Getting traffic is hard enough. But when people land on your website and bounce without buying – that’s where the real pain begins. Whether you’re spending big on ads or ranking organically, if your conversion rate isn’t pulling its weight, your whole growth engine grinds to a halt.
The good news? Most conversion-killing issues are fixable – and many are painfully common across ecommerce.
In this post, we’ll walk you through:
- The top conversion killers we see (again and again)
- Why they’re hurting your sales
- How to fix them with data, design and a bit of ecommerce common sense
Let’s make your site more buy-friendly – fast.
Table of Contents for Common Conversion Killers on Ecommerce Sites
Why Conversion Rate Matters More Than Ever
If you’re paying for clicks – via Paid Media, SEO, social or affiliate – you need to make them count.
A 1% improvement in your conversion rate can:
- Lower your cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Improve your return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Increase customer lifetime value (LTV)
- Grow revenue without increasing traffic
Want help turning clicks into customers? Our Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) service focuses on the stuff that actually impacts sales.
Conversion Killer #1: Slow Site Speed
If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing sales.
A study by Portent found that ecommerce sites with a load time of 1 second had 2.5x higher conversion rates than those loading in 5 seconds.
How to Fix:
- Compress images (use WebP where possible)
- Remove unnecessary scripts and app bloat
- Use a CDN (e.g. Cloudflare)
- Use lazy loading for images and videos
- Choose fast hosting (especially if on WooCommerce)
→ On Shopify? Consider upgrading to Shopify Plus with server-side rendering and built-in CDN benefits. See our Shopify Consultancy for more platform-specific advice.
Conversion Killer #2: Confusing Navigation
If customers can’t find what they’re looking for within two clicks – they’ll leave.
Too many categories? Overwhelming filters? Buried search bars? All conversion-killers.
How to Fix:
- Keep navigation simple and focused on buyer intent
- Use clear product categorisation
- Add predictive search with product thumbnails
- Use breadcrumbs and logical filters
- Highlight popular collections or categories
Bonus: Use Hotjar or Crazy Egg to see where people are getting stuck.
Conversion Killer #3: Poor Mobile Experience
Over 70% of ecommerce traffic is mobile – and it converts worse than desktop when UX isn’t prioritised.
Tiny tap targets, slow mobile load, annoying popups, or unoptimised checkout? That’s a leak you can’t afford.
How to Fix:
- Use mobile-first design (not just responsive)
- Test your site on multiple devices
- Reduce pop-ups or make them mobile-friendly
- Use sticky “Add to Cart” buttons
- Speed-test your mobile experience via PageSpeed Insights
Conversion Killer #4: Weak Product Pages
Your product page is where buying decisions are made. Yet we still see:
- Grainy or inconsistent images
- Vague descriptions
- No reviews
- Missing size/fit/delivery info
If you’re expecting people to buy, you need to answer every question – before they ask it.
🔧 How to Fix:
- Use high-quality images (with zoom)
- Add videos, lifestyle shots, and UGC
- Use clear, benefit-led descriptions
- Show real reviews with photos
- Include delivery/returns info above the fold
→ We often overhaul product pages as part of our CRO service, especially for Shopify and WooCommerce clients.
Conversion Killer #5: Hidden Delivery & Returns Info
Unexpected delivery fees or vague returns policies are the #1 cause of abandoned checkouts.
Transparency wins.
How to Fix:
- Add delivery info to product pages
- Offer free shipping (or thresholds) if viable
- Link to your returns policy – clearly
- Consider a shipping bar that updates in-cart
→ Need to turn more visitors into buyers? See our full Retention & Customer Loyalty services for how post-purchase strategy improves conversions too.
Conversion Killer #6: Broken or Clunky Checkout
You’ve done all the hard work – and then your checkout ruins it.
Common killers:
- Forced account creation
- Endless form fields
- Confusing payment options
- No progress indicator
How to Fix:
- Offer guest checkout
- Reduce form fields (name, email, shipping, payment – that’s it)
- Add progress bars to show steps
- Enable Apple Pay / Google Pay / Shop Pay
- Ensure cart auto-saves for later
On Shopify? Consider apps like One-Page Checkout or work with our Shopify Consultancy to streamline checkout UX.
Conversion Killer #7: Lack of Trust Signals
If a new visitor has never heard of you, what’s going to convince them you’re legit?
Missing trust signals = missed sales.
How to Fix:
- Show real reviews/testimonials
- Include payment and security badges
- Add FAQs and contact info
- Highlight guarantees or return periods
- Show “trusted by” logos (where appropriate)
Bonus: A well-designed Referral Marketing programme can generate trust via happy customers.
Tools That Help Fix Conversion Issues
These platforms are gold for ecommerce CRO:
- Hotjar – Heatmaps, recordings, surveys
- Google Optimize – A/B testing (free, but sunsetting soon)
- VWO – Advanced testing and personalisation
- Nosto – Onsite product recommendations
- Klaviyo – Personalised follow-up flows
We’ve worked with them all – and we can help you choose which suits your business.
Quick CRO Fixes You Can Make This Week
| Fix |
|---|
| Add sticky “Add to Cart” button on mobile |
| Add delivery info to product page |
| Compress homepage images |
| Remove unused pop-ups |
| Add trust badges below checkout button |
| Test new subject line in cart abandonment flow |
→ Want a full conversion audit? Book a discovery call and we’ll walk you through the biggest wins.
Final Thought on the Most Common Conversion Killers on Ecommerce Sites
Conversion isn’t about luck. It’s about removing friction, building trust, and making it stupidly easy to buy.
Most ecommerce sites are 3–5 small changes away from 10–30% more revenue.
We help you find those changes – and turn them into scalable wins.
Explore our Conversion Rate Optimisation service
Or get in touch for a free CRO discovery session.
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