So, you’ve got a consistent flow of traffic coming to your ecommerce site – great stuff. Now, you need to turn those browsers into buyers. This is where Shopify conversion rate optimization comes in.
There’s a whole host of tactics you can use to optimize the customer experience and increase your conversion rate. Here, we’ve rounded up six strategies to get you started.
1) Use dynamic countdown timers
Use a countdown timer to highlight important deadlines, like the end of a sale or the cut-off time for securing next-day delivery. When customers see a timer ticking down, FOMO strikes and they’re inspired to take action before it’s too late. This is a great tactic for creating a sense of urgency and excitement on your online store to increase your eCommerce conversion rate.
You can place countdown timers on your homepage, greeting potential customers with news of a promotion or delivery deadline. This generates an instant buzz and puts users in the mood to buy.
Timers are also effective when placed on product landing pages, where shoppers are making their purchasing decisions. By counting down to delivery cut-off times, you can persuade users to act fast.
Gadget retailer RC Geeks use countdown timers on their product pages to inspire purchasing action.
Placing a timer in the cart is another way to increase conversion rates – reserving products for a limited time inspires people to follow their purchase through to the checkout.
2) Upload high-quality product photos
As Shopify store owners, you probably know that with online shopping, the lack of physical interaction with products can sometimes be a barrier to conversion and lack of trust can cause a higher bounce rate. Enter, product photography.
Product imagery plays a key role in a consumer’s on-site experience, influencing your Shopify conversion rate throughout the purchase funnel.
Clear, crisp, consistent and high quality images will immediately give shoppers a positive first impression of your brand and help distinguish your store from competitors. They showcase important details about your products, accentuating any USPs. The presence of high-quality product photos also builds trust, cultivating a positive relationship with consumers.
Here are three top tips for product images that can boost your Shopify conversion rate and improve your Shopify store performance:
- Photograph your products being used in context by people who resemble the target audience. Presenting a lifestyle ideal will engage consumers’ emotions and create a sense of desire.
- Showcase your products from multiple angles, with close-ups of important features. This enables customers to build up a strong mental image of a product, eliminating common worries and encouraging conversions.
- Optimize your product images to avoid long and frustrating load times. You can use a technique called ‘minifying’ to compress your photos without compromising on quality.
Swanky client Olivia von Halle showcases the beautiful, luxurious detail of its clothing with high-quality product photography.
3) Leverage social proof
Us humans are social beings. We want to buy products that we know other people just like us are using and enjoying. In fact, more than one in three of us won’t make an online purchase if the store doesn’t show product ratings and reviews.
To increase confidence in your products and give your Shopify conversion rate a boost, use social proof as a key ingredient in your ecommerce strategy:
Live social feeds
Show how real customers are using your products with live streams of UGC (user-generated content) from your social channels. This will inspire and engage shoppers, turning their clicks into conversions and driving more sales for your eCommerce business. This can also help build customer loyalty and build a community of brand advocates.
Ratings and reviews
Present reviews and ratings from real-life shoppers to eliminate common consumer worries, increase confidence and boost your Shopify conversion rate.
Iowa-based fashion brand The Pulse Boutique uses layered reviews to establish brand credibility and increase confidence in their products through social validation.
Popularity messaging
Leverage real-time purchase data to highlight demand via sales counters and trend alerts. This can validate customers’ purchase intentions while also creating urgency, ultimately driving your Shopify conversion rate.
Scarcity messaging
With this social proof tactic you can use low-stock messaging to highlight how scarce a product is. This will trigger FOMO, create urgency and speed up the buying process.
4) Create optimized CTAs
The way your calls to action (CTAs) are presented can have a significant impact on your Shopify conversion rate.
When designing your CTAs, keep things simple. Opt for a clickable button in one solid color, with a conventional shape, surrounded by plenty of whitespace. Grab attention with a bold color that contrasts with other colors on the screen (but avoid straying from your brand guidelines).
Create a clear call to action by including short, positive wording that packs a punch. Use simple, active commands to communicate urgency, like ‘Buy Now’ and ‘Add to Cart’.
Add a personal touch by using the first person – this will help to keep shoppers engaged. What’s more, one study reported a 90% increase in click-through rate by changing from the second person to the first person!
Reduce the noise around your CTAs by making surrounding content smaller, shorter or less visible. The aim is to point customers towards your CTA, rather than distract from it.
Health and fitness brand Innermost have put these CTA tactics to good use on their Shopify Plus store.
5) Provide personalized product recommendations
When you consider that just one interaction with a personalized product recommendationcan increase conversion rate by 288%, you can’t afford to leave these out of your conversion optimization strategy!
Leverage user-specific data from, such as buying and browsing history, to target returning site visitors and existing customers with recommendations unique to them. With the right recommendations, you can even increase average order value.
Australian streetwear retailer Culture King serves up tailored product recommendations.
Consider using location-based triggers to personalize your recommendations as well. Did you know you can use real-time weather data to suggest products that complement the conditions in a customer’s location?
Here are some helpful hints for effective personalized product recommendations:
- Don’t limit them to your product pages. Try experimenting with recommendations on your homepage, in email campaigns, and even offline at the point of delivery.
- Place recommendations above the fold – these are almost twice as effective as those positioned below!
- For new visitors, use ‘best-selling’ recommendations until you can gather user-specific data.
6) Optimize the checkout process
All too often, eCommerce stores (such as Shopify stores) lose shoppers at the final hurdle: the checkout. A long and confusing checkout experience will cause customers to abandon their carts in a flash.
Fear not though, for there are some simple steps you can take to streamline your checkout process and optimize your conversion rate:
- Offer a quick and easy guest checkout option for maximum convenience.
- Only ask for the most essential details.
- Get rid of any distractions that could interrupt the checkout journey.
- Offer multiple payment options.
- Highlight security seals to boost consumer confidence.
Shopify Plus sensation Kylie Cosmetics offers customers multiple express payment options for maximum convenience.
Final takeaway
There you have it, six conversion rate optimization tactics to help Shopify merchants increase sales for their Shopify stores. Start with these simple strategies to deliver a compelling online shopping experience that maximizes conversion rates, boosts average order value, reduces cart abandonment and encourages repeat purchases.
Don’t forget to test any changes you make to your Shopify store so that you can determine their impact on your given conversion goal. Remember that conversion rate optimization is an ongoing process of learning that involves monitoring, measuring and making improvements over time.
Learn how to take your Shopify store to the next level with Fresh Relevance’s Shopify integration.
About Swanky
Swanky is a leading Shopify Plus agency specialising in web design, ecommerce migrations, marketing and growth strategies. We have years of experience delivering creative digital solutions and innovative customer experiences for ambitious, fast-growing brands all over the globe. To find out how Swanky’s team of experts could transform your ecommerce store, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
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