How do I increase my conversion rate—the one problem every eCommerce founder grapples with—every day.
And rightly so: over 98% of visitors to eCommerce sites do not buy. (The average conversion rate for eCommerce is just 1.82%.)
But at the same time, there are successful eCommerce stores that convert up to 20% of their visitors.
What do they do differently? Science: they rely heavily on user behavior studies.
We're not saying they don't use hacks, they just use them scientifically.
In this blog, we've explained 19 scientific (and proven) strategies, to help you increase your conversion rate.
Let's get started.
1. Build more trust (Make shoppers stay)
Most high-converting eCommerce websites do TWO things: they simplify their messages, they offer unbiased information.
This helps reinforce customer trust and propel conversions.
Research has found that the human mind deconstructs complex and ambiguous elements into simpler forms to understand and act on them—this is known as the Law of Prägnanz or Pithiness.
Buyers are more likely to convert when they know they’ll get an answer to their questions.
It all starts from your homepage—so here are a few optimization techniques you can’t leave behind:
- Use clear, concise, and easy to understand copy on your homepage.
- Communicate who you are, what you do, and your value proposition within 10 seconds — and guide them on the next steps without ambiguity.
And don't forget to display testimonials: the sooner the better.
How to apply & increase conversion rates:
- Highlight the Unique Value Proposition (UVP)—this is what will tell shoppers why your brand and products are a better choice (highlight methods, ingredients, benefits and even the people who make the brand)
- Build consistency across elements (buttons, language, directional cues, images et al.)
- Use personalization based on customer segments (for example, personalize the menu based on which stage of awareness a particular audience segment is at—this will ensure they find it easier to negotiate your storefront)
2. Give before you take (Make them feel good)
It’s always easier to give after receiving—this is because receiving creates a feeling of indebtedness.
Savvy brands leverage the reciprocity principle to make their eCommerce prospects more ready to buy.
These brands “give” through discounts, free eBooks or free product samples if shoppers sign up for a newsletter or fill a survey.
- 97% of shoppers admit that they look for coupons while buying
- Free shipping makes 79% of US consumers more likely to shop online
How to apply & increase conversion rates:
- Offer free product samples or trials
- Send a free product catalog (plus samples)
- Offer valuable learning resources (eBooks, PDFs, guides etc.)
- Help them zero in on the right product(s) (product quizzes help)
- Offer discounts to both loyalists & new shoppers
- Assist them in making the best use of the products they buy (for example, send targeted post-purchase emails with tips & suggestions etc.)
3. Inspire shoppers to engage more
When potential customers begin to visit your store or enter their email to receive your newsletter, scientifically what’s at play is confirmation bias.
It’s a kind of cognitive bias that leads human beings to engage more with entities/elements that confirm what they believe in.
In the eCommerce world, if your brand can align with a customer’s beliefs and values, what you get is referred to as “ micro-conversions”.
Micro-conversions are smaller activities (like visiting various pages across your site, adding products to the cart etc.) that finally add up to the big conversion (or purchase) later.
How to apply & increase conversion rates:
- Offer a discount in exchange for their email or website feedback (especially if they’ve never shopped with you, this will act as incentive to do so)
- Make it easy to search the site (write cues within the search bar, make the menu sticky etc.)
- Communicate in ways that are helpful to them (show up product suggestions, use targeted ads in a way that they come across the landing pages that will pique their interest etc.)
4. Make the next steps easy
Prospects are less likely to act when it takes more effort to understand information and act on it—especially when they’re busy.
Successful eCommerce brands understand this—because cognitive ease leads to better conversions:
- Use shorter signup forms (Shorter forms convert better—removing a field from the form can increase conversion by 26%)
- Make checkout simple & effortless (A simple checkout process improves cart conversions—11% will abandon the cart if the process is complicated)
- Optimize for mobile. In fact, mobile-friendliness lies at the heart of eCommerce conversions—over 60% of eCommerce traffic and 53% of sales are through mobile commerce.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Display complex content in segregated blocks & sections
- Ensure visual hierarchy to guide them towards desired actions (for example, between two CTAs, design in bold the one that you want them to use)
- Bring in repetition between elements (this can help shoppers understand the relationship between them—for example, if the CTA’s in a specific color ensure the cart updation shows in the same color)
5. Help customers take fast decisions
The term for this is choice paralysis or Hick’s Law.
Psychologists Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman came up with this concept in the 1950s.
As per their findings, a greater number of choices increased decision-making time.
One of the first studies on choice paralysis was conducted on jam.
With fewer options, people naturally purchased more.
Smart eCommerce brands reduce the choice paralysis for customers yet offer them relevant options––reducing cart abandonment.
See how ASOS eases decision-making by neatly categorizing all their product options:

