20 Scientific Strategies to Increase Your eCommerce Conversion Rate

Depending on the industry, the average conversion rate for eCommerce is between 2.5% and 3%.

However, products priced over $50 see a drop in conversions, increasing even more for products priced more than $150 and then $500. 

Since higher price points present longer decision-making times, it’ll fall on your business to keep selling by making the buying experience smoother and more trustworthy. 

Something that the most successful eCommerce stores are doing right while converting up to 20% of their visitors.

So, what do they do differently? 

Science: They rely heavily on assessing user behavior & working on feedback.

How do you define & calculate eCommerce conversion rate? 

eCommerce conversion rate is most commonly defined as the percentage of website visitors who make a purchase on your store, with a specific time period set for calculation. 

Your store’s eCommerce conversion rate = Total number of conversions / Total number of visitors * 100

Realistically, how your store’s eCommerce conversion rate fares depends on multiple factors including:

✓ Industry type (industries that see a longer product life cycle typically have a lower conversion rate)

✓ Traffic source (ads, for example, can increase conversion rate by bringing in more high intent traffic)

✓ Device type (while many shoppers do their research on mobile, they convert on desktop)

And yet, there are other areas where you’d want to calculate eCommerce conversion rates:

👉 Landing page conversion rate = Number of desired action / Total number of visitors * 100

👉 Product page conversion rate = Number of add to carts / Total no. of page visitors * 100

👉 Cart to purchase conversion rate = No. of completed purchases / Total cart adds * 100

👉 Email marketing conversion rate = No. of purchases from email / Total email opens * 100

Quick Video: See How These eCommerce Brands Improve Their Conversion Rate Via Small UX Improvements

How To Increase eCommerce Conversion Rates

1. Ease Navigation So Shoppers Move Faster 

The science behind this: You want to reduce your shoppers' cognitive load. Make things so simple that they take the next step almost automatically (don't make them work hard to understand).

A simple, well-organized navigation keeps shoppers happy and improves conversion rates in e-commerce. 

But it’s not just about a clean primary menu—navigation should make the entire shopping experience effortless.

Here’s how to do it:

✅ Limit Featured Categories – Keep choices clear and avoid overwhelming shoppers.

✅ Organize Subcategories – Make it easy to find products without excessive clicks.

✅ Think Beyond the Menu – Use breadcrumbs, filters, and search enhancements to guide shoppers smoothly.

2. Design A Memorable Mobile Shopping Experience

The science behind this: Change blindness—a visual phenomenon—can cause shoppers to miss key elements in their mobile journey, leading to lower conversions. 

Since 60% of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile, and 53% of sales happen on mobile sites, a mobile-first design is crucial.

Here’s how to increase e-commerce conversion rates with a better mobile experience:

✅ Reduce Distractions – Keep the design clean and focused to prevent drop-offs.

✅ Make Actions Instant – Use clear CTAs, sticky buttons, and autofill options for a friction-free experience.

✅ Optimize for Smaller Screens – Ensure easy navigation, fast load times, and thumb-friendly design.

Here’s a mobile commerce design checklist to keep handy: 

3. Accelerate Product Discovery

The science behind this: Natural language processing or NLP decides how a search bar “reads” a shopper’s query and throws up results closest to what the shopper is looking for.

A seamless search experience is key to improving conversion rates in e-commerce. 

When shoppers find products faster, they buy faster. 

Here are seven powerful strategies for e-commerce conversion rate optimization through smarter site search:

✅ Hint Text That Engages – Use friendly prompts like “What are you looking for today?” to encourage searches and increase e-commerce conversion rates.

✅ Smart Autocomplete & Autosuggest – Predict and suggest relevant products in real time, helping shoppers find what they need instantly.

✅ Autocorrect for Accuracy – Reduce frustration by fixing typos automatically, ensuring searches always lead to results.

✅ Personalized Search Results – Show recommendations based on browsing behavior and past purchases, enhancing e-commerce conversion rate optimization.

✅ In-Category vs. Sitewide Suggestions – Let shoppers refine searches within categories while still offering broader results to improve discoverability.

✅ Voice & Visual Search – Support modern search habits by enabling voice input and image-based search for improving conversion rates in e-commerce.

✅ Nudges for Smarter Search – Subtly improve conversion rate with recommended keywords, trending searches, or seasonal suggestions that guide shoppers toward purchases.

