Why Is Your Shopify Conversion Rate Low?

If your Shopify conversion rate is 0.5% or less, this article is for you. 

This post covers 16 most common reasons why Shopify stores have low conversion rate (and how to solve them). 

20 Reasons Your Shopify Store Has Low Conversion Rate (+ Ways To Fix)

1. Not justifying the prices you’re charging

If you’re charging high for products, but shoppers don’t know why exactly they should pay, then it’s a problem. 

This is especially true if you’re a relatively new store selling luxury items or selling through channels where competitors sell only moderately priced items. 

The solution:

To fix this low conversion issue on your Shopify website, you’ll have to justify:

✔what sets your products apart

✔what goes into their making, and 

✔what added value/perception you create through them

Basically, as the following suggestion points out, you’ll have to work towards creating a greater sense of association between the product and the shopper:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Bring in distinct labels that you can promote on your product pages to improve a low Shopify conversion rate—like “Most Awarded Product” and “Trending Since 2020”.

2. Lack of convincing product details 

Considering 87% of shoppers will buy if they’re satisfied with your product content, you’re in trouble if it doesn’t match up. 

So, if you're asking, "Why is my Shopify conversion rate dropping?", highlighting features and benefits and what the shopper will derive from buying, will help.

The solution:

Ensure your product details carry the following aspects:

✔Technicalities (materials used, ingredients etc.)

✔Benefits (how the components come together to offer the shopper a full experience)

✔How the product is to be used for best effect

✔Steps the shopper can take to care for the product 

Shopify brand Topicals offers an example of how convincing product content can lead to better conversions—notice the sections they cover and also the highlights they feature:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Summarize the highlights either in bullets or show them alongside well-designed icons to fix low Shopify conversions.  

3. Lack of company/brand information 

A customer new to your Shopify brand won't know what to make of your authenticity if you don't clarify it for them—and if you don't, it will cause a drop in conversions.

The following is an email a friend, who runs an apparel store, found in his inbox one day:

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Since brand information drives immediate trust, Shopify businesses that don’t carry this proof suffer consistently low conversions.

The solution: 

Shopify’s own customer trust research has proved an undeniable truth—when customers want more information about a brand, they invariably look for an “about us” page—when you create yours, ensure you talk about your values, how you operate, where you source from etc. to build an authentic picture. 

Allbirds offers a classic example of a great about us page, which is also their way of maintaining high Shopify conversion rates:

Additionally, superlative imagery and a clear unique value proposition (UVP), starting right from the homepage—don’t make the mistake that this Shopify brand does in not differentiating themselves:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Talk “impact” or “process” on the homepage to anchor the brand story, even before shoppers get to the about us page.

4. Contact information hidden away

While studying a number of smaller Shopify stores, we noticed some of them offer no visible contact information or no visual cues that can help. 

If you’re a relatively newer brand or shoppers know your category through your competitors, this will make you suffer a low conversion rate on Shopify. 

The solution: 

Offer a separate “contact” link on the main menu—however, there’s another option to fix low conversion rate on Shopify: use a “?” as a visual cue. 

Also feature microcopy like “help” or “contact” right beneath the product description on product pages. 

‍

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Integrate live chat and maintain it across high-intent pages—what’s better, initiate it subtly with a question like, “Hi! Need help?”

5. Lack of custom product pages

A lot of online businesses that ask, “Why is my Shopify conversion rate so low?” are still coming to terms with the fact that all product pages needn’t look the same. 

Yes, that’s right. If you feature products that require more explanation, storytelling or engagement with your “approach”, standard product pages won’t do. 

The solution:

Even if creating custom product pages across the store will be an exercise for you, try doing it for bestsellers or those that you highlight in key sections like the homepage hero header. 

Check out how Shopify store Cowboy creates an engaging layout to drive conversions to its limited edition products:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Optimize your custom product pages for the entire customer journey—this improves traction and Shopify conversions across customer segments!

6. No free shipping or free shipping threshold

It’s no secret that 80% of shoppers expect free shipping when they spend a certain dollar amount on your Shopify eCommerce store. 

