A gift box store owner is struggling with a 100% bounce rate, zero session duration, and no sales despite Instagram marketing efforts. The store has significant usability and design issues preventing conversions.
Major Problems Identified:
Key Recommendations:
Outcome: Store owner expressed gratitude and indicated implementing changes. One commenter returned later noting dramatic improvements, calling the shop “pretty and easy to shop now.”
Deal all,
We have opened an online store for gift boxes and are doing Instagram marketing but the bounce rate is nearly always 100% and session duration 0:00, no sales so far. I would appreciate if you could take a second to visit our store and give my feedback if there’s something missing or not user friendly etc. I have no idea why nobody is spending more time in our store and not buying something.
Thank you! www.claire-belle.com
Regina
Hi Regina
For the homepage:
For the product page:
Let me know if you need help with this. I have examples of high-converting product pages on my website.
My first impression seeing the front page was that I had clicked on yet another “feel good” craft blog with an aesthetic geared to what people think attracts middle-aged and older women, but doesn’t feel contemporary or fresh. I would back out immediately if I were in a shopping mindset and not there for the purpose of giving you constructive feedback.
Then I read what is next to your first image. I noticed immediately that Jouful, Wer and occassion are all misspelled. Grammerly offers a free app that catches misspelled words. I have found it helpful, you may too.
Then I saw that it says something about crafting gift boxes that elevate gifting, so then definitely thought it was a craft blog page, but knew you sold things because of your forum post. So I assumed you were selling tutorials and patterns on how to make these crafty boxes. I tried clicking on your first image. Nothing happened.
I saw Box of the Month and I thought it was about a monthly blog post on how to use the boxes you make (and maybe sell?). I tried to click on it but nothing happened. I stopped trying to click/shop on all the other things after this (under regular circumstances I would leave your page at this point also because I would assume it is an incompleted website that someone probably started to set up but then abandoned).
The next thing I did was quickly scroll down past other images because I didn’t see the point in wasting my time trying to click on them. Also, I found the content long-winded and it felt like work to read it all. Again, a sense of this being primarily a blog first and a shopping place on the side. (If a benefit of these premade gift bundle packages I later realized is what you are selling is supposed to save me time and hassle, the shopping experience itself doesn’t support it).
So, at this point, I still have a misunderstanding of what this website is all about. I have the impression this blogger has a passion for making crafty gift boxes and either sells a few of them on the side or sells tutorials on how to make them.
I experience the various images of the filled gift boxes as suggestions of how the boxes can be used, but not as an actual pre-filled, complete assortment of gifts in one nice box ready for giving that I can order.
So, I just scrolled down to the end of the page. There I saw three panels that describe the quality of the actual boxes, so then I think you are actually a supply shop but are re-selling nice gift boxes that are made by another company. “Oh, okay, I think I now get what is going on here,” I think to myself. I tried to click on those images, thinking THAT was where I could buy the actual boxes you talked about at the beginning of the page. But nope, I still can’t actually shop because those images don’t link to anything, either.
I scroll back up to the top of your page and have to look for a “Products” link in order to shop. I am surprised there is no "Blog " link in the header because my first impression of it being a craft blog is still so strong.
I then clicked on “Products” thinking I could order the beautiful boxes I saw at the bottom of the home page in those three side-by-side images. The main product images show assortments of items, but they don’t visually read as complete gift pages. So then I think you are selling the suggested contents for the boxes, but there is no listing of the actual boxes to buy so maybe you are sold out of those, I wonder. (keeping with how I experienced your home page, I am going on that information). I like the titles and think they are cute.
My mouse scrolls over the images and they go grayish and fuzzy rather than becoming clearer or zoomed - making it harder for me to see the item rather than easier (again, now I have had an experience of working to read a lot of irrelevant/verbose content with misspellings, not getting results when trying to click on things, no clarity on what is actually being sold, working to find your listings/products, and now I can’t even SEE the thing because it fuzzies up when I try to scroll over it for a better look. I think to myself that it shouldn’t be this hard to shop).
I see the binky clip for the baby boy and think the end of it looks like a choking hazard. I click on that listing. I decide to click on the first image to see the binky better, I see it has holes, but still think it is likely unsafe if it ever falls off and then I start to worry it is made in a country with no safety standards. I reverse image search the binky and leave your page entirely to address the safety concern and seek out information on it. It takes me to the wholesaler’s page and I now know what you likely paid for it, I am nonetheless tempted to browse that site instead of yours. I back up to your page to continue my critique.
