44 Initiated Checkouts, 0 Sales — What Am I Missing?

[Cheivi23]

Hi everyone,

I’m facing a conversion issue I can’t figure out. My Shopify store (https://thetimehorizon.com) sells watches, and while traffic is healthy, customers keep stalling at checkout.

Last 30 days:

• 1,187 sessions

• 64 added to cart

• 44 initiated checkout

• 0 sales

I’m running Meta ads with Advantage+ audiences (men 25–50, interested in watches). On-site, I offer:

• Free shipping (U.S. only)

• 30-day returns

• Warranty included

• $20 off code (TIME20)

I also have Shopify Inbox live chat active. Despite this, not a single checkout completes.

Questions:

1. Are there common Shopify checkout friction points that could cause every initiated checkout to drop?

2. Should I focus more on checkout UX (badges, colors, payment methods) or rethink my ad/offer alignment?

3. Anyone experienced this “stuck at checkout” pattern and found what was blocking conversions?

Any guidance would mean a lot. Thanks!

[Laza_Binaery]

Hi @Cheivi23

First, you need to know that customers are really hard to separate from their money
And the store should calm them, give trust, show that it is safe to buy. Get them interested with a story, lead them, and offer a discount on their first purchase.

And I can not see that on your store, the big banner with a button that does not stick out. Then you have collections ( good) and products, and just 2 more sections: reassurance with icons that do not look good (like text from ChatGPT), and testimonials that are just text and can be passed (“Let customers speak for us” is not aligned and not clickable). So in all a bit basic and can be more. No mention of company/Our story/ more text for both customers and SEO. The collection page, so-so could use some filters, maybe, and more about brands. Product page again a bit basic, not enough sections and the product description not presented in the best way. Check MH40 Wireless Paris Saint-Germain for an example of a full page, a lot of info, that gets the customer hooked.

Now, checkout itself: a few things that can turn off customers but in general, think people just need some time to think, $200+ for a watch is affordable but still not a small amount. What I noticed that can turn off customers: colors are different the rest of the site. That green is not used before, so checkout looks like a different site, which can lead to uncertainty. In a page, you do not want uncertainty. The cart icon is different, too. I like to check contact/business information, and you do not show much initially. I did found on FAQ page just your info email. The Terms page has nothing. But then, on checkout, there are policies and legal which holds some data. Different email, address(city) from Spain, but in the FAQ I got the feeling it is US company. Note this, I think most people would skip but those who check can just be confusing.

The last thing to mention is your theme, Motion, it is a really old version and not sure why you did not upgrade. It is a version from December of 2018 and for more then 6 years them did have a lot of fixes, improvements, new sections, that can be useful and improve conversation.

Good luck, and I know you will get more advice from other members but also do a little research yourself here. Search for no sales, some tips repeat over and over, and can help you out.

[Maximus3]

There is a lot of skepticism to be had while at your store. Customers want genuine. They want reassurance they’re not being scammed. While good site design can help and bad design hurt, most people don’t care as long as you are trustworthy. There is no information on who you are, where you are, or what your real contact information is.I really have to dig into the policies pages to get the info. You want people to send a lot of money to a complete stranger who signs his About page as “The Founder”. It says you’re a cardiovascular disease PhD student. That must be pretty important if real. Yet you don’t want to show your face or even your name. If that was me, I’d be proud to say who I am. Nice thought about “donate 10% of all profits to cardiovascular research”, but how do I really know that? What are the exact charities or organizations you’re donating to? Can you provide documentation for that? Your Google Search result came back with “US Authentic Designer” but none of those watches or their manufacturers are in the US. AND you put a 1 year “manufacturers warranty” but Armani has 2 year warranty. A legit dealer would know this. Why does your FAQ have a different email from the refund policy, and the contact page has none? These things are more important than the obviously downloaded images and seemingly fake reviews. Work on who you are, how customers can feel confident in you. Then work on your products.

[SkillUpDennis]

It sounds like you’ve done a lot right with your offer and traffic, so the fact that you’re getting initiated checkouts but 0 completions usually points to something technical rather than just a marketing mismatch.

Since Shopify’s checkout is highly optimized, this drop-off often happens if:

A checkout setting or payment gateway isn’t working properly (e.g., payment method not appearing, error message at payment step).

