Looking to improve my store

[BrendenSmith]

Looking to improve my store. My store was doing great for the first 3yrs and then last year was a big drop in sales. I didn’t change much from my normal IG marketing but there was a big drop. So im trying to improve my store and all the normal suggestions SEO, etc. Just need a fresh eye or maybe what’s not working. Looking for constructive feedback from professionals. Kinda wish there was a way or if there was someone to just to drive into my store (front & backend side of the store) to tell me what is working and not. So i would know clearly what to improve or missing. Thank you. - Brenden

Lights & Sirens Designs

[StevenT_A7]

Hey Brenden,

Thank you for opening up and sharing where things are at right now. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of heart into building something meaningful, and it’s completely understandable to feel stuck when momentum slows, even if nothing obvious has changed.

In many cases, it’s just subtle changes, like buyer behavior or tweaks in platform algorithms, that start to add up quietly in the background. I’ve worked with other shop owners in similar situations, and sometimes a fresh perspective on both the storefront and behind-the-scenes setup can uncover a few small but powerful shifts that can make a real difference.

If you’d find it helpful, I’d be more than happy to take a look and offer thoughtful, straightforward feedback on what’s working well, what could use a bit of tuning, and where there’s room to grow.

Just a message away

[Laza_Binaery]

Hi @BrendenSmith

Welcome to the community.

First, I must suggest that you to search this forum, there are a lot similar topics, just look for “No sales” and you will see some good advice. Some of them you can try on your store.

But some specific things I noticed. Note, I am not an expert, and some things you can leave, but I just notice them.

Homepage:

• You need an favicon
• Connected to that, your logo in banner looks great and I think it could be used instead of text logo at the top
• To me, hthe eader is too big, in height, so it pushes other content down, so below the fold at first load. Try to have a logo on the left, menu at center, in icons to the right.
• While hero banner is great it does not have great purpose, you need to have different image, maybe connected to some collection or sale, some big tagline and optionally some text at banner and importantly, a button to lead customer to some collection to buy something. Now every visitor would see your logo, say great and have to scroll down, wasted opportunity.
• After hero banner, I would have that text from footer, it is a good way to connect to users and explain what is your store about.
• Then a new section, maybe a list of your main collection from the menu, then popular products
• Testimonials are fine, small improvement would be to have real people faces, again to connect more with customers.
• Featured product, my opinion that it is not needed there.
• image/text, good one
• I would add maybe icon text grid 3-4 icons like support/ shipping security, all for a bit more of customer reassurance.
• Footer could use small adjustments: Our mission should be wider and subscribe form narrower so there is not that much space. Links in Let’s be social menu should be white , now contrast is not greatand it is barely visible.

Collection page:

• Collection title banner is fine, maybe again a bit too high, could be 50% shorter. Takes some space and pushes products, which are more important, down.
• Collection description is a good place to have a bit more text, to use right keywords so good for SEO. Some are short so check it out, or use AI to generate some.
• Product list, you can for sure increase the number of products to 12 or even 16 by page, as for example, the Stickers/Firefiter collection have 8 pages now and some customers will not go through all of them.

Product page:

• Images should be sticky, so when you scroll and read text that takes more space, the left side is to empty but image is always in the view
• Add to cart button, for me should never be outlined and with that green it is one of the least noticeable elements on page. It should be the most noticeable so customer get drawn to it. So full accent color background with white text.
• Also, a good practice for a longer pages with scrolling is to have a sticky add to cart block at the bottom so when you pass the main Add to cart button, that one appears.
• For apparel and maybe stickers and flags, you could use same image with real persons. Check placeit . net site, have a lot of good mockups that you could benefit for sure.
• Buying in bulk is a great feature to have, but also consider adding some bundles with discounts. Everyone loves discounts so you can sell more.
• You could use here a 2-3 more sections: reviews are a must, which gives you credibility, and when customers see good reviews is easier to buy themselves. One more icon/text grid and maybe image text section with important text, maybe one from home about raising 10K.

Checkout:

• That cart upsel block scared me almost It loaded a bit late, and I think the position is not great. After it loads, it pushes the main content. IT would be better to be after the table and to have products in rows as a carousel, maybe stacked like that in the column.

The last thing to mention but the first thing I would look is contact information. And you have just an email and not even a domain email, but a Gmail one, like a lot of scammers just use. Are you a business? Then have a proper address, business information, phone, registration info, even. To that is a big issue and sign of distrust, why would I leave my credit card info to some random person that have a gmai email only. How would I contact him if he does not respond to email? Think about that.

