Increase your Shopify conversion rate and boost your turnover

The conversion rate is one of the most important factors in e-commerce. In my Shopify marketing guide, I’ve placed conversion rate optimisation as the second step, straight after setting up the shop. The argument is as simple as it is compelling. The better your conversion rate, the higher your turnover. That’s why you should take a thorough look at your Shopify shop’s conversion rate. That’s probably exactly why you’re here, so let’s get started straight away.

What is the conversion rate?

The conversion rate is a percentage that indicates how many visitors to your website carry out an action you want them to take. This action could be a purchase, but it could also be filling in a form or signing up for your newsletter.

How can I calculate the conversion rate?

You can calculate the conversion rate as follows:

Conversion rate = (number of conversions / number of visitors) × 100

So you’ll need the following key figures:

1. 1. Number of conversions: This is the total number of conversions over a given period. For example, the number of buyers last month.
2. 2. Number of visitors: The number of visitors who were on your Shopify shop during the same period, or who viewed the product. This depends on what you want to use to calculate the conversion rate.

What should my conversion rate be on Shopify?

The conversion rate in your Shopify shop is often highly individual and should really be compared with historical data. Nevertheless, looking at general figures can help you to assess the figures more accurately. Generally speaking, a figure of between 1.3% and 1.5% is considered good, whilst the top 20% of Shopify shops convert at over 3.2%.

What is Shopify CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation)?

As the name suggests, Shopify CRO encompasses all measures designed to increase the conversion rate. This involves a wide range of factors, which I will discuss in more detail later. Overall, the aim is to improve the user experience and minimise potential friction points.

Why is conversion rate optimisation essential for Shopify retailers?

The conversion rate should be optimised as much as possible before spending a lot of money on expensive marketing campaigns. This is because it is generally easier to increase the conversion rate from 1 per cent to 2–3 per cent than to double the traffic. At the same time, the average basket value is often increased as well, which in turn leads to a further increase in turnover.

Put simply: increasing traffic, optimising the conversion rate and raising the average basket value are all interlinked, with increasing the conversion rate offering the highest return on investment.

Optimising Your Shopify Conversion Rate – My Tips

Now that you know how important a high conversion rate is for your Shopify shop, I’d like to share my top tips and tricks for boosting your conversion rate. You should start to see an improvement as soon as you put these into practice. However, for the best results, you should incorporate ongoing A/B testing into your marketing process.

#1 Optimise loading times

The loading time of your online shop is extremely important. As soon as the shop isn’t running smoothly, the first visitors will start leaving. On the one hand, poor loading times give the impression of an unprofessional site; on the other, they are extremely frustrating for many visitors. Admittedly, most Shopify shops already perform relatively well, but there’s usually still room for improvement. Using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, you can test your loading times and receive recommendations on what to do.

#2 Product pages

On the product page, you’ll want to showcase your products to their best advantage. There are a few things to bear in mind when doing so.

Product images: High-quality product images form the basis of a compelling product page. They give visitors a visual impression and can positively influence their decision to buy. Multiple views, a zoom function, 360-degree images or even videos and interactive media – all of these convey a sense of quality. Ideally, the images should not only showcase the product, but also directly highlight its benefits and unique selling points.

Price and delivery: Transparency is particularly important here. Customers want to be able to see the product costs and any additional costs, such as delivery, at a glance. Hidden costs often lead to abandoned purchases.

Call-to-Action (CTA): Of course, every good product page needs a clear CTA. Buttons such as ‘Add to basket’, ‘Buy now’ or, even better, ‘One-click purchase’ should be clearly visible and consistent throughout the shop.

Unique selling points: You should clearly highlight your unique selling proposition (USP). Visitors should be able to see straight away what makes your product special. These points must be communicated clearly and convincingly.

Product information: Detailed product descriptions that answer all possible customer queries in advance. These include technical specifications, materials, sizes, possible uses and care instructions. Communicate clearly and concisely.

Social proof: Customer reviews are extremely important, and there are two key criteria to bear in mind. Naturally, the product should be well-rated, but at the same time, the reviews must also be genuine. You can try to gather genuine customer reviews by running discount promotions.

Brand ambassadors: Even the face of a well-known influencer can provide you with social proof. If you collaborate with influencers, you can feature them on the product page.

Awards and certificates: These also help to build trust in your product and company. Display them prominently on your product detail pages.

#3 Cross-selling and upselling

You can increase the average basket value through cross-selling and up-selling. To do this, display related products, accessories or bundles. Digital products, such as extended warranties, insurance or express delivery, are also ideal.

#4 Optimised checkout process

We want to minimise friction as much as possible, particularly at the checkout, to ensure that as few customers as possible abandon their purchase. To achieve this, the checkout process must be simple and transparent. Offer guest checkouts and accept as many payment methods as possible. PayPal alone is no longer enough; Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna – the more, the better.

#5 Delivery charges

There’s nothing that puts me off more than delivery charges. Many people who shop online feel the same way. That’s why you should waive delivery charges for orders above a certain value. Tailor this threshold to your products; this will also help encourage cross-selling and upselling.

#6 Storytelling

We humans are emotional beings. Purchases are almost never based purely on logic; emotions always play a part in every buying decision. Whether consciously or unconsciously, if you tell a story that touches people, they won’t just become customers once – they’ll remain loyal to your brand. So try to tell a coherent story on your shop – that’s what will really boost your customer loyalty.

#7 Mobile optimisation

By now, it should be clear to everyone that most people these days use their smartphones to browse the internet. That is precisely why we optimise our sites for mobile devices. Whilst your shop should look good on all other devices too, it must, first and foremost, perform well on a smartphone.

Conclusion: Shopify Conversion Rate Optimisation – The Key to Higher Turnover

The conversion rate is one of the key factors in your e-commerce success. It plays a decisive role in your turnover and should therefore be a top priority. With the right optimisations, you can not only increase the number of sales but also boost the average basket value. There are countless ways to further improve your customers’ shopping experience. Test continuously and use the strategies outlined here to unlock the full potential of your Shopify shop. If you lack the resources to carry out CRO professionally, we’d be happy to help with the implementation.

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