Browser or mobile compatibility issues – some themes or scripts can accidentally conflict with checkout.

Bug in checkout flow – rare, but it does happen.

I’d recommend running a few test orders yourself with different devices, browsers, and payment methods to confirm. If you can reproduce the issue, reach out to Shopify Support right away—they can check logs to see why payments are failing.

Your ads and funnel are clearly driving intent, so fixing this checkout friction is likely the key to unlocking conversions.

[Tipo_Sinh-Dev]

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing the detailed numbers — that’s super helpful. Looking at your funnel, the drop-off specifically at the checkout stage (44 checkouts started → 0 completed) suggests the issue is less about traffic quality and more about checkout friction or trust signals. A few things worth checking:

1. Technical checkout blockers

• Test checkout yourself on desktop + mobile with different payment methods (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Shop Pay, etc.). Sometimes a config issue (e.g. payment method not enabled for certain cards or locations) makes checkout impossible.

• Check if your discount code TIME20 applies correctly at checkout. If it throws an error, many people will abandon.

2. Trust and reassurance at checkout

• Add visible security/payment trust badges (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, SSL secure, etc.).

• Emphasize your 30-day returns + warranty right next to the payment button.

• Consider reducing field clutter (only ask essentials: shipping + payment).

3. Payment method variety

• Many U.S. buyers expect Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay. If you only offer card checkout, you’ll lose conversions.

• Double-check if guest checkout is enabled. Forcing account creation often kills sales.

4. Ad/offer alignment

• Meta ads often bring broad audiences. If people are clicking out of curiosity but not ready to spend $X on a watch, they’ll browse → abandon. You might test retargeting ads with urgency (low stock, limited discount) or landing page refinement (more product detail, lifestyle imagery).

5. Heatmaps / session replays

• Tools like Hotjar or Lucky Orange will show you exactly where customers quit at checkout — that’s usually the fastest way to spot a blocker.

Since you’re seeing zero completed orders, I’d start by running a test purchase yourself (and maybe ask a friend in the U.S. to try too). If checkout doesn’t complete smoothly, it’s likely a technical/payment setup issue rather than just conversion optimization.

[Dan-From-Ryviu]

Please verify that your payment methods are working correctly. Ensure you have both payment options: Credit Card and PayPal.

[John_Olateju]

Firstly, do you already have a powerful ‘Customer Retention System’ in place for your store?

[rutvik_shop]

Hey @Cheivi23

I don’t think your checkout is broken, the issue looks more like traffic quality and trust. With Meta Advantage+ you’re basically telling Facebook “show this to men who kinda like watches,” which means you’re pulling in a lot of window shoppers. They’ll add to cart, click through to checkout, then bounce because they never intended to buy in the first place.

The second thing I’d fix is what shows up on checkout. Right now you’re only repeating shipping info. A higher-ticket item like a watch needs extra reassurance at that final step. Put your warranty, returns, and free shipping message right on the checkout page so people don’t second guess it.

If this were my store I’d do three things fast:

1. Limit ads to U.S. only since that’s where you offer free shipping.

2. Add trust badges and repeat your warranty/returns in the checkout sidebar.

3. Run retargeting for people who hit add to cart or checkout but didn’t buy.

That usually clears up this “lots of carts, no orders” problem.

[Bundler-Manuel]

Hi there @Cheivi23 Have you tried out the checkout process yourself to see if it works without any issues or encumbrances? You can do that by placing a test order if you haven’t already and see if you notice any abnormalities

[namphan]

Hi @Cheivi23,

I’m really sorry to hear about your frustration - 44 initiated checkouts but no completed sales can feel disheartening. Let’s break this down together.

First, it’s worth checking whether your payment methods are fully aligned with the local market you’re selling to. Are the gateways familiar and trusted in your customers’ region? Also, double-check that everything is working smoothly end-to-end - I noticed your cart drawer isn’t displaying the available payment methods very clearly, which might be causing unnecessary friction.