Which means if you’re not offering this feature you’re probably facing a low Shopify conversion rate. 

The solution: 

Set up a free shipping threshold to fix a low conversion rate on Shopify—offer free shipping when cart is over $X value, or do what this Reddit suggestion says: 

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Use a smart free shipping threshold progress indicator on the notification bar that updates in real-time—this prompts the shopper to keep track of their order value, no matter where they are on the site.

7. Lack of an effective live chat 

The numbers clearly indicate that this is a nuance many Shopify store owners skip—only 6%of Shopify stores globally offer live chat!

So you can imagine, fewer among these actually optimize their live chat to increase the Shopify conversion rates. 

And that means those who’re ready to buy but have the last bit of friction, are likely to turn away because of lack of support. 

The solution:

Feature the most commonly asked 5 questions right when someone clicks on live chat—you can take AI’s help to do this more easily. 

Shopify brand Verve Coffee Roasters uses this technique to grow their conversion rate:

Additionally, state the time it’ll take for your human support representatives to be back to business.

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Use a self-initiated live chat based not on how much time is spent on page—but how many pages the shopper has visited (for example, 2+ pages).

8. No context to homepage recommendations 

When you’re trying to fix a low conversion rate on Shopify, you may have to look into what kind of context you’re setting on the homepage. 

Recommendations that carry just the product name and no context can feel less convincing for shoppers. 

The solution:

‍Feature a short one-line descriptor for every product you recommend on the homepage or better still, a label that does the job—check out how Shopify brand Huel does it:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Create clear sections with inspiring names if you’re wondering how to fix low Shopify conversions this way—and ensure you don’t have more than 3 sections for homepage recommendations.

9. No prominent “gifting” hook

If we’re to be honest, when some stores have come to us asking, “Why is our Shopify conversion rate low?” we’ve suspected they’re not offering gifting as a feature. 

But when we’ve audited their product pages, we’ve actually seen them feature an “Is this a gift?” prompt. 

So what’s wrong? It’s the fact that their “gifting” section hasn’t been prominently displayed, leading to a lot of shoppers coming in with that intent dropping off. 

The solution:

Show “Gifting” as a separate category within the main navigation—and for better effect, use pricing as a sub-category filter to send the right audiences to the right category pages. 

That’s what Shopify makeup brand Cheekbone Beauty does to improve conversion rates:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Promote a complementary add-on gift at checkout—even if you’re not promoting gifting actively across your Shopify store. 

10. No quantity discounts 

Just a reduced price on a product may not be enough to fix your low conversion rate on Shopify. 

Most shoppers look for incentives to buy more, and without one, they’ll not want to—resulting in your Shopify store experiencing low conversions.

The solution:

✔Offer quantity discounts and make sure the cues are easy to spot. 

✔Explain the tiered discounts carefully and make it easy to choose each tier with radio buttons. 

✔Even if you don’t want to tier it, offer a simple quantity discount like Shopify brand Chubbies does:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Show quantity discounts as image labels to fix low Shopify conversions right from category pages.

11. Product page recommendations not resonating

It’s 2025, and much to the chagrin of Shopify businesses, featuring product page recommendations isn’t enough. 

What’s worse and goes against Shopify conversion rates all the time are recommendations that are dissonant and seem to be only taking up space—and not adding value to the shopper’s buying perceptions. 

The solution:

Anchor Shopify product page recommendations around context—this means you just don’t stick to buying or browsing history, but where they’re signing in / visiting from, what sort of “searching” they’ve done in that very session etc. 

For example, Shopify brand United by Blue not only curates “related” recommendations but also makes sure the suggestions mostly feature the price range the shopper has preferred within that session:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

When you’re dealing with very low conversion rate on Shopify, show recommendations based on usage or goals—for example “great add-ons for trekkers”.