You can also apply product labels or ‘nudges’ to direct shoppers towards their shopping goal: 

4. Simplify Your Checkout Process 

The science behind this: The principle of transparency in the eCommerce business context is all about building trust where uncertainty would most possibly exist—and since much of cart abandonment happens during checkout, easing this experience could have an instant impact on your conversions.

Every step matters—from reviewing the mini cart to entering shipping and payment details to order confirmation.

Here are some key checkout optimizations to increase e-commerce conversion rates:

✅ One-Click Checkout – Let returning customers save details for instant purchases.

✅ Exit-Intent Offers – Display discounts or free shipping pop-ups when users try to leave.

✅ Save Cart for Later – Allow users to return without losing their selections.

✅ Express Payment Options – Integrate Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal for faster transactions.

✅ Pre-Filled Promo Codes – Automatically apply eligible discounts to prevent drop-offs.

✅ Smart Error Messaging – Provide clear, real-time feedback to fix mistakes without frustration.

✅ Localized Checkout Experience – Show prices in local currencies and offer region-specific payment methods.

Some more alternative checkout optimizations to increase e-commerce conversion rates:

5. Reduce Hesitation With Better Product Photos

The science behind this: The design principle of context comes into the picture because, in an eCommerce scenario, shoppers can't touch and feel the product before deciding.

Shoppers can’t touch or feel products online, so crisp, detailed visuals help bridge the gap and increase e-commerce conversion rates. 

The more confidence they have, the more likely they are to buy.

Here’s how to make your product images work harder:

✅ Use Hi-Res, Professional Photos – Clear, well-lit images build trust.

✅ Show Multiple Angles – Give a complete view to reduce hesitation.

✅ Enable Smooth Zoom – Let shoppers inspect details effortlessly (with a “+” button on mobile).

✅ Highlight Unique Features – Close-ups of textures, patterns, and materials enhance clarity.

✅ Provide Size & Scale References – Essential for apparel, furniture, and accessories.

More advice to keep in mind:

6. Create FOMO With Smart Urgency Tactics

The science behind this: Urgency taps into loss aversion—the fear of missing out is twice as powerful as the joy of gaining something. That’s why nudge marketing is a game-changer for improving e-commerce conversion rates.

Here’s how to use urgency nudges effectively:

✅ Limited-Time Offers on the Homepage – Feature deals in the hero header and site-wide notification bar.

✅ Countdown Timers on Category Pages – Highlight time-sensitive deals, especially during peak seasons.

✅ Low-Stock & High-Demand Alerts on Product Pages – Create FOMO by showing limited availability.

7. Make Every CTA Count

The science behind this: It’s not enough to get your CTAs to look great from the UX standpoint—they’re worthwhile only if they’re able to drive the principle of desire in a shopper to complete the purchase action.

A well-crafted CTA does more than just ask shoppers to buy—it builds trust, creates urgency, and effortlessly boosts e-commerce conversions.

Here’s how to optimize your CTAs for better results:

✅ Add Context – Reinforce action with microcopy (e.g., "Easy returns, hassle-free refunds").

✅ Make Messaging Relatable – Spark interest before pushing for a purchase.

✅ Use Visual Cues – Arrows, icons, and buttons that naturally guide action.

✅ Align Tone & Color with Your Brand – Keep CTAs engaging yet trustworthy.

8. Prevent Cart Abandonment With Tailored Pop-Ups

The science behind this: The psychology of FOMO, when leveraged, triggers anxiety in a shopper as well as offers them a reward to ease that anxiety.

Not every shopper responds to the same X% off pop-up—to truly improve your online store conversion rate, you need to personalize exit-intent offers based on where they are in the funnel.

✅ New visitors? Offer a first-time discount or free shipping.

✅ Cart abandoners? Remind them of their items with a time-limited deal.

✅ Repeat visitors? Highlight loyalty perks or exclusive discounts.

More ideas:

9. Improve Cart Conversions 

The science behind this: The Fogg Behavior Model talks about three steps to get an individual to perform a behavior: motivation, ability, and trigger (to buy, in the eCommerce context). Ask: Are we forgetting to remind shoppers to perform any of the three?

Research shows the average cart abandonment rate across all industries is around 69.57%. 

✅ Streamline Checkout – Remove friction with fewer steps & guest checkout.