Overall, it is a good store; you did a lot of good things, covered the basics. Not sure if you have time, but a chat option on the site could be good to help visitors become customers.

Good luck with the sales, you have good products and a cause.

[Akohub]

Hi, I’m Wayne from Akohub. We have been working with many brands to run online stores. After viewing your website, I believe our expertise could add value to your business.

The drop in sales is a challenge many established stores face as the e-commerce landscape evolves and customer expectations shift. Sometimes what worked in the past needs a refresh to keep pace with changes in customer behavior, competition, and platform algorithms.

A good starting point is to re-examine your store’s navigation and user experience. If navigation has become cluttered or product categories are too broad, customers may struggle to find what they want, leading to drop-offs. Streamlining categories, improving product filters, and ensuring a fast, mobile-friendly experience can make a significant difference, especially since most shoppers now browse on their phones. Also, updating product images and descriptions to be more engaging and benefit-focused can help turn browsers into buyers.

Another area to consider is how you’re re-engaging visitors who don’t purchase on their first visit. Retargeting campaigns are particularly effective in this case as they focus on reaching people who have already shown interest in your products by visiting your site. These campaigns serve personalized ads to previous visitors, reminding them of the products they viewed or left in their carts, which can significantly increase conversion rates and deliver a better return on ad spend compared to standard ads.

If you’re looking for a way to streamline the set up process and manage retargeting campaigns, the Ako Marketing app offers a user-friendly solution. It enables you to run advanced IG retargeting ads, automate Instagram DM campaigns, and customize your marketing funnel within Shopify. By leveraging these features, you can efficiently reconnect with past visitors, maximize your marketing budget, and potentially reverse the sales decline with targeted, data-driven strategies.

Best wishes! If you have any more questions or need a free professional consultation, feel free to let us know! Don’t forget to like and mark it as a solution if you find this helpful.

[Beast_Boy]

Hi Brenden

it’s kinda rough when a store that’s been humming suddenly stalls.

Your site looks great, but sometimes a small refresh is all it takes: tighten up your homepage value hook, swap in a few fresh lifestyle shots, and double-check your mobile flow.

IG’s algorithm shifts might mean your usual posts aren’t reaching many people, so try retargeting or an email welcome series to re-engage past visitors.

[MooseDesk]

Hi @BrendenSmith ,

We appreciate your inquiry in the Shopify Community. We are MooseDesk, a comprehensive Live Chat, FAQ & Helpdesk App designed to elevate your customer support experience.

Congrats on your new store! I can tell you have put a lot of effort into building this. Especially there is a diverse range of products with unique aesthetic of your brand.

However, I have some comments to boost sales. Here are some of my recommendations for better conversion rates, please kindly check.

1. Add CTA link for banner + Leverage social proof and loyalty connection

I see you put the banner “Every Order OVER $25 Comes with FREE Tracking - Only SHIPS in the USA*” at the top of the website that shows the very first touchpoint with newcomers. But for sales boost, you can leverage it to redirect the link of email fillup/product page/discounts, etc.

It could be more incentivizing if you add a timing countdown (20 hours:30 minutes left…). Also, leverage Social Proof and Scarcity by displaying low-stock alerts (e.g., “Only 3 left in stock!”) to create urgency and highlighting recent purchases (e.g., “X people bought this in the last hour”) to encourage action. Also, with that pop-up window, you can try “Add your mail and Get 10% off your first custom map – just tell us where you’re from!”

2. Optimize Hero banner

With just a glance over the hero banner, I can decide whether to continue exploring a shop or not. At my first view of your website, the hero banner is not attractive enough. Therefore, I recommend that you optimize Hero Banner with the most captivating image of your products along with your tagline (benefits offered to your customers), for example: Crafted with Heart. Inspired by Heroes.

3. Refine the web design font

The web design conveys lots of your professionalism, which would impact customers’ trust for purchase. Therefore, I highly recommend you refine the text font (others fit your brand instead of the default Arial) and add transition to displayed information.

4. Add more illustrations for the product with the comments

As a consumer, I need more images to really see and feel persuaded by your products. Therefore, it would be nicer to add more illustrations for your product. Also, to build consumer trust, try leveraging comments and reviews below each product (you can “simulate” them or get some from your relatives, just my suggestion):

• Create a dedicated “Customer Reviews” section below the product description, with clear spacing and a distinctive background or border color.
• Use visually engaging elements like star ratings, thumbnails of user-uploaded photos, and highlighted quotes from the best reviews.

