helping you test and tweak different parts of your website to maximise conversions. They can test everything from product descriptions and images to CTAs and page layouts. Essentially, they help you figure out what matches with your audience and what makes them say “Yes, I’ll take it!” Google Optimise and Visual Website Optimiser are two great CRO tools that offer A/B testing, heatmaps, and user session recordings. These tools give you a front-row seat to user behaviour on your site, letting you see exactly where customers are clicking (and where they’re not). That insight can guide you to tweak everything from your product pages to your checkout process, ensuring you’re optimising every step of the user journey.
How to calculate ecommerce conversion rate?
If your ecommerce site has 300,000 unique visitors a month and 5000 conversions for a set period, that means your conversion rate is 1.6%. You can simply calculate it by dividing conversions by the total number of visitors and then multiplying the value by 100 to get a percentage.
You can compare your own results against the following benchmarks (Q4 2023):
Active apparel: ~1.9%
Luxury apparel: ~0.9%
Health and wellness: ~1.8%
Pet care: ~2.20% and 2.53%
Food and beverage: ~3.7%
To gauge your performance against these standards is to know whether your sales campaigns are striking a chord or whether you have space for improvement. And don't forget—if your conversion rate isn't where you'd like it to be, it's time to bring out the big guns: adjust that copy, test your CTAs, or experiment with some of the CRO tools we just discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good conversion rate in ecommerce?
Many retailers see rates around 2.5% to 3%. If you hit 3% or higher, you’re already ahead of the pack.
What affects ecommerce conversion rate?
Traffic sources are key. Sites that draw in casual browsers from blogs or ads may record lower rates initially compared to those pulling returning buyers or social media followers. It’s natural—newcomers may need more time before they trust you enough to purchase.
What is a CRO in ecommerce?
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) involves boosting the percentage of site visitors who take a desired action, often making a purchase. This can also include filling out a form or subscribing to a newsletter.
Final Thoughts
Raising your ecommerce conversion rate can feel daunting, especially when there’s an ocean of advice out there. Start with a couple of manageable tweaks—like boosting site speed or simplifying checkout—and watch how each change nudges your numbers upward. It’s more effective (and far less stressful) than attempting a grand overhaul in one go. After all, you’ve got 26.5 million online competitors, so your site deserves consistent attention. Stay focused, test things in bite-sized increments, and pretty soon you’ll be edging closer to the front of the pack.
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