Most webshop owners fall into the same trap: when sales don't reach the desired level, they immediately increase their ad budget. More visitors — more buyers. Sounds logical, but in reality this only works if the webshop itself is in good shape.
If your webshop's conversion rate is below 1% — meaning fewer than 1 in 100 visitors makes a purchase — increasing traffic almost only increases losses. The real solution is Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), which asks: how can more buyers be made from the existing visitors?
The industry average e-commerce conversion rate is around 1.5–3%. The top 10% of webshops perform above 5% — not because they have better products, but because they better understand buyer behaviour and align their webshop accordingly.
In this article, we present 12 concrete methods that have a real impact on sales.
1. Optimise the Product Page — This Is the Real Sales Surface
The product page is where the purchase decision is made. Every other page leads the visitor here — if the product page doesn't convince them, all other effort is wasted.
What every product page should contain:
- A clear headline with the product's specific name and main benefit
- Multiple photos from different angles, ideally including lifestyle shots
- Detailed but scannable description: bullet points, not continuous text
- Size chart, material composition, technical specs — everything that removes doubt
- Customer reviews visible above the fold as well
- A clear, contrasting CTA button ("Add to Cart" — not "Interested" or "View")
What to pay particular attention to
The quality and quantity of photos directly affects conversion. In a physical store the customer can touch the product — online, the image must substitute for all sensory experience. If there are only one or two low-quality photos, doubt wins: they don't buy.
2. Reduce Cart Abandonment — and Win Back Lost Buyers
According to e-commerce industry averages, 68–75% of buyers abandon their cart before checkout. This is not a catastrophe — it is an opportunity.
Immediate steps to reduce cart abandonment:
- Cart preservation: when a visitor returns, show what was in their cart
- Guest checkout: don't force registration before payment
- Early communication of shipping costs: hidden shipping fees are the most common cause of cart abandonment
- Progress indicator at checkout: "3 steps remaining" — reduces drop-off
Recovery strategies:
- Cart abandonment email within 1 hour, then again after 24 hours (if an email address is available)
- Remarketing ad featuring the abandoned product
- Optionally: a small discount in the second email (but don't automate this, or everyone will just wait for it)
3. Simplify Checkout — Every Extra Step Is a Loss
Checkout is the point where money could enter your pocket — or not. Every unnecessary step, every distracting element, every unexpected request reduces the odds.
The most common checkout mistakes:
- Mandatory registration before payment
- Multi-page, slow checkout process
- Shipping options and prices only appear in the final step
- Too many mandatory fields (why is a phone number needed if an email is also provided?)
- Missing payment methods (if card payment, PayPal, or local options aren't available — many will leave)
Proven solution: A one-step or two-step checkout where all data and a summary are visible on a single page. The best webshops make a purchase completable within 3 minutes from "Add to Cart" to successful payment.
4. Build Trust Elements at Critical Points
The fundamental question of online shopping is: can the buyer trust you? This is not asked once — it is asked constantly, at every page, every decision point.
Trust elements that actually work:
- SSL certificate and HTTPS — this is a minimum today, not a differentiator
- Real, detailed customer reviews — with photos and names, not anonymous 5-star ratings
- Return guarantee, clearly visible — "Returnable within 14 days, free of charge"
- Contact details, phone number — the mere presence of contact information builds trust
- Payment method logos at checkout — familiar logos (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal) reduce anxiety
- "Secure purchase" badge near the CTA button
Where to place trust elements
Once is not enough. Put them on the homepage, below the product page, at the start of checkout, and in the confirmation email. Every decision point should have at least one reassuring element nearby.
5. A Full Experience on Mobile — Not Just "It Works"
In most markets, more than 60% of webshop visits come from mobile. If your webshop is only truly enjoyable on desktop — you're losing half your traffic.
Mobile CRO checklist:
- Is the CTA button large enough to tap easily with a thumb?
- Can product photos be zoomed on mobile?
- Are checkout fields not too small on mobile, and not covered by the keyboard?
- Are shipping and payment info visible with a single scroll on mobile?
- Does the page load in under 3 seconds on mobile? (if not, you're losing visitors)
Mobile conversion rates are generally lower than desktop — but this is not inevitable. A well-optimised mobile experience can push mobile conversion to 2–3%.
6. Use Scarcity and Urgency — But Honestly
Scarcity and urgency are psychological tools that genuinely work — but only when they are true. Fake countdown timers and perpetually expiring sales destroy trust.
