You Have an Online Shop. It Works. But It Doesn't Sell.
That's more frustrating than having no shop at all. You've invested in design, uploaded your products, maybe even run ads. Visitors are coming. But your conversion rate is sitting at 0.5-1% — well below the industry average of 2-3%.
We see this every week. And in 90% of cases, it comes down to the same five problems.
Mistake 1: Your Shop Is Built for You, Not Your Customer
The most common trap: your shop reflects your internal logic, not what the customer expects. Categories are named after your ERP codes. Navigation follows your product hierarchy instead of the buying journey. The customer is looking for a solution to their problem — your shop shows them SKU numbers.
The fix: Think from the customer's perspective. What question does someone have when they land on your site? How quickly can they find the answer? Test with 5 people who don't know your industry. If they can't figure out what you sell within 10 seconds, something's off.
Mistake 2: Your Checkout Is an Obstacle Course
Every additional step in the checkout costs you roughly 10% of remaining customers. Mandatory account creation before purchase? Minus 25%. Shipping costs that only appear at the final step? Minus 30%. Too few payment methods? Minus 15%.
The fix: Guest checkout as the default. Communicate shipping costs from the product page onward. Offer at least these payment methods: PayPal, credit card, buy-now-pay-later options (Klarna, Afterpay), and Apple Pay/Google Pay. Sounds obvious? We see shops every week that only offer bank transfer and PayPal.
A number you should know: Your cart abandonment rate. If more than 70% of shopping carts are abandoned, the problem is your checkout. The industry average sits around 69%. Anything above that means your checkout is actively driving customers away.
Mistake 3: Mobile Is an Afterthought
60-70% of your traffic probably comes from smartphones. But if the shop was designed on desktop and just "sort of works" on mobile, you're losing the majority of your potential customers.
The fix: Not responsive design. Mobile-first design. That means: perfect the mobile experience first, then expand for desktop. Large touch targets, fast load times (under 3 seconds on 4G), sticky add-to-cart buttons, simplified navigation.
Quick test: Open your shop on your phone right now. Can you add a product to the cart in under 30 seconds? Can you complete checkout in under 60 seconds? If not, your customers know exactly why they leave.
Mistake 4: No Trust Signals
Buying online is a matter of trust. Especially from shops people haven't heard of. When a visitor lands on your site for the first time, they're subconsciously scanning for signals: Is this legitimate? Will I actually receive my order? Can I return it?
What's missing in most shops:
- Customer reviews directly on the product page (not just on Trustpilot)
- Clear return policies, visible without having to dig
- Real contact information (a phone number, not just a form)
- Recognizable payment provider logos in the footer
- SSL certificate (should go without saying, but it doesn't always)
The fix: Go to your own shop and pretend you're a first-time visitor who has never heard of your brand. Would you place an order? Be honest.
Mistake 5: No Reason to Buy Now
Your product is good. The price is fair. But the customer thinks: "I'll do it tomorrow." Tomorrow never comes.
The fix: Create urgency that's honest. Not those fake countdown timers ("Only 2 left!" on a digital product). Real incentives instead: free shipping above a certain amount, first-order discounts, bundle offers with a clear price advantage, seasonal promotions that match your business.
Most importantly: A clear call-to-action on every page. Not "Learn more." Not "View details." But "Add to cart" or "Buy now." Sounds basic? Test it. The difference in conversion rate is measurable.
What We Do When a Shop Isn't Selling
Our e-commerce audit works like this:
- Data analysis: Where are visitors dropping off? Which pages have high bounce rates? Where in the checkout do customers abandon? Your analytics tell the whole story.
- Heuristic evaluation: We walk through the shop like a customer. Every click, every page, every checkout step. On desktop and mobile. We document every friction point.
- Prioritized action plan: Not 50 bullet points to "get to eventually." Instead: the 5 changes that will have the biggest impact in the next 2 weeks. Sorted by effort and expected return.
- Implementation: We don't just talk. We build. Whether it's Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom — we know the platforms and what's technically possible.
The Uncomfortable Truth
No redesign in the world will help if the fundamentals are broken. Before you spend $20,000 on a new design, invest 2 hours analyzing the five points above. The solution is usually simpler and cheaper than you think.
Your shop has potential but the numbers aren't there? We'll analyze your shop for free in an initial consultation and show you the three highest-impact changes.