I find I am now worried about the fiber content of the other things, the safety of the other things, Is the blanket up to the fire-resistant standards of baby bedding set by the FTC? Is it a LULU knockoff from the same site I found the binky on and not legit? I don’t know for sure… but this is where my mind as a shopper has taken me in looking at what I think are box fillers for a baby boy bundle box I will still have to put together myself. Then I wonder what the rattle sounds like. And what is the fiber content, and are those fibers chemically coated in some way because a baby is sure to teeth on it.
I read the description and the content does not have answers to my questions. I do read a box is included. I scroll through the pictures and see the last picture has everything in the box I think this should be your first picture - it is the nicest and tells me what I need to know easily at a glance. I also think you should include images in each listing promoting the box itself as it really is beautiful.
I am left wondering if a gift tag or gift message is an option so I can ship it straight to my gift recipient.
Also, there is a dropdown of ribbon color on the boy listing and the first choice is PINK. I have no idea what the ribbon is for because there is no image of the closed box in the listing. There is one of them on the home page at the bottom but what if I had not seen it or been sent by Google straight to the listing? An image in the listing itself that shows the three ribbon color choices would be helpful.
As an aside, I want to say I think you should offer the boxes on their own as they are gorgeous.
I also want to say I sincerely hope this helps. I have had two people be brutally thorough about how they experienced my shop as first-time shoppers. Their honest feedback helped me so much to understand things from their perspective. I am working on making changes because of their feedback. They saw it purely from a shopper’s perspective and picked up on so many things I never would have realized because I am so deep in the thick of it. This is my attempt to “pay it forward” and I hope this critique is received in that light.
Hi Regina,
First of all congrats on launching your online shop!
Before even considering the 100% bounce rate as a problem could tell me how many visits are you receiving on your website? Also, how are these users finding your website Instagram, Organic traffic, Ads etc?
If it is a few hundred visitors a month I wouldn’t worry too much about optimising it at this stage. If this is the case my suggestion would be to focus on the right marketing channel which can bring more users over optimisation. So knowing the scale of the number of visitors and the channels to the website could help to give you the right feedback.
On a related note, these are some things I noticed on the website that could be helpful.
Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Rahul
Thank you so much for your time and detailed feedback! I really appreciate it. This helps me a lot to improve my store.
Thank you very much for your review! This helps me to a lot!
This helps me a lot to improve my store. Thank you so much for your time and detailed feedback! I really appreciate it.
I am Garcia from PageFly - Shopify Advanced Page Builder App. I really like the simple and elegant design of the page. It’s easy to navigate and I can quickly find the information I’m looking for. From my CRO expertise, I have some feedback for your Store and hope that they can help you increase the design.
Add hover effect for CTA button
The hover effect adds an interactive element, making the website more engaging and dynamic for visitors. I checked that you have a hover state but this is not really outstanding. Given your existing color scheme, you might want to consider a color that complements the theme while also standing out. A vibrant and contrasting color like a shade of teal (#008080) or (#DAA520). I made an example here
Highlight text on a paragraph
Highlighting product features in a paragraph helps potential customers quickly understand the key benefits and capabilities of the product. You can use bold style, different font size, color…
Feature core products on home page
Core products are typically the ones that define your brand or generate a significant portion of your revenue. Showcasing them on the homepage helps draw attention to what sets your business apart.
Make use of Instagram
You can create shoppable Instagram feeds to showcase your products and boost sales.
Besides that, Adding a shoppable Instagram Shopify is also one of the most effective ways to increase the conversion rate. It allows your customers to shop right in your Instagram feed and get more sales.
Prepare for Holiday season
With the upcoming holiday season, numerous businesses are preparing for events like Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM), Christmas…. Your products are exceptionally well-suited for this time of year. I strongly advise implementing these suggestions to capitalize on the holiday spirit:
Execution: Organize a range of promotions, such as discounts on specific products, Buy One Get One (BOGO) offers, or exclusive bundled packages. Promote each day’s special through email marketing and on social media platforms.
Thank you,
Garcia
I thought I’d pop back in and wow! Your shop is so pretty and so easy to shop now! Really lovely!
Thank you very much for your help and your detailed feedback! You offered many new perspectives that I will consider, thank you!
You are welcome @Claire-BellShop ! Hope those recommendation will be useful to you.
