12 Ways To Increase Your Ecommerce Conversion Rate

Last updated on February 21st, 2025 at 03:29 am

Want to increase your eCommerce site’s conversion rate? 

Then you’ve come to the right place!

At ClickFunnels, conversion optimization is one of the big things we focus on — for our business as well as our member’s businesses. 

We’ve run thousands upon thousands of tests, collected results, and optimized our software to get as many conversions as possible for ClickFunnel’s users. 

Below, we’ll share 12 proven ways to increase your eCommerce conversion rate!

Quick Disclaimer

We’re going to share quite a few tips here that will help you increase your eCommerce conversion rates. 

BUT…

Not all of them will help all of the time. 

It’s important to test things for yourself (see our final tip: test, test, test) to determine how much of an impact they actually have. 

Every business is different. Every funnel is different. And what works well for one might not work well for another. So if you take one critical lesson away from this entire article, it’s this: create a system for consistently testing your ads, funnels, and marketing assets to determine what works best for your business.

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1. Focus on Sales Funnels

Most eCommerce stores just have websites where they sell their products. 

They create a website through Shopify, WordPress, Squarespace (or some other platform)… and they send people there… hoping that their target market will pull out their wallets and buy their products. 

Obviously, conversion isn’t that simple. 

People don’t just visit websites and buy products because you ask nicely. 

They need convincing. 

Which is exactly why we claim in the below video that websites have died… and been replaced by sales funnels…

Look. 

We’re not telling you to get rid of your website altogether. 

It’s still a useful place to direct people in general when they just want to learn a bit more about your brand. 

But when you’re directly trying to sell products? 

Forget about it. 

Don’t send people to a website. 

Send them to a sales funnel.

Where a website is simply like a digital brochure where visitors can browse and peruse however they may like…

…a sales funnel is a very specific experience that’s built to persuade someone to take action.

As an example, let’s look at a specific sales funnel called a “Tripwire Funnel” and how this increases conversions beyond what you’d expect for a traditional website. 

Here’s what the entire funnel looks like…

And here’s what that looks like step by step…

Two-Step Sales Page — First, visitors arrive at the sales page. This page offers such a no-brainer deal that your target market can’t possibly resist. It’s sort of like a lead magnet except you’re offering it for a small amount of money, usually anywhere from $1 to $50 (depending on your industry and target market). This page requires people to enter their shipping and payment information to continue through the funnel.

OTO Page — Next, visitors go to the One-Time Offer Page. This page offers the thing that you’re actually trying to sell. It’s a bit more expensive than the thing you offered on the first page but heavily discounted and with some strong FOMO since it’s a one-time offer. The typical friction of inputting shipping and payment information is already taken care of (that’s where most people abandon their shopping cart) and so the OTO Page usually converts at a surprisingly high rate.

Offer Wall Page — This is your receipt and/or thank you page.

Can you see why the conversion rate for this type of sales funnel is often much higher than traditional websites? 

It’s targeted and specific in what it’s selling. It starts by offering something irresistible and only upsells once the person has entered their shipping and payment information. 

And it’s super effective. 

If you want to try it for yourself, get a free tripwire template over here. 

And check out the video below to learn how the sales funnel made an enormous difference in Jaime Cross’s eCommerce business…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=IMysjEdt28c

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2. Enhance Social Proof

One of the most important elements of an eCommerce page — particularly, the ones that are promoting your products — is social proof. 

Social proof is the psychological principle that people are more likely to do something if they see that others are doing it too. 

In other words, it’s “herd mentality.” 

If potential customers see that other people have bought your product and are happy with it, they’ll be more likely to buy it as well. 

Just check out some of these stats on the power of social proof for conversion rates (FinancesOnline)…

• 87% of consumers check out reviews of local businesses online. (Murphy, 2020)
• 55% of online shoppers consider customer reviews to be very helpful in their purchase decisions. (Kunst, 2020)
• 66% of potential buyers agree that they will most likely be convinced to purchase a product because of its positive reviews. (Retail TouchPoints, 2020)
• 93% of potential buyers would read online reviews first before deciding to purchase a product or not. (Kaemingk, 2020)

That’s why it’s important to showcase social proof on your eCommerce pages.

How?

There are a few different ways you can do this:

Customer Reviews/Testimonials

Customer reviews and testimonials are one of the best ways to show social proof. Create an automated email follow-up that asks customers for a review of the product they purchased. 

