Higher Conversions, More Sales: 7 ways to Increase Your Shopify Conversion Rate

You cannot make Shopify profitable overnight, but there are a few things you can do to increase conversion rates and increase sales. Shopify is a powerful e-commerce platform that allows entrepreneurs to sell their products online without having to set up an online store from scratch. Shopify was founded in 2006 with the aim of giving small and large businesses access to easy-to-use software for managing an online business.

Shopify has its own app store, where entrepreneurs can find apps that help them with everything from accounting to marketing! Shopify is today one of the most popular e-commerce platforms. For new Shopify users or those hoping to expand their current Shopify stores, it is important to increase Shopify conversion rates to increase the life time value of customers and average order value.

Here are seven ways to optimize the UX of your Shopify store and increase Shopify conversion rates:

What is conversion rate optimization?

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of identifying what makes a visitor buy, and then applying those principles to other visitors. CRO does not only improve your conversion rates, it also reduces your bounce rates and helps make your site easier to navigate through, so it’s easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for.

Data provides insight into how changes on the website affect the conversion rate. However, there are many additional factors, including UX or UI design, that could have an impact on conversion rates. Understanding these variables can give you an idea of which departments need attention.

The question in the minds of most marketers when they think about conversion rate optimization is, “How do I make people buy?” The answer is not so simple. Conversion rates vary depending on the type of product and industry you are in. Nevertheless, there are five main principles that will make every website better convert: clarity, simplicity, credibility, urgency and social proof. With the right combination of tools and techniques, you can easily pump up the conversion rate for your business for the customer you work in. The key is to create a complete picture of your customers, their patterns, and the user experience.

Some benefits of focusing on increasing CRO can be:

Increase revenue and customer acquisition.

Get your visitors to buy without little to any effort.

Dramatically increase engagement rates.

Know which aspects of your site work best with visitors, and optimize for even better results.

It’s easy to make your website more conversion-friendly. Following this guide for improving conversion rate optimization should leave you with a streamlined, well-designed site that will convert visitors into customers at an increased rate.

What is a satisfactory conversion rate on Shopify?

Conversion rates are such a crucial metric in eCommerce that can make or break your business. Speaking of conversion rates, what is the best one?

The average conversion rate for an eCommerce store is 1% – 2%. If you’re using all the strategies from this book, you may notice your conversion rate go up to 3%-4%. A 2%+ should be a baseline goal for any online store. As soon as you have done everything effectively with these methods, it is time to move on to more advanced tactics!

A while ago, I wrote an article about micro and macro conversions that you should read after, as it goes deeper into the small things you can do to increase your Shopify conversion rate.

What is a satisfactory conversion rate on Shopify?

Conversion rates are such a crucial metric in eCommerce that can make or break your business. Speaking of conversion rates, what is the best one?

The average conversion rate for an eCommerce store is 1% – 2%. If you’re using all the strategies from this book, you may notice your conversion rate go up to 3%-4%. A 2%+ should be a baseline goal for any online store. As soon as you have done everything effectively with these methods, it is time to move on to more advanced tactics!

Average conversion by industry: Sports and Recreation: 1.75%; Arts and Crafts: 3.79%; Baby & Child: 0.99%; Cars & Motorcycling: 1.55%; Electrical & Commercial Equipment: 2.23%; Fashion Clothing & Accessories: 2.44%; Food & Drink: 2.37%; Health & Wellbeing: 3.62%; Home Accessories & Giftware: 2.16%; Kitchen & Home Appliances: 2.48%; Pet Care: 3.28%; Data from IRP Commerce , Image from growcode.

Conversion rates can vary depending on industry, location and other factors. Statista found that while mobile conversion rates were 1.53%, it looks like people really don’t want to convert when they use their phones. This could be because typing on smaller screens is harder, or because lead forms are difficult to fill in or fill in payment details. However, regardless of why there’s a lower conversion rate for those who use mobiles, this should tell marketers what devices might best complement customer acquisition efforts.

Desktop users have 3 times the conversion rate of mobile customers. That’s a whopping 4,14%, according to Statista! Half your web traffic comes from these desktop-based prospects, so it only makes sense not to focus on one type of customer over another.

7 ways to increase conversion rate in your online store

No, let's move on to what you can actually do to get a head start with Shopify conversion rate optimization, get more customers and create a better experience for your both new and returning visitors!

#1. Optimize the checkout process and increase average order value

According to Conversion Rate Experts, conversions may be increased by 35.62 percent by using some of the most common checkout optimization techniques on your Shopify store. Although it is not easy to reach this figure, it is certainly feasible with modest changes to the check-out page.

If you want to increase your Shopify conversion rate, you should do everything in your power to make the checkout as frictionless as possible.

The need to create an account was cited by 34 percent of respondents as one of the primary reasons for cart and checkout abandonment, according to Baymard Institute. Already here we have an easy fix to increase your eCommerce conversion rate with the help of guest checkout. If you don’t have to have the user create an account, just leave it out. Or you can create a checkbox option for them if they want to create it. The best option would be to create a smooth guest checkout experience that lets more visitors flow through the checkout process without any hassles of creating an account.

The next biggest reason for not going through with a purchase is the need to fill out endless forms on the checkout page. 26% of responders to the Baymard Institute study gave this as a reason for not becoming one of your potential loyal customers. According to the Baymard Institute, e-commerce businesses have 23.48 form components and 14.88 form fields for new non-account consumers on average. This is too many fields in a checkout process, and causes friction and frustration at the checkout.

“During testing, we consistently observe that users are overwhelmed and intimidated when seeing a high amount of form fields and selections,” states the The Baymard Institute study.