Honest scarcity and urgency approaches:
- "Only 3 left in stock" — if genuinely true
- "Order today, delivered tomorrow" — if genuinely deliverable
- A time-limited sale with a real end date (not one that always resets)
- "X people are viewing this product now" — use carefully, don't overdo it
These elements are most effective close to the product page and checkout.
7. Test Product Descriptions, Not Button Colours
Most webshop owners ask: "Should my button be red or green?" Button colour rarely moves conversion in a measurable way. What does, however — the text and structure of the product description.
What's worth A/B testing:
- Longer vs. shorter description — when is more detail needed, when less?
- Bullet list vs. flowing text
- Different headlines (product-focused vs. benefit-focused)
- "Add to Cart" vs. "Order Now" vs. "Get It" — the CTA text
- Photo order — which image does the visitor see first?
A/B testing is not a one-time task — it is a process. The winning variant becomes the new baseline, which is then tested further.
8. Personalised Product Recommendations — Increase Basket Value
Around 35% of Amazon's revenue comes from cross-selling and upselling. This principle works in small webshops too.
Effective recommendation blocks:
- "Customers who bought this also bought" — below the product page
- "Complete the set" — recommending complementary products
- "Similar products" — when the given product is out of stock
- Bundle offer — "Buy both together and save 15%"
- On the cart page: "Spend €X more for free shipping" + related products
A well-integrated upsell block can increase average basket value by 10–20% — without increasing customer acquisition costs.
9. Reviews and Testimonials — The Best Salesperson That Costs Nothing
93% of purchasing decisions are influenced to some degree by reviews and testimonials. If your webshop has no reviews — or only a few generic 5-star ratings — you're missing one of the most powerful conversion elements.
How to collect reviews:
- Automatic email 7–10 days after delivery: "What do you think of the product?"
- Make it simple — a direct link to the review form, no login required
- Respond to every review — including negative ones, professionally and solution-focused
- Display reviews prominently: product page, homepage, checkout
The value of negative reviews: A webshop with 95% positive and 5% negative reviews is more credible than one with 100% positive. Real buyers know this.
10. Page Load Speed — Every Second Costs Money
According to Google data, for mobile pages, when load time increases from 1 second to 3 seconds, the bounce rate increases by 32%. At 5 seconds, abandonment is already 90%.
Speed checkers and improvement areas:
- Google PageSpeed Insights — free, instant
- Image optimisation: WebP format, correct sizing (the biggest problem for most webshops)
- Removing unnecessary JavaScript and plugins
- Setting up caching
- Applying a CDN (content delivery network)
If your webshop loads in 4+ seconds — this is one of the most important things to fix, ahead of almost every other CRO element.
11. Search Function Optimisation — Shortening the Path for Active Buyers
Someone who searches within a webshop is there with active purchase intent. Visitors who use webshop search have a conversion rate 3–5 times the average — yet this is one of the most neglected areas.
What to improve in search:
- Make it clearly visible and easily accessible (on mobile too)
- Handle typos and synonyms
- Show relevant product categories, not just products
- For zero results, suggest alternatives rather than showing an empty page
- Analysing search logs shows what people are looking for — and what you're missing
12. Exit-Intent Popup — One Last Chance Before They Leave
When a visitor moves their mouse toward closing the browser (on desktop) or is inactive for a set number of seconds (on mobile), a targeted message can appear to hold their attention.
Effective exit-intent content:
- Free shipping offer above a minimum order value
- Small discount on the first order (e.g., 10% coupon)
- "Save your cart" — in exchange for an email address
- "Before you go, check this out" — a bestseller or sale product
Important: An exit-intent popup is only effective if it doesn't appear immediately on arrival, doesn't repeat on every visit, and offers real value — not just an interruption.
CRO Is Not a One-Time Project — It's a System
Many of the 12 methods above can be implemented immediately. Some take weeks or months before test results become statistically significant. CRO is not a one-off intervention — it is a continuous, data-driven improvement cycle.
The basic process:
- Measure — where are visitors being lost? (Google Analytics, heatmap)
- Hypothesise — what could be the cause?
- Implement — introduce the change
- Test — A/B test or time-period comparison
- Evaluate — what worked, what didn't?
- Next iteration
The best webshops don't outperform the competition because they found the perfect solution — they outperform because they improve regularly and systematically.
Ready to Make Your Webshop Sell More?
The Lab2Label team specialises in webshop development, UX design, and conversion optimisation. If your webshop is getting traffic but sales are falling short of expectations — we can help identify where the potential is being lost, and fix it.
Request a free webshop audit — we'll come back with concrete recommendations on what to change.