User-Generated Photos

These are another great way to show social proof. If you have customers who are willing to take photos with your product and share them on social media, then ask them to do so. And make sure to showcase those pictures on your eCommerce pages as well!

Notifications

You’ve probably noticed these little notifications on some eCommerce websites become more popular over the last few years — they notify you that people are visiting the same spot or purchasing the product you’re looking at. They’re popular because they work well. Give ‘em a try!

3. Email, Email, Email

You came here to learn about how you can increase your conversion rate. 

You didn’t come here to learn about why you should be emailing your list consistently. 

BUT…

Are those two things really so separate? 

The more you email your list with great content, the more trust you’ll build. The more trust you build, the higher your conversion rates will be… without making any changes to your funnel or sales pages. 

There’s a reason why marketers draw distinctions between cold, warm, and hot traffic or leads…

It’s because people who trust you convert better than those who don’t. 

Just consider some of these stats on the importance of return customers (Small Business Trends)… 

• The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70 percent. The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20 percent.
• 80 percent of your future profits will come from just 20 percent of your existing customers.
• 65 percent of a company’s business comes from existing customers.
• 32 percent of executives say retaining existing customers is a priority.

Retention is critical. 

Email will help you retain your customers and keep them coming back to buy more. 

But…

How often should you email? And what should you talk about in your emails? 

You can use our Soap Opera Sequence to get people in the door (click the link for more info) and Seinfeld emails to stay in touch (watch the video below)…

Many experienced entrepreneurs claim that they make about $1 per subscriber per month (including Russell Brunson and Jon Morrow) — it’s important to build your email list and stay in touch with your subscribers if you want to grow your business. 

4. Create Urgency

Another way to increase your eCommerce conversion rate is by creating a sense of urgency. 

Urgency is a time-based form of social proof and it works in a similar way. If people see that others are buying your product and that there’s a limited quantity available, they’ll be more likely to buy as well. 

It’s a psychological principle called the “fear of missing out” or “FOMO.” 

Here are some stats to consider…

• If offered a 30% discount, 66% of millennials would switch brands. (Forbes)
• If treated well through a customer-centric experience, 60% of millennials would stay loyal to brands they currently purchase from. (Forbes)
• FOMO is experienced by 56% of social media users. (Mashable)
• The most common contributors of FOMO include Facebook (72%), Instagram (14%), Twitter (11%), and Pinterest (8%). (WPForms)

How can you create a sense of urgency on your eCommerce pages?

The simplest way is to add a countdown timer that tells people how much time they have left to buy before the product is gone or the offer expires.

Another way to do it is by showing live inventory counts. This is a great way to increase conversions on product pages because it lets visitors know exactly how many units are left in stock. If they see that there’s only one left, they’ll be more likely to buy it before someone else does.

5. Upsells, Downsells, & Order Bumps, Oh My!

Upsells, downsells, and order bumps are all great ways to increase your eCommerce conversion rate. 

An upsell is when you offer a customer an upgraded version of the product they’re interested in — ideally, after they’ve already agreed to purchase the front-end product and entered their payment and shipping information.

A downsell is when you offer a customer a cheaper alternative to the product they’re interested in — this can happen after the upsell or instead of the upsell.

And an order bump is when you offer a customer the opportunity to add an additional product to their order with a single click after they’ve already added the main product to their cart.

All of these techniques can be extremely effective in increasing your conversion rate (and average order value) because they make it easy for customers to say “yes” to buying more from you.

6. Make Checkout Easy

Another way to increase your eCommerce conversion rate is by making the checkout process as easy as possible. 

You’d be surprised how many eCommerce websites make it difficult for people to checkout. 

They make them create an account, have to jump through too many hoops, or they don’t offer a guest checkout option. 

All of these things can increase your shopping cart abandonment rate and decrease conversions. 

Just consider the top reasons that people abandon their shopping cart online…

A lot of that is simply related to having a clean and clear checkout process. 

So making checkout easy is crucial if you want to increase conversions on your eCommerce website. 

How?

The first thing you need to do is offer a guest checkout option. This will allow people to checkout without having to create an account. 

The second (most important) thing you need to do is make sure the checkout process is as simple and seamless as possible. Remove any unnecessary steps and make it easy for people to input their information.

7. Leverage Follow-Up Funnels

Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges that eCommerce owners and marketers face. 

People visit your site, they add an item to their cart, start the checkout process, and then they abandon it. 

Sound familiar? 

We’ve all done it. 

