Very very low converstion rate - I'm befuddled

Store Feedback

Topic summary

A store owner is struggling with an extremely low 0.1% conversion rate despite competitive pricing (2-5% below market) and sending thousands of targeted visitors to their site. They have as many abandoned carts as completed sales.

Key concerns:

  • Limited visibility into checkout process (Shopify blocks Google Tag Manager access)
  • Site speed at 50%, though attributed to tracking tools
  • Uncertainty about what’s causing drop-offs during checkout

Suggested improvements:

  • Enhance homepage with brand story, establishment date, and trust elements
  • Review abandoned checkout timeline for specific error messages (payment gateway issues, etc.)
  • Consider expanding the 7-product line
  • Potentially hire someone for better product/marketing images

The store owner plans to adjust “add to cart” settings, suspecting customers may be getting stuck since most orders require multiple quantities per page. However, they remain skeptical that homepage improvements alone will significantly impact conversion, given their direct competitors spend tens of thousands on advertising. No errors appear in the abandoned checkout timeline, leaving the root cause unresolved.

Summarized with AI on November 19. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
2

Hello @commercenow !

I understand that this can be frustrating, especially when starting out.

I think you have done a really good job of putting everything together so far, but I also think you’re on the right track with your thoughts about working on the homepage.

The homepage is very important, as your customers will form their first impressions about your store there. A well put together homepage is not only helpful for ease of navigation, but it also helps build up trust with your customers.

You can start by adding a section following these steps here which would include additional information about your store and it’s background, i.e. established in ‘x year’. This adds to the personality of the store, and gives your homepage an overall more finished and professional look.

Here, I have a Shopify Blog article featuring some Homepage Design Ideas.

I know you have some concerns about your checkout flow - could you please check your Orders > Abandoned Checkouts and see if any orders landed there? Usually, if there is a checkout issue, this is where you will find orders that failed - and if you click into them, and scroll down to the Timeline section, it will explain exactly what the issue was (i.e. payment gateway error).

Lastly, I want to share some additional Conversion Rate Optimization Strategies in this Blog article here - have a look at this and see what you could apply to your store, if there is something that you haven’t tried already.