How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Offer personalized recommendations based on behavioral evidence & activity history
- Feature comparison charts & guides
- Limit the number of similar recommendations as well as for upsells and cross-sells
- Make customer support super accessible (feature your support number & links across key junctures on your site)
- Simplify your checkout process
Caveat:
Solely focusing on reducing choice paralysis doesn’t help.
You also need to optimize your eCommerce website's user interface to reduce cognitive load.
Simpler interfaces, minimalistic design and distraction-free navigation helps in better decision-making.
Check this out: 15 Website Navigation Menu Examples for eCommerce Stores
6. Create FOMO, and build exclusivity
On similar lines: The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a major driver of eCommerce sales.
60% of millennial consumers said they often make reactive purchases within 24 hours after experiencing FOMO.
You can create scarcity by announcing discounts for a short period of time and allowing pre-orders only to the first X number of takers (Humans have a primitive desire for exclusivity).
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Offer time-sensitive discounts and coupon codes
- Use a countdown timer in promos to create urgency
- Run flash sales at strategic times—holidays, black Fridays, back-to-school periods and during celebrations, et al.
- Use retargeting ads to offer time-sensitive coupons to people that abandon carts
Abusing coupon codes could lower the perceived value of your products—so use them intelligently, strategically and sparingly to improve conversions.
7. Make it "easy" for people to buy from you
The Fitts Law states that the time it requires to move a pointer (e.g. cursor) to a target area (e.g. CTA button) is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the width of the target.
In simpler words, when you apply this law to your UX optimization, it becomes easier for shoppers to:
- Find elements on mobile within the “thumb zone”
- Scan for information discovery
- Get less distracted because of less important CTAs
Visual salience makes an element stand out from surrounding elements and grab attention but not large enough to make them obnoxious or threatening.
Successful brands ensure their page elements (like CTAs) and offers are visually salient, easily accessible, and non-intrusive.
How to apply & increase conversion rates:
- Put a cheaper or more expensive product alternative within the buyer’s view
- Offer bundled products & use price anchoring to highlight them
- Ensure your icons have appropriate labels (otherwise callouts can become meaningless)
Caveat:
Making your CTA buttons bigger than necessary can make them look threatening, pushy, and intrusive.
8. Draw attention to products of higher value
Given a choice of products, customers like to choose the one in the middle.
Due to the central fixation bias of humans, the tendency is to look at the center of things.
So, the central fixation bias combined with the central gaze cascade effect is what makes us choose something placed at the center unconsciously.
This propensity for the center or the middle item is seen in various instances such as numbers, multiple-choice tests, game shows, and shopping, etc.
Here’s an example from subscription-based eCommerce brand Beer Cartel:

How to apply & increase conversion rates:
- Keep your most popular (or more expensive) products highlighted in the middle
- Use labels that drive the inherent value of the product (use the UVP as the label)
- Declare limited time offers (declare a reduced price but ensure it’s still reasonably high)
- Promote those products that have the edge of exclusivity in them (for example, if you do a brand collab, price those products higher)
Caveat:
An exception when the center stage effect doesn’t work is when there is plenty of distinctiveness between the options. The way out is to serially arrange similar products or bundles with only one or two distinct aspects—this works to optimize a shopper’s decision-making.
9. Use image psychology
It’s been proven that across eCommerce social channels, images & other visuals are the biggest drivers for audience engagement.
Moreover, 75% of shoppers rely on product photography to make purchase decisions.
The scientific principle that upholds such behavior is the visual principle of figure-ground.
When the figure-ground is stable, shoppers can clearly discern the foreground from the background.
Designers also use this principle in unstable ways to create a differentiated dynamic around images.
Here’s an example from a product visual from Huel (where it’s clearly established that the object is in the foreground).