5. Create “About us” page

As your brand is craftsmanship and niche targeting, it is important to build resonance and deep understanding among customers about your brand. Thus, instead of just introducing your mission in the footnote, how about separating a page for About us with attractive text designs and illustrations?

6. Add a live-chat widget

I can see that your website is lacking a live chat widget feature which allows customers to contact you immediately. Imagine when they are really persuaded by your website and products but just have some more concerns. Without instant support, you could lose them really “painfully”. Therefore, you should try adding a chat widget that can really bring you closer to customers by chatting and emailing, then converting them into buyers.

I suggest exploring MooseDesk, a FREE Live Chat, WhatsApp & FAQ App. You can easily reach customer support via WhatsApp, ensuring immediate assistance for inquiries. Also, the widget provide multi self-Service options such as Order tracking, Translation and FAQ section empower customers to resolve common questions on their own, reducing the need for direct support.

So those are some of my suggestions for your store as an UX expert. If this is helpful for you, please let me know by giving me a ‘LIKE’. If your question is answered please mark this as 'SOLUTION’.

Once again, keep up the fantastic work, and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

[SEOAnt-Jeffery]

Hi @BrendenSmith

I have spent some time checking your store contents and find out something which may be helpful on your store further improvement, please kindly check the details I collected below:

1. There is no favicon added on your store when accessing. By adding a favicon will make your store contents display better in search results and it will be helpful for brand awareness as well.

2. I have made a test on your store, and the final results on phone and desktop ports are quite different. If your users prefer to access the store via phone port, the slow page speed will affect your sales and conversion. Please kindly take a close look at this aspect and take some measures to do further optimization via technical means.

3. The badges on the product page take longer than other elements to load completely. This may be due to the different methods of showing on your store backend. You can further check this with developers and see if can improve the loading method finally.

[Tapita-support2]

Hello @BrendenSmith ! I can see why you’re experiencing a sales drop - after reviewing your store, there are several critical issues that need immediate attention to get back on track.

Key Issues Impacting Your Sales

Missing Basic SEO Elements: No favicon, missing meta descriptions, and zero blog content means Google isn’t indexing or ranking your store properly. Your competitors are likely outranking you on firefighter-related searches.

Outdated Product Experience: You’re selling apparel in 2025 without color swatches or easy variant selection. Customers expect to see color options instantly - having to click into each product to see variants creates friction and abandoned carts.

Weak Brand Storytelling: While your firefighter theme is strong, you’re not leveraging the powerful community aspect. No blog content about firefighter stories, community support, or behind-the-scenes content means you’re missing emotional connections that drive loyalty.

Basic Design Limitations: The simple layout doesn’t build confidence for $30+ apparel purchases. Your mission statement is buried at the bottom when it should be prominently featured to justify premium pricing.

Missing Social Proof: No customer reviews visible, no user-generated content, no testimonials from actual firefighters wearing your gear. This is crucial for apparel sales.

Strategic Solutions### Fix SEO & Performance Issues

Tapita: SEO Optimizer & Speed would address your missing SEO fundamentals by automatically generating meta titles and descriptions, adding structured data for better Google comprehension, and providing comprehensive SEO audits. The free plan includes SEO audit for 50 pages, bulk meta data optimization, and Google Search Console integration.

Enhance Product Presentation

G: Combined Listings & Variant would transform your apparel presentation by adding professional color swatches and variant pickers, making it easy for customers to visualize different shirt colors and styles. This directly addresses your missing swatch functionality and improves the shopping experience.

Create Authority Content

Tapita AI SEO Blog Builder would help create SEO-optimized blog content about firefighter culture, first responder stories, and community support - completely free. This builds authority and drives organic traffic from your target audience.

Upgrade Visual Design

Tapita: AI Theme Section Store would help create more professional, conversion-focused sections while maintaining your brand’s firefighter aesthetic - completely free with all features.

Immediate Action Items1. Add favicon and basic SEO elements

1. Implement color swatches for all apparel
2. Create 5-10 blog posts about firefighter community topics
3. Add customer reviews/testimonials prominently
4. Improve product photography with lifestyle shots
5. Add size charts and detailed product descriptions

Your firefighter niche is strong with dedicated customers, but technical SEO issues and poor product visualization are likely driving potential buyers away. Focus on these fundamentals first, then expand your content marketing to rebuild that organic traffic you lost.

Tapita Experts