Struggling to boost sales: What worked for your store?

[liliz]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been running my online store for a year now and have had about 3,500 visits in total, but I’m struggling to convert those visits into sales. I’ve tried paid ads, worked on organic reach, and stayed active on social media. I’ve also implemented various pieces of advice from others, but things just haven’t started rolling yet.

Here’s my store link: https://zanetastudio.com/

I’d love to hear your experiences! If you’ve managed to grow your sales, what strategies worked for you? Whether it’s marketing tips, website improvements, or social media tactics, any feedback or ideas would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you so much in advance!

[Bundler-Manuel]

Hello there Lilli @liliz I review a lot of stores here for free and I must say that your store radiates a sense of calmness and ambience just by visiting it, it’s very well set up. Your products are very niche however so I don’t necessarily think the lack of sales has to do with the store itself but more of with the marketing being targeted at people who would actually be interested in buying the quality you’re offering. I’d advise maybe getting in touch with a marketing strategist who could help you or give you advice on how you could do this.

On the store itself, I’d just recommend adding a short video of you creating one of the works showcasing the details and process to make it look more appealing to people who visit the store. Also, if you by any chance have made some sales even if they have been offline then I suggest you get some positive reviews from those customers which you can add on your homepage.

Happy New Year and I wish you and your store the best of luck!

[liliz]

Thank you @Bundler-Manuel !
It means a lot just to have an extra opinion
Currently working on adding reviews and a video as a next step!

Any recommendations on where to look for a marketing strategist?
I have been receiving many spam messages from people selling services + I have been having trouble finding someone specialised in art (or similar), since many marketing approaches I see online are too soulless for my goals and the brand I’m trying to build.

Happy New Year!

[ErayBarslan]

Hi @liliz ,

Amazing art! It’s possible to make improvements on the website for conversion. However your main focus should be to increase the traffic. 3500 traffic yearly won’t give enough metric on how your storefront performs, and considerable amount of that comes from bots. So I’ll start my suggestions in this regard.

Organic Marketing:

• It’s great that you’re working on organic reach and active on pinterest, insta, fb. I’m not sure if you’re on other platforms but there are much much more platforms / sites where you can showcase and list your art. Use their already existing traffic, to drive more visibility and engagement for your art and shop. There are people searching for unique art pieces, you just need your art to be seen by them. I’d suggest focusing on organic reach rather than paid ads, at least until your art is at every corner! This may also inspire you for more work, as you’ll be exposed to many arts out there.
• Writing blogs by sharing your experience / journey is great way for exposure. You may want to consider the SEO aspect of it too. This includes organizing titles, content for keywords that people search and you can rank for. This doesn’t mean that, you should give away from your free writing style; rather find a balance between playing the game and staying true to your personal touch.

Your website design is minimalist and clear, which fits perfectly with your personal art niche. I’d suggest a few enhancements to improve design and better reflect your art.

Header & Banner:

• I understand the intention behind the logo font style, however you can achieve the same vibe with a more readable font. Also consider adding “studio”. It will make your brand name more memorable for returning visitors.
• I advise you to make the header-menu on single line. This will make it easier for visitors to view the website content.
• Also consider sub-menu to open with hover on desktop. An extra click isn’t user friendly, as most will expect it to open with hover
• Banner isn’t responsive for all desktop screens, bottom part (with text) being cut off. Menu on single line will help, but you may still need adjustments.
• The slider isn’t intuitive, most of the visitors won’t see past first image. Consider adding an auto slider function to make it more engaging and ensure other banners are noticed.

Product Cards:

• Having product images with different sizes, makes the layout inconsistent:

  

• If you simply serve them with same size, some images may cut off or lose quality. One solution could be to keep a consistent photography style for main images. This would require some extra work, but definitely an improvement. Example:

  

• Or you could keep the current sizes as it is, but add a unique touch by serving them with a masonry layout. Example:

  

• This won’t require taking additional pictures, and will help preserve the unique style of each art piece, allowing their different angles and perspectives to shine, while still giving the page a cohesive and dynamic look with the masonry layout. If you take this approach, I’d also suggest incorporating name-price with the image as a card, so that texts doesn’t feel out of place. For the direction:

  
  

• You have 24 pieces (If I’m not wrong) and 12 listed on the homepage. I’d suggest including them all. If you go by masonary layout, simply increase the current list to 24. If you go by first example with same width-height, you may provide 2 categories (photography print & original art) one after another, while the quote “I create art to breath and to feel. Art lets me…” is in between, to keep the balance between visuals & text and providing a value proposition while they scroll through products.