How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Maintain a neutral colored background––white, black, or beige works best
- Make the subject of the image much smaller than the background (or a lot bigger)––this size contrast helps shoppers focus through figure-ground stability
- Position your subject lower in an image if you want it to clearly be seen as the figure––elements positioned higher are naturally considered the ground.
Caveat:
Sometimes the reason why this principle doesn’t work is improper focus: what you want to be seen needs to be in sharp focus and the rest can be blurred, diluted or enlarged.
10. Harness the power of "visual cues"
65% of the world population happens to be “visual learners.”
Compared to 2020 when 46.5% marketers claimed they’d used visuals in 91%-100% of their content, 2021 saw 56% claiming the same.
Over a period of time, this has become a proven fact in eCommerce optimization:
Content, when visual, is processed better by shoppers than when it’s in text.
Scientifically, this has to do with the picture superiority effect – the phenomenon that makes people remember visuals much more than text.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Use icons to highlight any immediate benefits you want to convey (for example, if your product is sustainable, bring in a suitable yet familiar icon for it)
- Use visuals alongside chunks of text to convey the essence
- Use logos and visuals for line items like payment methods or third party certifications
- Feature explicit cues where you need shoppers to act
- Make CTAs especially stand out when there are multiple elements around (text, images, dropdowns etc.)
11. Leverage endorsements smartly
Social psychologist Stanley Milgram experimented with measuring people’s willingness to obey an authority figure that instructs them to perform acts conflicting with their conscience.
He found that a very high proportion of the subjects would fully follow the instructions, though reluctantly.
Successful eCommerce brands understand this principle and use endorsements, buyer reviews and testimonials to reinforce brand authority.
70% of teens trust influencers over traditional celebrities and 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations
The North Face runs a social media challenge—#NeverStopExploring—that encourages their customers to share a photo of themselves wearing the gear.

User-generated content is a goldmine—85% of consumers find them more influential than brand images or videos and 43% say it’s a great way to discover new products
One their product page, they share the percentage of the reviewers that recommend the product to other buyers.

How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Use “Those who bought this also bought” on the product pages to recommend products to buyers
- Add reviews and product ratings from verified buyers—a “verified buyer” badge highlight helps
- Display images of real people, authority figures, or celebrities that endorse or use the product
- Issue gift cards (makes it easy to ask for a review later)
- Use an affiliate program to expand your reach, dive into uncertain terrains and piggyback off people’s goodwill
12. Provide amazing customer support
74% of senior business executives believe customer experience impacts the willingness of customers to become loyal advocates.
Positive experience drives return visits and conversions––74% buy based on experiences alone.
Successful eCommerce brands create positive, optimized experiences for buyers to make them feel at home.
They provide robust customer support, send real-time notifications, and create personalized experiences.

How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Make live chat non-negotiable—42% of customers prefer live chat compared to just 23% for email and 16% for social media or forums
- Provide helpful support articles on the website
- Use email & push notifications to send updates on offers & restocks
Caveat:
It annoys visitors when they use the live chat and don’t get any available support.
A chatbot should take over the conversation when support staff goes offline.
13. Use "Priming"
Priming occurs when a certain stimulus gets people to respond, without them being conscious of it.
In real life, this is what happens when we see a good or relevant advertisement. Next, when we actually see the product in a store or online, we’re wired back to how positive we felt viewing the advertisement & are more likely to make a purchase.
A smart way many stores prime users: they show the product in use or the lifestyle context it can be used in.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Use incentives for product exploration & gamification to boost engagement (for example, a spin-wheel with multiple discounts can be exciting for a new customer)
- Apply it to subscription-based or repeat orders (before the add-to-cart option, you can ask if they want the product for the short term or long term and show quantity options accordingly)
- Apply it to prime shoppers to buy higher priced products (you can drop a survey asking if they’re looking to choose products based on price, quality, or both. Most will likely go for the 3rd option because it promises better value)
Caveat:
Prime in moderation!
Negative priming leads to the opposite results (for example, during email signup, you can decide whether to mention that you won’t spam them since mentioning it will prime them into thinking about spam.)
In a survey, coupon codes were found to be priming users to expect products at a cheaper price.
The presence of coupon codes made users leave the checkout page to find a code and reduce the total.
To counter this, Vox makes it possible for shoppers to apply coupon codes at checkout without having to leave the page.