Here are a few areas you could work on:

• Product page experience: Make your product pages feel more trustworthy and engaging. Add a review app so visitors can see real customer feedback, and highlight ratings from reliable platforms. Enhance visuals by enabling image zoom for detail viewing, and consider adding product videos to give shoppers more confidence. A sticky image gallery is also a great way to let people scroll through details while keeping the product photos in view.
• Trust-building signals: Clear return, shipping, and privacy policies go a long way in reducing hesitation. Display them prominently so buyers know what to expect. Adding trust badges for secure payments or guarantees can also reassure first-time visitors.
• Enhancing reach through SEO & community-driven marketing: Work on strengthening your organic presence with proper SEO so customers can naturally find you. At the same time, think about referral or affiliate marketing, where loyal customers or micro-KOLs help spread the word. This is a cost-effective approach since you only pay when an actual sale happens, and tools like UpPromote can support you in managing such programs smoothly.

You’re already attracting people who start checkout, so your offer clearly has appeal. With stronger trust signals, a clearer payment flow, and consistent SEO plus referral-driven promotion, I believe you’ll soon see those conversions turning into real sales. Wishing you lots of success ahead!

[tobebuilds]

1. From the POV of a customer - why should I trust your site? You mentioned your traffic is coming from Meta ads, so it’s probably cold traffic that’s never seen your site before. Consumers are constantly on the lookout for scams. Do you have any sort of certification from the brands you’re selling that you’re an authorized partner/reseller?
2. There are no reviews on the page. This goes hand in hand with #1. The average person is not going to drop $250 on a watch from a site they’ve never heard of before without any sort of social proof.
3. The high price point of your products means most people are not going to impulse buy them. Are you collecting emails? I didn’t see a popup on your site. I get the sense that most people who have visited are turned off by the combination of high prices, lack of social proof, and lack of an established brand.
4. Lastly, 64 add to carts isn’t a lot of data. If you’re going to use ads as your main marketing channel, be prepared to essentially “pay for data” in the early stages.

Hope this helps,

Tobe

[boxgreen1980]

You know been on here three months no sells there not much work with here have pay big money to make sales like pay marketing people 200 or Google ads 1,200 a week crazy I am still look alot of scam apps and people

[Cheivi23]

Hi everyone,

First, I want to thank all of you who took the time to reply to my previous post and share your advice — it was incredibly helpful. I went back through most suggestions and made a series of improvements:

• Made the “Our Purpose” section more personal and authentic.

• Added a sticky Add-to-Cart button for easier shopping.

• Updated product copy to be clearer and more compelling.

• Fixed all store policies and made sure they’re easy to find.

• Shared the store’s physical location for added trust.

• Double-checked that every payment method/platform works properly.

Here’s where I stand now (last 14 days):

• 1,590 sessions

• 79 add to cart

• 45 reached checkout

• 1 sale

So progress — finally a sale! But conversion is still very low compared to traffic and intent signals (checkout initiations).

My questions now:

• For those who’ve been in this stage — what specific changes helped push checkout initiators to actually complete the purchase?

• Are there underused trust elements (badges, reviews, guarantees) that helped you unlock more conversions at this stage?

• Any advice on whether to focus more on the product offer (pricing, urgency, bundles) or checkout UX (layout, payment speed, reassurance) to accelerate from here?

Thanks again for all the help so far. Every insight counts — I really appreciate this community.

[Maximus3]

Just give it time man. Like Laza said, people are hard to separate from their money, especially for a 500 dollar watch. Glad to see your bio picture. I think you’ve been focused on the site, now I’d just focus on advertising and getting some good reviews, creating a FB page and getting followers. Ben Heath on YouTube is who to watch if you want FB guru knowledge. Even 1 good word-of-mouth recommendation can start a chain reaction of orders. I like to go local. Invite your colleagues. Do a giveaway. Get some business cards with a qr code discount on the back, etc.

[danielsalena]

I don’t have much, but i want you to understand that every challenge has a solution and someone had faced it too. my was similar to yours thou, someone from this community then gave me where to get external tools which i did, and it helped

[mtufekyapan_gs]

Hi @Cheivi23 ,

First of all, please do not use fake timers They do more harm than good.

If your discounts are not real and time limited my recommendations directly applying 20% OFF to your product prices, at least it can help you to increase CTR from channels like meta or google.

The second problem I believe is your CTAs.

I don’t get “Reserve Now”? What does it mean? I would go super simple and clean. Just “Add to Cart”

I checked your checkout page and there was no problem. Sometimes when you don’t configure shipping policies it can cause problem. Just make sure there is no problem on the checkout page. Otherwise it all seems good.