• And I’d suggest changing “sale” badge to “30% off” or whatever is the amount, dynamically.

These are my key takeaways. Keep up the great work, you have incredible pieces!

Good luck on your journey and happy New Year! Feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance.

Cheers,

[PageFly-Kate]

Hi there, I’m Kate from PageFly - Shopify Landing Page Builder.

Congrats on your new store! The website is informative & looks majestic. I had a good experience exploring it. I totally get how it may be struggling at first. From my Conversion Rate Optimization expertise, I would like to give you some suggestions regarding the store design to make the store more stunning and better convert.

1. General

• Make the header smaller: The current header takes up so much room and looks a bit overwhelming. Make the logo smaller to get a better visual for the header.
• Make use of the announcement bar: Consider making the announcement bar sticky to the top of the page. As I see you are running on a sale campaign, this can be featured on the announcement bar along with a countdown timer as well to catch users attention easily and create urgency.

1. Homepage

• Improve the first showcase on homepage
• The first product showcase on your homepage is a highly important touch point as it would decide whether or not visitors have interest in your products and make a purchase. Align the product list layout to make the whole page more consistent and professional.
• Highlight the price information as hoppers often visit e-commerce websites with the primary intent of finding and comparing prices. You should use another color or set it with other stylings to make the price information more noticeable

• Key USPs using icons

Your current homepage lacks unique selling points of your products. It may increase the bouncing rate as users don’t find important content they need. Helpful, easy-to-see, and unique benefits icons quickly introduce your benefits and give a reason to purchase from you instead of the competition.

Reference:

1. Product page

• Use color swatches for product variants

Instead of a dropdown menu for product variants, you can consider using option swatches to showcase different color options of the product. Swatches are intuitive and user-friendly which would enhance the shopper experience.

Reference:

• Add a sticky add to cart button to product page

A sticky Add to cart (ATC) button remains visible on the screen as users scroll through product details, images, and reviews. This reduces friction and ensures the call-to-action is always accessible, making it easier for shoppers to make a purchase decision without having to scroll back up.

Reference:

• Include Review/Testimonial section into your product page

I understand your store is new, but just a friendly-reminder, don’t forget reviews are essential to the shopping experience. You should add a testimonial section to build trust for your products’ quality. If there are not enough rating stars, consider using text & images to showcase feedback of your first orders.

Reference:

That’s all of my feedback. I hope it will increase your website’s conversion rate. Feel free to reach me in the reply section if you need further discussions. Wish you luck and endurance on your entrepreneurship journey!

Cheers,

Kate | PageFly Team

[Akohub]

Hi, I’m Wayne from Akohub. We have been working with many brands to run online stores. I have viewed your website and hope our expertise can help you.

Your online store showcases a lovely aesthetic and user-friendly design that reflects a strong brand identity. The clean layout and vibrant product images create an inviting shopping experience, making it easy for visitors to navigate through your offerings. Additionally, the attention to detail in your product descriptions helps convey quality, which is essential for better shopping experience.

To enhance your conversion rates, you can consider implementing retargeting campaigns. These campaigns are effective because they allow you to re-engage visitors who showed interest in your products but did not complete a purchase. By displaying targeted ads to these potential customers across various platforms, you remind them of their previous interests, which can significantly increase the likelihood of conversion. This strategy would keep your brand top-of-mind and encourage those who may have been hesitant to reconsider their decision.

On the other hand, you can consider adding a loyalty program to your site. Loyalty programs can foster repeat purchases by rewarding customers with benefits such as discounts, exclusive offers, or points for future purchases. This not only incentivizes customers to return but also builds a community around your brand. Implementing a loyalty widget to your store can be straightforward with tools like our Ako marketing app, which simplifies the setup process for both retargeting campaigns and loyalty programs. By implementing these strategies, you can create a more engaging shopping experience that not only attracts visitors but also converts them into loyal customers.

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.

[liliz]

Thank you so much @ErayBarslan for your help and detailed explanations!
I implemented most of your recommended changes and I like how the website looks now, feels more secure.
I’m considering adding a video and reviews soon, hope it won’t become too much.

[TaskHusky]

Hi @liliz ,

I think you are trying to do too much with your marketing. Organic, paid, etc. they never work is usually an indicator that you didn’t do it long enough. You didn’t test long enough. A total of 3,500 visitors in a year is not a lot. For example, we have a single blog post that gets that it a month.

I would recommend picking one traffic channel and set out to test until you find the right audience/ad creative. it will happen it just can take months, not days. You should check out https://www.facebook.com/thesocialsalesgirls on facebook. They have a Facebook group too https://www.facebook.com/groups/TSSGSupportCommunity. It is all people in your same boat.