✅ Show Trust Signals – Display secure payment badges & customer reviews.

✅ Use Exit-Intent Offers – Recover abandoning shoppers with targeted discounts.

✅ Send Cart Recovery Emails – Remind shoppers about their items with urgency.

10. Highlight Key Benefits

The science behind this: Good writing that also creates a narrative for your products can light up the neural circuitry in your shoppers’ brains—and this, in turn, can convince them to buy.

Here’s how to improve eCommerce conversion rates:

✅ Make Loyalty Perks Clear – Showcase rewards, exclusive discounts, and member-only benefits upfront.

✅ Compare with Competitors – Highlight what makes your pricing, quality, or service better.

✅ Personalized Offers – Use browsing & purchase history to suggest relevant deals.

✅ Bundle & Save – Show how buying more saves money (e.g., "Buy 2, Get 1 Free").

✅ Urgency Messaging – Use limited-time offers or low-stock alerts to drive action.

✅ Hassle-Free Policies – Promote easy returns, free shipping, and price-match guarantees.

11. Turn Micro-Conversions Into More Sales

The science behind this: The design of micro-conversions relies on developmental milestones—the idea that a set of markers along a journey need to be met before the final maturation or destination (in this case, a macro conversion).

Not every shopper is ready to buy right away—but every interaction counts. 

Improving conversion rates in e-commerce starts with micro-conversions, the small steps shoppers take before purchasing. 

Since it takes an average of eight touches to convert, creating frictionless micro-conversion moments can help increase e-commerce conversion rates.

Here’s how to do it:

✅ Quick View for Faster Decisions – Let shoppers preview product details without leaving their current page, making browsing effortless.

✅ Wishlist as a Conversion Tool – If someone isn’t ready to buy, make it easy to save and revisit items. A shareable wishlist or "hint" feature encourages engagement and helps improve the conversion rate.

✅ Seamless Sharing – Let shoppers send their saved items to friends or family, increasing touchpoints that lead to conversions.

TLDR:

12. Tailor Pricing Incentives For Higher Conversions

The science behind this: Psychological pricing hits the “sweet” spot the shopper finds agreeable (based on competition, perceived value, etc.) and convinces them to buy more.

Pricing isn’t just about numbers—it’s about psychology. 

Improving conversion rates in e-commerce means finding the sweet spot where value, competition, and segmentation align. 

The wrong price for the wrong audience? That’s a conversion killer.

Here are simple but effective pricing hacks to increase your e-commerce conversion rate:

✅ First-time buyer discounts – Reduce hesitation for new shoppers who need an extra push.

✅ Volume-based offers – Reward repeat buyers and subscription customers to encourage loyalty.

✅ Free shipping thresholds – Nudge high-intent shoppers (especially from paid ads) to add more to their cart.

✅ Limited-time offers – Tap into urgency for impulse buyers and seasonal shoppers.

Here are some pricing strategy mistakes to avoid:

13. Increase Shopper Trust With Authentic Visual Reviews

The science behind this: Reviews drive social proof, but adding visuals and videos makes them even more powerful by putting the customer at the center of the experience. At the same time, perceived trustworthiness reassures shoppers, increasing not just their intent to buy but also their willingness to spend on unfamiliar products.

Here’s how to improve conversion rates in e-commerce by leveraging both:

✅ Visual Reviews & Videos – Enrich customer reviews with images and videos to strengthen social proof. Since 65% of people are visual learners, this makes a bigger impact.

✅ Searchable Reviews – Let shoppers filter and find relevant reviews easily instead of relying on slow, paginated lists.

✅ Trust Badges & Certifications – Highlight SSL security, ethical sourcing, and industry certifications in key areas like the footer, checkout, and product pages.

✅ Payment Security Icons – Build trust by displaying secure payment logos at critical decision points.

✅ Transparency in Business Practices – Feature icons that showcase ethical sourcing, fair labor, or sustainable materials to reinforce credibility.

Further Reading: 30 Ways to Build Trust FAST (On Your eCommerce Store)

14. Turn Browsers into Buyers With Intelligent Recommendations

The science behind this: Information framing is a principle that allows an eCommerce business to frame a set of recommendations within a narrative that the buyer is likely to take seriously—based on a target segment’s biases and preferences.

Shoppers see product recommendations everywhere, so generic suggestions won’t cut it — you gotta be smart. 

