Most stores don't lose buyers because of price, but because of small hurdles: shipping costs that only show up at checkout, product pages that leave questions open, a store that snags on mobile. We see these five brakes in almost every audit. Each one can be fixed, most in a few hours.
The five brakes
1. Surprises at checkout
Shipping costs, delivery time or a missing payment method only show up at the last step. The most common reason for abandoned purchases. Fix: Shipping costs and delivery time right next to the buy button. Payment logos in the footer and in the cart.
2. The product page leaves questions open
Will it fit me? What's it made of? Can I send it back? Every open question is a reason to close the tab. Fix: Size chart, material, dimensions and returns on the product page. Plus a short FAQ block with the questions your customer service gets most often.
3. It snags on mobile
Most visitors come on mobile. But the store is often tested on a laptop. Buttons too small, images out of place, a pop-up that won't close. Fix: Buy something on your phone yourself, from the Instagram link to the order confirmation. Note down everything that gets in the way.
4. Slow pages
Every app, every large image and every video adds to the load. You feel it especially on mobile and on the go. Fix: Remove unused apps, compress images, only load videos when they scroll into view.
5. No reason to trust
New brand, no reviews, no faces. With an unknown store, everyone first asks: will this actually arrive? Fix: Real reviews, an “About us” with faces, a contact address that actually responds and clear return policies.
How to find your brake
Shopify shows you in its reports where visitors drop off. Look at three numbers:
- Lots of visitors, few add to cart? The brake is on the product page: brake 2 or 5.
- Lots of carts, few checkouts? The brake is in the cart: usually brake 1.
- Mobile much worse than desktop? Brake 3 or 4.
Plus a simple test: ask someone who doesn't know your store to buy something on their phone. Watch and say nothing. After five minutes you'll know more than from any report.
FAQ
What actually is conversion? The share of visitors who buy. If 1,000 people visit and 20 order, your conversion rate is 2%.
Is a redesign worth it if conversion is poor? Rarely as a first step. Usually it's the five brakes above, and you can fix those without a new design.
How do I know if a change works? Note the number beforehand, change one thing, wait two to four weeks, compare. Not five things at once, or you won't know what worked.
Can you find the brakes for us? Yes. Our audit checks your store in three business days and shows you which brake costs you the most and what fixing it brings.