12. Unhealthy image:text ratio

Either too much text or too many images or the imbalance in contrast can cause visitors visual distress and they’re likely to bounce off—one Shopify store we found that seemed to have this problem is Sofa Mania, especially in their hero header section, which is enough reason for lower Shopify conversions: 

The solution: 

Maintain a text: image ratio of 60:40 to fix a low conversion rate on Shopify. 

Here’s a quick checklist that can help:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Skip chunks of text and welcome interactive hotspots to feature content—this way upon hover, necessary microcopy will open up, fixing a broken Shopify shopper experience. 

13. Pop-ups hampering the mobile experience

Over 83% of the total shoppers on mobile devices abandon their carts—and one of the major reasons seems to be ill-timed and ill-placed pop-ups. 

Interestingly, when we spoke to our clients using Shopify and also looked at what users across were discussing, this became more prominent: 

The solution: 

Our audit experiments have proved that on mobile, pop-ups work better when visitors have added some items to cart. So best not to use a full-screen pop-up and hide crucial buttons when they’re just browsing. 

In this case, you can:

✔Make the pop-up vanish if the visitor keeps scrolling (we noticed Shopify brand Montville Coffee using this super UX friendly tactic)

✔Use the right hand bottom corner space to announce “20% off on first order” and make expanding/collapsing the visitor’s choice

✔Ensure the shopper has scrolled at least 60% of the page before showing them (especially pop-ups for newsletters or sale notifications)

✔Feature a clear “X” sign for exiting the pop-up—your visitors will hate you if they can’t do this easily

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Maintain a slide-in pop-up across desktop and mobile—make sure it stays on the side even when expanded!

14. Lack of social proof

Shopify’s own research proves that 63% of shoppers will buy more if they’re able to depend on the featured social proof. 

In fact when we looked at community discussions, this theme came up again and again as a resolution to fix a low conversion rate on Shopify:

The solution:

If you're wondering why your Shopify conversion rate is dropping, you may have to do more than featuring reviews on product pages:

✔Show the logos of brands you have collaborated with

✔Show how many people are viewing a collection or a product

✔Label images with “X bought the past month”

✔Highlight the most relevant part of a review & call it out as a separate snippet

One Shopify brand that has a strong social proof game going is Loot Crate:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

For your bestsellers, let social proof do the selling—introduce text-based call-out overlays on images like “Reviewed and Loved by 5000+ people”

You should also read: 15 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Social Proof (eCommerce)

15. No feedback button to report a bad experience

Be it a slow loading website or unexpected 404 pages or even out of stock products that still show up on your category pages, shoppers need to be able to report. 

So if you’re trying to figure out what's causing a low conversion rate on Shopify, it could well be the lack of a distinct feedback button—customers simply drop off and never come back. 

The solution: 

Integrate a sticky feedback button across your site—alternatively make your chat button sticky and ensure you tell shoppers how soon they can expect a response. 

Shopify brand Gymshark clearly mentions they will get back to any message typically in 2 hours’ time: 

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Ask only one targeted question when the feedback button is clicked—something like “What made buying difficult for you today?” or “Did you have trouble deciding?”

16. No "accelerated checkout"

Asking your shoppers to create an account when all they want to do is pay and get out, is contributing to your low conversion rate on Shopify. 

On the other hand, what they’re looking for is accelerated Shopify checkout and your store doesn’t have one. 

The solution:

Consider integrating Shop Pay as a secondary CTA—Shopiffy’s own studies have shown that this method improves checkout by more than 50% compared to other guest checkout alternatives. 

In fact historically, Shop Pay has generated over 30 million in sales during the Black Friday period. 

Here’s how Shopify brand Goodfair features Shop Pay as a secondary CTA on their product pages to fix the low conversions issue:

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Automatically feature one-click checkout options for returning or high-intent visitors on the product pages.

17. Checkout triggers when add-to-cart happens

Across multiple Shopify stores we went browsing, we noticed checkout triggers as soon as we add-to-cart. 

This is a complete no-no because adding to cart is usually just one step amongst many steps for the usual shopper. 