Here are smart product recommendation optimizations to increase e-commerce conversion rates:

✅ AI-Powered Personalization – Use browsing history and past purchases to show tailored recommendations.

✅ "Frequently Bought Together" Bundles – Increase AOV by suggesting complementary products.

✅ Dynamic Homepage Suggestions – Feature trending, seasonal, or recently viewed items for instant engagement.

✅ Smart Category Page Filters – Highlight bestsellers, top-rated items, and new arrivals within categories.

✅ Cart & Checkout Upsells – Show relevant add-ons or upgrades right before purchase.

✅ Context-Aware Suggestions – Adjust recommendations based on user location, device, or shopping behavior.

✅ Post-Purchase Cross-Selling – Follow up with personalized emails suggesting useful add-ons.

Check this:

15. Use Discounts To Draw Shoppers Across The Funnel

The science behind this: The trigger stage of the Fogg Behavior Model often rides on high ability (to buy) but low motivation—this is why coupons give that extra impetus to buy!

Shoppers often want to buy but need a little push—that’s where smart discounts come in. 

When used right, they increase e-commerce conversion rates by nudging visitors at key moments.

Here’s how to make discounts work across the funnel:

✅ Cart Abandonment Discounts – Bring back shoppers who left without purchasing.

✅ Loyalty & Repeat Purchase Offers – Reward returning customers to boost retention.

✅ Limited-Time Deals – Create urgency and drive faster decisions.

✅ Threshold-Based Discounts – Encourage higher spending with free shipping or bundle offers.

More optimizations to keep handy:

16. Use Customer-Shared Data to Deliver Tailored Offers

The science behind this: Using zero-party data for hyper-personalization falls back on the principle of purpose limitation, that is, to use the information that’s compatible only with an agreed purpose.

Shoppers value privacy and personalization—brands that use consensual data smartly will win their trust and boost e-commerce conversions in 2025.

Here’s how to leverage zero-party data the right way:

✅ Gather Preferences Through Quizzes & Surveys – Let shoppers tell you what they want.

✅ Use Data for Hyper-Personalized Offers – Tailor discounts and recommendations based on real insights.

✅ Be Transparent About Data Usage – Build trust by only using data for agreed purposes.

✅ Enhance Customer Experience with Smart Personalization – Offer relevant products without overstepping privacy.

17. Increase Product Pre-Orders With Attractive Offers

The science behind this: Pre-orders relate to the psychology of hype that blows up any announcement of a scarce kind, and that becomes a marketing tactic on its own.

Here are some optimizations to increase product pre-orders and boost e-commerce conversions: 

✅ Create VIP Access Perks – Give pre-order customers special benefits like priority shipping or limited-edition packaging.

✅ Use Scarcity & Urgency – Highlight limited stock or time-sensitive availability to drive faster decisions.

✅ Leverage Social Proof – Showcase demand with pre-order counters or “X people have already pre-ordered” messages.

✅ Send Personalized Pre-Order Reminders – Nudge interested shoppers with email & SMS updates.

✅ Combine Pre-Orders with Bundles – Offer exclusive pre-order bundles to increase order value.

Some more optimizations to keep in mind:

18. Retain Customers For A Long Long Time

The science behind this: Milestone offers and deals connect back to reinforcement theory, which has to do with customers getting more of what they want by doing certain tasks (in this case, engaging with a brand longer, buying more, etc).

Start by mapping your customer journey and aligning milestone offers with what your brand celebrates.

✅ Reward Birthdays & Anniversaries – Surprise customers with exclusive discounts.

✅ Celebrate Spending Milestones – Offer perks for hitting loyalty tiers.

✅ Use Progress Bars & Community Goals – Encourage engagement with unlockable rewards.

19. Guide Shoppers With A Very Helpful Live Chat Instantly 

The science behind this: The principle of interactivity, which is especially relevant in web 2.0, treats clear & real-time communication as a cornerstone of customer experience.

Here are some live chat optimizations to increase e-commerce conversion rates:

✅ Make Live Chat Easy to Find – Place it on key pages like product, checkout, and support.

✅ Use AI + Human Support – Let chatbots handle FAQs & route complex queries to real agents.

✅ Personalize Responses – Greet users by name & suggest relevant products based on browsing history.