The bar graph below shows how UX performance degrades as number of form fields increases, and so does the conversion rate.

An overview of the correlation between number of form fields and UX performance. This is an excellent indicator of the eCommerce conversion rate when it comes to the checkout.
The Average Checkout Flow Has 14.88 Form Fields – Twice as Many as Necessary . (2021). Retrieved 21 September 2021.

Some of the most optimized check processes often have half the number of fields. This is achieved by cutting out unnecessary fields and merging fields such as first and last

#2. Highlight Product Benefits Clearly

The conversion rate of a Shopify store is defined by the number of visitors who make a purchase. To increase conversion, your Shopify site must encourage customers to buy. You can use Shopify's beautiful templates to achieve this goal, but it also requires appropriate copywriting. Shopify's eCommerce tips for Shop Owners say copywriting becomes even more important when your store sells multiple products in a category, because you want to highlight the features of each product.

Help your customers understand the benefits of your product when they compare it to others to increase the Shopify conversion rate for your store!

You should include benefits or key features that distinguish factors in your Shopify store copy, so that customers know what their experience will be when they buy your product. This can often be done by looking at what competitors are doing, asking your previous customers what their main concerns were when they bought from you, and researching what other barriers are common to your target audience.

By understanding the concerns and fears of your customers, you can address them directly on your product page or website before they think of them. This will in turn help the customer feel taken care of and safe buying from your store.

#3. Use remarketing to target specific customers

Remarketing is a real-time advertising technique that helps Shopify stores increase their conversion rates. It does this by targeting people who have visited the Shopify store before, and then showing them relevant content across the web. Remarketing can be an excellent way to show your products or services to customers who didn’t make a purchase on the Shopify site.

There are several platforms and tools you can use to achieve remarketing and retargeting, including Facebook and Google.

#4. Leverage personalization

Collecting personal data on the visitors of the Shopify store is one of the most effective ways to increase your conversion rate. Collecting information, such as their location, device, and web browser, can help you serve up marketing messages relevant to them. The more tailored the messages, the more likely people are to convert.

You can use this data to customize what kind of communication you will have with them through channels such as email, ad and SMS, to make them feel like you are a dominant brand that can afford to spend a lot of money on their customers.

But be careful not to make your customers feel violated, and ensure you comply with the GDPR if you operate in the EU.

#5. Use high-quality product images and videos

One of the most important elements of a Shopify store is the quality of the product page. Customers are more likely to buy products if they can get a beautiful visual representation of the products you sell. Make sure the images are of high quality, and be creative with how you display your products. You can use special effects or even embed video to get people excited about the product they are looking for!

Did you know that visual presentations, such as photos and videos, are the most effective way for around 65% of people to learn? Visually explaining your products and showing how they can be used can have a huge impact on your conversion rates. Another fact I discovered fascinating and relevant is that when businesses use more exciting pictures in their marketing materials, they get up to 94% more eyeballs on their marketing content than their competitors.

Make sure your product images are attention-grabbing and exciting to make the customer curious and fascinated by what you can offer them.

It is more important to show your product in a good light than it might seem. A first impression means everything when you want a person’s trust, which starts with getting them to notice the branding and product photos! As soon as they realize that something looks cool or useful, an image or video will help ensure this continues throughout their journey by learning what kind of products you offer on your eCommerce. So go ahead: try to make yourself look awesome (or at least like someone worth knowing)!

#6. Leverage email marketing to follow up on abandoned carts

You can use your abandoned carts to generate more sales by sending customers personalized, timely and relevant messages. To optimize the results of this type of marketing, be sure to include a strong call-to-action, and don't forget to personalize subject lines and copy based on what visitors have looked at or abandoned on your site.

Build an automated email follow-up system that can be scheduled to reach people who abandon their shopping carts on your Shopify store. One way many Shopify store owners do this is through Klaviyo. They’ll send the customer a series of emails over two weeks, reminding them to complete their purchase, with links back to your store.

According to Baymard Institute, the average industry standard for abandoned carts is a whopping 70%! This is a lot of lost customers and revenue that you can easily recoup with some simple optimizations. If we look at it in terms of pure dollars, it’s $18 billion a year lost down the drain.

Reasons for abandonment during checkout from Paymard Institute.
44 Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics – Cart & Checkout – Baymard Institute . (2021). Retrieved 21 September 2021.

#7. Get customer reviews

Depending on the type of product you sell, customer reviews can be an effective way to increase your conversions. Customers want to buy from a company they associate with good products and good customer service, and delighted customers are more likely to post a positive review. And while some customers may never send a review, many Shopify store owners encourage past customers to share their opinion by offering discounts or gifts in return for their honest opinion.

People care a lot about other people's opinions, so why not use the power of word-of-mouth marketing to increase Shopify conversion rates?

According to a study, 27% of customers use reviews and social proof to determine which company to support. By contrast, only 24% of consumers never consult a eCommerce business' online evaluation before making a purchase. Customers nowadays have many options, and reviews can be an important tool to narrow them down and increase the conversion rate of your store.

Moving forward with Shopify conversion rate optimization

The optimization of Shopify conversion rates is an important part of every Shopify store owner's marketing strategy. You can increase your Shopify conversion rates with these seven tactics that use the power of user psychology to trigger customer behavior and cognition at various stages of the purchasing journey, such as browsing or considering purchasing a product. If you would like to help implement any of these tips for optimizing Shopify conversion rates in your digital marketing plan, you should consider downloading my free workbook, which helps you create a plan that works for your business.