The solution:

‍Make checkout optional through a separate CTA button in the mini cart drawer—have the drawer open as a cue whenever the shopper adds a product. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Make checkout compelling on product pages and mini cart by including urgency-led social proof—soemthing like “Checkout Now to Get it By Friday” can work well.

18. Checkout that shoppers can’t trust

While Shopify’s checkout feature is considered the best in the world, if not optimized well from the business’ side you may still experience low conversions. 

Typically, lack of payment options, non-transparency about price break-up and lack of clarity around payment security leads to low Shopify conversion rates. 

The solution: 

As a Shopify brand, to fix low conversion rates at checkout, you’ll have to:

✔Feature multiple recognized payment options

✔Feature express checkout as an option

✔Feature flexible payments (if possible)

✔Display product details (thumbnail image, name of product, size)

✔Display all relevant policies (privacy, shipping, refund etc.)

✔Have discounts automatically applied & clarify that

✔Offer a “review order” CTA

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Include a review snippet panel at checkout—make the layout subtle and position it under the order summary, featuring no more than 3 review snippets!

We recommend reading: The Best One Page Checkout Examples in eCommerce (2024)

19. No post-purchase survey

If you don’t ask customers who’ve bought from you already where they came from and what made them buy, then you won’t get a peek into the typical shopper’s psyche. 

And this is likely to affect how you try to fix a low conversion rate on your Shopify store. 

The solution:

Feature a post-purchase survey either through email or show it as a pop-up on the order confirmation page. 

A highly rated Shopify post purchase survey app you can use to embed a short survey into your Thank You page is Hulk NPS. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Feature a mystery offer to trigger more engagement on the post-purchase survey—something like “Answer this quick survey & we’ll pick one lucky respondent for a $100 card this month!”

20. Conversions don’t directly happen from email

Shopify clearly states that one of the ways to revert abandoned carts is to offer a seamless shopping experience. 

And yet many low conversions on Shopify stores happen because abandoned cart emails send shoppers back to the store—and for the latter, it’s a repetition of the same old tiring process. 

The solution: 

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) emails can be a real savior to bring back cart abandoners—all they need to do is click on the email and that’ll take them to payments. 

Convertcart Pro Tip 🚀

Include segment-specific reviews in your AMP emails to fix low Shopify conversions. 

Also read: 40 Abandoned Cart Email Examples That Actually Win Back Lost Customers

How to Make your Shopify Store High-Converting

1. Make your product pages more convincing

Pay special attention to what you feature above the fold, including images, product labels, review snapshots, product descriptions, recommendations and even microcopy. 

2. Feature strong product guarantees

This would include guarantees around where you source your products from, a specific certification that recognizes your business or even a money back guarantee that newly developing Shopify businesses sometimes feature. 

3. Offer social proof beyond reviews

And don’t be under the impression that social proof is meant only for the product page—feature them everywhere relevant, be it through press mentions on the homepage or review highlights featured alongside your social wall across the website (exactly what Shopify brand Loreta does.)

4. Use a theme that’s geared for conversions

Choosing a Shopify theme with multiple in-built tools for reviews, trust badges and countdown timers for urgency, typically converts better than those that are less functional for business growth. It’s also ideal to choose a theme that allows you to move around or edit blocks as page features. 

Many stores shift to well-known themes like Wokiee, Aurora and Shella when they have to fix their low Shopify conversion rate. 

5. Optimize live chat for all key pages

Design it to be easily spottable and optimize it to include suggestions on products, discounts, policies etc. Choosing a chat tool that can integrate well with your Shopify store is essential—one that maintains all customer interactions across channels in a single inbox for support professionals to access and offer quicker responses. 

Recommended reading:

How To Get More Sales on Shopify: 31 Proven Hacks

Shopify Upselling Ideas for Product page, Cart, Checkout

How to Increase Average Session Time on Your Shopify Store

Optimize your Shopify Store for Mobile: Proven ideas + Examples

First things first: UX

98% of visitors who visit an eCommerce site—drop off without buying anything.

Even on the best Shopify stores.

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.

How we can help you:

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.