✅ Offer 24/7 Support (or Set Expectations) – Even if agents aren’t available, let customers know when they’ll get a response.

✅ Use Proactive Chat Nudges – Trigger helpful messages based on user behavior (e.g., “Need help choosing a size?”).

✅ Enable Order Tracking via Chat – Let customers check order status instantly without digging through emails.

✅ Integrate Live Chat with CRM – Keep past interactions handy for seamless support & personalized offers.

20. Speed Up Your Website Load Time

The science behind this: Most people expect websites to load within two seconds—this relates to performance-related stress that can lead to shoppers experiencing negative emotions, which in turn can affect their engagement with an eCommerce brand.

Did you know that 47% of shoppers expect a site to load in under 2 seconds? 

Mobile users, especially, want fast browsing & checkout experiences.

Here’s how to improve eCommerce conversion rates by speeding up your site:

✅ Use Image Compression – Optimize images without losing quality.

✅ Minimize Redirects – Keep internal links clean to avoid delays.

✅ Disable Unnecessary Plugins – Remove anything slowing your site down.

BONUS RESOURCE: 10 Unusual Ways to Boost You eCommerce Conversion Rate

Recommended reading:

13 eCommerce Leaders Share How To Improve eCommerce User Experience

The Right Way to Calculate eCommerce Conversion Rate (& How to Improve it)

People also ask about eCommerce Conversion Rate:

1. What is a good eCommerce conversion rate?

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. 

You'll love: eCommerce Conversion Rate by Industry (2024 Update)

2. 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.

3. Over what period is eCommerce conversion rate measured?

While there's no standard answer for this, most businesses prefer to measure eCommerce conversion rates for at least three months at a stretch.

The reason is simple: a shorter time may not be reliable for finding out overarching patterns.

And then again, some businesses do conversion rate measurements across various sections of the business.

They may choose to look at conversions across:

- Loyal customers vs. New customers

- Bestselling categories vs. Slower selling categories

- Sitewide sales vs. Personalized offers

- Peak season sales vs. the rest of the year

- Several buyer locations separately

- Separate devices

4. Which key aspects define an effective eCommerce conversion rate strategy?

High-intent pages

That would be your homepage, category pages, product pages as well the checkout. 

The cart page also counts but if you have a great mini cart drawer, it’ll naturally make more shoppers lean towards checking out. 

How these pages are organized, how well shoppers are able to make out the nature of the products displayed, how the layout convinces them to keep engaging with filters, reviews, forms etc. are crucial.  

Overall design and UX

The “flow” of your website is critical. After all, to engage shoppers, bring in the micro-conversions and improve conversions, they need to find it seamless: easy to know where to go, easy to find support and easy to act while moving from page to page. 

Copywriting

Labels, product descriptions, headlines and microcopy across your website need copywriting. 

And how each of these create clarity, inspiration and action for your shoppers decides how well your site is able to convert in the longer haul. 

Quality and relevance of visuals

In the absence of a physical store, visuals are quite literally one of the only ways shoppers can instill trust in your brand. 

Attempting to increase your eCommerce conversion rate without paying attention to the quality of images is a bad idea. 

Search, discovery and navigation

Standalone elements like dynamic search, well-structured navigation and hooks like notification bars & sticky menus have to work together to ring in conversions. 

Product recommendations

Relevance, frequency and positioning of your product recommendations are the key elements that you need to define before diversifying your eCommerce conversion rate strategy. 

Pricing & offers

While defining your conversion rate strategy, you’ll have to consider what the competition is doing and what price points your existing customers have been more amenable to. 

Similarly, it’ll be important to find out what times of the year discounts work best and if regular flash sales would be a good idea for your business (based on the category, brand recall etc.)

Returns & shipping

How long will your return window be? Should you extend it during certain times of the year? 

Will you offer free shipping—if yes, will there be conditions? How many shipping options can you realistically offer to enhance customer experience? 

You’ll have to figure out answers to these if you have to build a great eCommerce conversion rate strategy.

5. What are the common misconceptions around eCommerce conversion rates?

Implementing eCommerce CRO best practices will instantly resolve conversion issues

This is a big illusion because uplifting your eCommerce 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 eCommerce 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. 

Read: eCommerce Conversion Rate Optimization: 40+ Practical Ideas, Examples, Checklists

6. 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.

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. 

Before great conversions comes memorable UX...

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.

How we can help you:

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