But to get an idea of just how common this problem is, take a look at these stats…

• The Average Cart Abandonment Rate Across All Industries is 69.57 Percent
• Mobile Users Have an Even Higher Abandonment Rate of 85.65 Percent
• E-Commerce Brands Lose $18 Billion in Sales Revenue Each Year Because of Cart Abandonment

Yikes, huh? 

So what’s the solution? 

Cart abandonment emails or, as we like to call them here at ClickFunnels, follow-up funnels.

These are pretty simple — they’re just a triggered email sequence that sends when someone abandons their cart. 

Here’s an example…

Just sending an email like that can make a big difference in conversion. 

Check it out (Moosend)

• More than 40% of cart abandonment emails are opened
• 50% of these are clicked on
• 50% of the users who clicked purchase

Crazy what just a few emails can do, right? 

So add ‘em to your email marketing strategy and get them sent ASAP!

8. Decrease Load Time

Another thing that can have a big impact on your eCommerce conversion rate is your website’s load time. 

If your pages take too long to load, people will get impatient and leave. In fact, 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. (KISSmetrics)

And it only takes a 1-second delay in page response to decrease customer satisfaction by 16%. 

Here are some other stats to consider…

• 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less
• 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load

Slow loading pages can also have an impact on your SEO. Google uses site speed as a ranking factor, so if your pages are slow to load, you’re likely to get penalized in the search engine results.

The point? 

If you want to increase your eCommerce conversion rate, you need to make sure your pages are loading quickly. 

How can you do that?

There are a few things you can do…

• Optimize your images by compressing them and using the correct file format
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver your content faster
• Minimize HTTP requests by reducing the number of elements on each page

9. Use Ad Retargeting

Ad retargeting is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to increase your eCommerce conversion rate. 

Basically, it allows you to show ads to people who have already visited your website. 

So if someone comes to your site and doesn’t buy anything, you can show them targeted ads as they browse other websites. 

This is a great way to remind them of your products and increase the chances that they’ll come back to your site and make a purchase.

There are a few things you need to do if you want to use ad retargeting effectively…

First, you need to have a clear goal in mind. What do you want people to do when they see your ad? 

Do you want them to add a product to their cart? Go to a specific product page? Or just visit your site again in general? 

Once you have a goal in mind, you need to create a targeted ad campaign that’s designed to achieve that goal. 

And finally, you need to make sure you’re tracking your results so that you can see how effective your ad campaign is and make necessary adjustments.

10. Consider Live Chat

Adding live chat to your website can be a great way to increase conversions. 

One study found that live chat leads to a 48% increase in revenue per chat hour and a 40% increase in conversion rate.

How?

Well, first of all, it allows you to provide immediate customer support. And if people have questions or need help with something, they’re more likely to buy from you if they can get answers right away. 

(This is particularly useful for high-ticket eCommerce products that require a bit more consideration on the part of the customer)

Second, live chat can be used to upsell and cross-sell products. 

For example, if someone is looking at a product on your site, you can use live chat to suggest similar or complementary products. 

You can also use it to offer discounts and coupons, which can encourage people to buy from you on the spot. 

11. Run Special Deals

People love a good deal, so periodically running special deals and offers is a great way to increase your eCommerce conversion rate. 

In fact, it’s a good idea to make this a normal part of your annual cadence. 

This could include things like free shipping, discounts, buy-one-get-one-free offers, etc.

The key is to make sure your deals are relevant to your target audience and that they’re properly promoted. 

You also want to make sure you have a clear expiration date so that people feel a sense of urgency and are more likely to take advantage of your offer.

In fact, you should expect that about 90% of your sales are going to come right at the end of your promotion — so don’t neglect to send 2-3 email reminders on the final day. 

I’ve been copywriting for online businesses for over five years and we consistently find those results. Most of the money comes in right at the end (because let’s face it, people are procrastinators).

Here’s a great example of a promo email from Judy… 

12. Test, Test, Test

If you want to increase your eCommerce conversion rate, you need to consistently test different elements on your website. 

This should include things like your headline, call-to-action button, images, etc.

The only way to know what works and what doesn’t is to test different versions and see how people respond.

There are a number of tools you can use to do this, including:

• Google Analytics
• Optimizely
• Visual Website Optimizer

You can also use ClickFunnels to test the performance of your sales funnels as well as your emails. 

Final Thoughts

Those are just a few of the many ways that you can increase your eCommerce conversion rate.

If you want to see more conversions, start by implementing some of the tips and tricks mentioned above.

And click below if you’re ready to build your first high-converting sales funnel… side-by-side with us 😎

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