14. Think like a brand
65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. And this is where your brand comes in: Brands that use the frame of stories manage to create a deeper, long-term connect with customers
So, how you frame the narrative behind your brand makes all the difference to loyalists (and attract those who can be potentially loyal customers).
And in turn, has an impact on your eCommerce conversion rate.
The principle of framing suggests that how a piece of information (visual/ideological/values) is received has a lot to do with how it is crafted in the first place.
While many brands claim to do socially and environmentally responsible work in eCommerce, not as many attain the status of Burt’s Bees.

When a brand promotes relatable communication, shoppers sit up and take notice.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Bring your brand’s values to the forefront (use your homepage, about us page and product pages to drive informational value)
- Follow your brand narrative with aligned actions (for example, if you talk of 24/7 customer support, make sure it’s really a feature)
- Tell your shoppers why your discounts are too good to be missed (for example, if a part of the discount proceeds is for a cause, shoppers should know)
15. Price products intelligently (Use Bundles)
The higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded—this is basic economics.
But for savvy brands, it’s not always the case.
They use decoys to get more consumers to opt for the more expensive price package or drive more sales.
Product bundles, point systems, different pricing options, varied subscription-based price points and tiered loyalty rewards can all be used to apply this principle.
Here's how Bellroy leverages the decoy effect.
Bellroy manufactures wallets, bags, phone cases.

The brand joins two or more products into a bundle and offers a single price lower than the aggregate of the two prices.
Bellroy backs their offers with a three-year warranty.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Offer different pricing options and bait the package you want shoppers to pick
- Use points to make customers return for more buys
- Bundle products that complement each other well
- Allow shoppers to build their own bundles (and price them based on how many items they add)
Caveat:
Use in moderation: The decoy effect in the eCommerce business gives up part of the profit for more sales—this might affect the company’s bottom line.
You might like: eCommerce Pricing Tactics: 20 Smart Examples To Help You Sell More
16. Harness the power of "Free"
Take the example of how Baskin Robbins offered a free scoop of ice cream to everyone when Dubai became the World Expo 2020 hub.
The zero price effect explains this urge to get free stuff.
Perhaps the greatest example of this can be understood from the experiment carried out by psychologist and behavioral economist Dan Ariely.
In a stall were displayed 2 products—Lindt truffles, a luxury product, and Hershey’s Kisses, a lower quality product.
When the prices for them were 15¢ and 1¢ per piece respectively, around 73% of customers purchased Lindt.
However, when the prices for Lindt dropped to 14¢ per piece and Hershey’s was offered free, then 69% of customers chose Hershey’s and only 31% chose Lindt.
See how Zappos highlights the zero price effect.

Customers are usually loss-averse and effort-averse (free items help them avoid the associated emotions)—so if you can optimize keeping this in mind, then the results will follow.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Offer small/tiny product samples with repeat orders
- Add free shipping (research finds out that free shipping that helps customers save $6.99 is more valuable than a $10 price slash)
- State what’s free (be it a sample or a surprise gift) through the entire checkout funnel
Caveat:
Zero price effect works better for hedonistic products.
Whereas utilitarian products are functional, hedonistic products are used for fun and pleasure.
17. Use “loss” as a winning strategy
An average human will rather not lose $5—than gain a $5—this primitive tendency is what psychologists call loss aversion.
And it shows in the way people shop online:
- Customers want an easy return process—67% of shoppers check the returns page before making a purchase—92% say they’ll buy again if the return is easy
- People don’t want to buy something they’ll regret—a money-back guarantee helps eliminate buyer remorse & free returns increase security
Let's take an example from Dollar Shave Club.
It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and also allows customers to cancel their subscriptions anytime.