[liliz]

Thank you @PageFly-Kate for your help!
I implemented some of your ideas, some required coding so I might do that later.
Planning on adding reviews as soon as possible

[rmosher]

Where is your store based? If you can establish a presence on TikTok Shop, do so. Even if it’s at risk of being banned. All it takes is one video to go viral and it seems like this particular format could serve your art well. The following article is a great starting point for beginners.

https://www.shipfusion.com/blog/tiktok-ecommerce-strategy

[DaisyVo]

Hi @liliz

Running an online store is no small feat, and getting 3,500 visits shows that you’ve already made good progress. Let’s break this down and see what might help you turn those visits into actual sales.

1. Evaluate Your Website’s User Experience (UX)

Sometimes, traffic isn’t the problem—it’s the way visitors experience your store. I took a look at your store, and while it’s aesthetically pleasing, there’s always room for improvement:

• Clear Value Proposition: When visitors land on your homepage, is it immediately clear what you offer and why they should buy from you? Make sure your unique selling points (e.g., handmade or unique designs) are front and center.
• Product Descriptions: Write detailed, benefit-driven descriptions that help your customers imagine using or gifting your products. Include measurements, materials, and styling suggestions if possible.
• Checkout Process: Test your checkout experience. Is it smooth, intuitive, and fast? A lot of potential buyers drop off at this stage because of unnecessary friction, like hidden shipping fees or account requirements.
• Mobile Optimization: Over 50% of online shoppers use mobile devices. Make sure your site looks and functions perfectly on smaller screens.

2. Analyze Your Traffic

Your traffic source matters. Are you getting the right kind of visitors? For instance, if your paid ads or social media are bringing in people who aren’t genuinely interested in your products, they’ll browse and leave. Tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar can show you what pages people visit most and where they drop off. If people are leaving after looking at product pages, that’s a clear sign to tweak your listings.

3. Build Trust with Your Audience

I noticed your site is visually appealing, but trust elements can make a big difference. Here’s what you could consider:

• Customer Reviews: If you don’t have reviews yet, ask past customers for feedback and showcase it on your site.
• Social Proof: Show photos of customers using your products (with permission, of course) or highlight the number of happy customers served so far.
• FAQs and Policies: Address common concerns, like shipping times, returns, or product care. Transparent policies help build confidence.

4. Experiment with Offers

Sometimes, people need a little nudge to convert. Try adding:

• Discounts or Freebies: Offer a limited-time discount or a small gift with purchase to create urgency.
• Free Shipping Thresholds: For example, “Free shipping on orders over $50” can encourage customers to add more items to their cart.
• Bundles or Upsells: Suggest complementary products at checkout or create product bundles at a slight discount.

5. Social Media Strategy

You mentioned being active on social media, which is great, but here’s how you can take it up a notch:

• Storytelling: Share the process behind your products—how they’re made, the inspiration, or the people involved. It’s a fantastic way to connect emotionally with your audience.
• User-Generated Content: Encourage your customers to post photos of your products and tag you. You could even run a contest to incentivize participation.
• Influencer Collaborations: Partner with small influencers in your niche. They can help promote your store authentically without breaking the bank.

6. Email Marketing

If you’re not already collecting emails, start now. Build a simple lead magnet, like a 10% discount for first-time buyers, and follow up with personalized email sequences. Some ideas include:

• A welcome series to introduce your brand and story.
• Regular updates with product features, testimonials, or promotions.
• Restock reminders for popular items or seasonal launches.

7. Retargeting Ads

Since you already have some traffic, retargeting ads can work wonders. Platforms like Facebook and Google allow you to re-engage people who visited your store but didn’t buy. You could show them products they viewed or highlight customer reviews to give them an extra push.

My Thoughts

I’ve seen a lot of small online stores struggle with conversions, and in most cases, it boils down to understanding your audience better and optimizing every step of their journey—from discovery to purchase. If I were in your shoes, I’d focus on making small, data-driven changes to your website and testing out offers or campaigns to see what resonates with your audience.

You’ve got great products, and it’s clear you’re passionate about what you’re doing. Sometimes, it just takes a little fine-tuning to make everything click.

If you need any other assistance, I am willing to help.
Best regards,
Daisy

[Bundler-Manuel]

Happy New Year! Sorry, I’m just seeing this. I’d highly recommend checking through the Upwork platform to find a reputable marketing strategist on there!

[onescales]

• show off why others love you.

• run more targeted ads

• giveaway products to influencers