How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Introduce a shopper-friendly return policy (some brands offer an extended returns window)
- Offer a money-back guarantee (attach necessary terms & conditions)
- Offer a year’s warranty
- Offer buyer/seller protection (if you run an eCommerce marketplace)
- Make easy cancellations possible
18. Deliver "Instant Gratification"
Customers love instant gratification—they hate to wait—they crave immediacy.
47% expect websites to load within two seconds—and the fast loading optimization technique has proved to be a conversion driver.
Customers are willing to spend 17% more on a company that has outstanding customer service.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Deliver products in a couple of days (or same day if possible)
- Make the website lightweight and fast loading
- Make digital downloads easily accessible
- Provide product delivery tracking
- Make your contact details instantly visible and usable
- Develop a mobile app for your store (People love taking action on the go—mobile apps convert better than mobile web)
- Offer express shipping (at a differentiated price)
- Offer a 24/7 feedback & customer support feature
19. Build a community around customers
Research has proven that 43% of customers spend more on the brands they feel loyal to.
Some of the smartest eCommerce brands cultivate higher levels of customer lifetime value (CLV) by cultivating a sense of community.
This is related to the scientific principle of unity, which belongs to the social tier in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
A brand that has done this for years is Gymshark.
From sending emails that spark both warmth & curiosity to creating Gymshark Central, their content hub that lets members share, comment and interact with each other.

Once customers share similar preferences in products, they build a rapport amongst each other & with the brand. Customers prefer brands that help them connect to their own values (in Gymshark’s example, those who like to stay fit have an opportunity to come together.
How to apply & increase conversion rate:
- Enhance the ways customers can create reviews (along with text, make it easy for them to upload their photos and videos)
- Feature a Q&A section across product pages, where if a shopper asks a question, another can answer
- Create a “trending” section on your website and social media (using the most appropriate #hashtag)
- Feature cases of success on your homepage (and other high intent pages like the product pages)
- Call for customers to write guest posts for your blog (and feature them for other customers to engage with)
Caveat:
Overuse of language that carries a sense of community, can come with its own problems.
To avoid doubt and suspicion on the part of customers, drive the sense of “we are one family/community” only across chosen pieces of content – for example, welcome emails, newsletter sign-up, when someone purchases something for the first time etc.
How we can help you boost conversions:
98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything.
Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors.
And this is the problem Convertcart solves.
We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions.
Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.
More about increasing conversion rates:
20 UX principles for higher conversions (Updated 2023)
11 brilliant ways to get More micro-conversions (Updated 2023)
17 *Underrated* Conversion Rate Optimization Ideas for eCommerce
Some questions people also ask:
1. How is eCommerce conversion rate calculated?
eCommerce conversion rate explores the relationship between the total number of sales and the total number of website visits.
So, the following becomes the formula for eCommerce conversions:
Total number of conversions / Total number of visitors * 100
Google uses the same formula - only replaces ‘conversions’ with ‘transactions’ and ‘visitors’ with ‘sessions’.
So, let’s say you’ve had 200 sales in a month and visits from 1000 shoppers, then your conversion rate would be 20%.
2. What is considered a healthy conversion rate in eCommerce?
eCommerce conversion rates across industries seem to lie between 1% and 3% generally.
According to merchant net profit platform IRP Commerce, as recently as May 2022, the conversion rate across eCommerce businesses averaged at 1.78%.
When businesses aim for a baseline conversion rate of 3% +, it’s considered to be a good benchmark to have.
3. What factors contribute to eCommerce conversion rates staying low?
There are a bunch of varying factors that can come together to make your eCommerce conversion rate fall or keep it at a low level. Here are some of the most significant ones:
Unoptimized product pages
This essentially means visitors are not converting on your product pages for several possible reasons: not knowing how to act, not finding the information they need, not seeing good deals, not seeing suggestions that match their preferences & lifestyle etc.
Confusing or outdated search & navigation
The search functionality on an eCommerce website is the foremost factor that contributes to shoppers finding their way through the complexity of landing, product and category pages.
Low or badly timed customer support
In the lack of a brick and mortar setup, customers may need advice and information on a bunch of queries.
A lack of either can lead them to feeling lost and not converting at all.
A painfully long checkout process
Too many steps after a product has been added to the cart can annoy customers no end.
Once they have already picked a product, they don’t want to spend extra time paying for it or being offered a payment confirmation notification.
Lack of mobile optimization
Many eCommerce businesses have the misconception that whatever works for their websites, will also work on mobile.
However, mobile needs very targeted optimization strategies to impact conversions in a positive way. Here’s an exhaustive list.
4. For what length of time is eCommerce conversion measured?
While there’s no standard answer for this, most businesses come to conclusions about their conversion rate over a period of time.
For example, if you’re running a marketing campaign, it may be wise to observe the trends across a minimum of two to three months to come to conclusions about conversions.
5. Does improving eCommerce conversions need a strategy?
The short answer to this is: yes.
The strategy aspect is often referred to as Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
CRO looks at optimizing various key parts of your web and mobile sites to make them more engaging, accessible and relevant for potential customers.
Some key aspects that you can consider making more effective through CRO are:
- High-intent pages (like the homepage, landing pages, product pages and checkout page)
- Overall design and UX
- Copywriting
- Quality and relevance of visuals
- Navigation menus
- Product recommendations
- Pricing & offers
- Returns & shipping
6. What are the common misconceptions around eCommerce conversion rates?
Implementing CRO best practices will instantly resolve conversion issues.
This is a big illusion because uplifting your conversion rate means a bunch of other things, including having a robust marketing strategy and innovating on product offerings as time goes by, amongst several more.
Some branding tweaks here and there, and sales will improve
This is a dangerous assumption made by many businesses that think branding is ONLY about the look and feel. In reality, branding is about WHAT you do to make your customers’ buying journey a whole lot easier and enjoyable.
Doing what a competitor is doing will change the conversion rate for the better
Nothing is farther from the truth. Even in the same category, every business is different - right from their USP to the way they prefer engaging with customers.
So no two businesses employing the same techniques can ever have the same results.
Wondering how to turn around your CRO efforts? Read 17 *Underrated* Conversion Rate Optimization Ideas for eCommerce
7. Does eCommerce funnel optimization help eCommerce conversion rates?
Yes,it absolutely does.
To start with, visualize your conversion funnel to know the journey a potential customer is going to make.
The idea is to make sense of every little detail that a customer might encounter as they negotiate engagement with your brand and either decide to buy for the first time or decide to buy again.
To ensure you optimize your eCommerce funnel in a relevant way, here are some questions you may want to ask -
- Where are your customers in their buyers’ journey? (Typically some customers will be at different stages of the usual 4-step funnel process)
- What are their main problems behind why they want to engage with a brand like yours?
- Given where they are in the funnel, what are their expectations from you as a brand?
- As a brand, how can you help your customers solve their primary problem AND offer them enough reasons to keep engaging with you?
8. What are some unusual ways of improving eCommerce conversions?
There are a number of understood ways of improving eCommerce conversion rates, but there are some rare ones too.
If you’re keen to implement some unusual practices, you’ll need to remember that the devil is in the details.
Here are some that work well when applied with care and consideration.
Use your primary CTA to talk about the value proposition
More than something feel-good, customers are willing to take action on something that promises them tangible benefits.
A prime example is Shopify’s “create your store”.
Make your live chat feature multiple languages
You guessed it right - everyone talks about the live chat feature but not enough about how the chosen language of communication keeps it relevant.
We suggest featuring at least two more important languages apart from English to make it relevant for a wider audience.
Employ odd pricing
It leverages slight adjustments to pricing and reaps big benefits.
It creates the illusion of a much better price alternative whereas it in fact is not. For example, consider $12.79 instead of $13.
This is an instance of odd pricing that makes the customer pay attention only to the first two digits to come to a positive buying decision.