Conversion rate from 1.2% to 3.8% for e-commerce retailer

The challenge

An established Dutch e-commerce retailer in premium home accessories had a stable visitor count of 85,000 unique visitors per month, but a conversion rate of just 1.2%. Revenue per visitor lagged behind the market average of 2.8%.

The company had already invested in SEO and advertising — visitor numbers were solid. But every additional investment in traffic yielded insufficient extra revenue. The solution was not more traffic, but getting more out of existing traffic.

The analysis

We started with a comprehensive CRO audit: heatmaps, session recordings, funnel analysis in GA4 and 12 in-depth interviews with existing customers and abandoners.

Three critical problems emerged:

1. Confusing product page design The add-to-cart button was not prominent enough. Users scrolled right past it. 34% of sessions on product pages ended without a single click on a CTA.

2. Checkout abandonment due to shipping costs 68% of cart abandonments occurred after shipping costs became visible in the checkout. The free shipping threshold (EUR 75) was not clearly communicated on product and category pages.

3. Lack of trust signals On the product page, reviews, return policy and delivery times were missing above the fold. Visitors had to scroll or click for information that directly influences the purchase decision.

The approach

Test 1: Product page CTA repositioning

We redesigned the add-to-cart section: a more prominent button, sticky CTA when scrolling on mobile, and direct visibility of the free shipping threshold and return information.

Result: +28% click rate on add-to-cart. Statistically significant after 3 weeks.

Test 2: Shipping cost communication

We displayed a dynamic bar on all product pages: “Only EUR X more for free shipping.” This actively steered visitors towards a higher order value.

Result: +18% average order value. Checkout abandonment -22%.

Test 3: Trust signals above the fold

Reviews (count and score), return guarantee (30 days), delivery time and payment methods were moved above the fold on product pages.

Result: +14% conversion rate on product pages. Statistically significant after 4 weeks.

Mobile optimisation

62% of traffic was mobile, but the mobile conversion rate was 0.7% versus 2.1% on desktop — a huge gap. We rebuilt the mobile product page from scratch with a mobile-first approach.

Result: Mobile conversion rate rose from 0.7% to 2.9%.

Results after 6 months

Metric	Start	After 6 months
Overall conversion rate	1.2%	3.8%
Mobile conversion rate	0.7%	2.9%
Average order value	EUR 82	EUR 97
Monthly revenue	+31%	—
Cart abandonment	78%	61%

The combination of a higher conversion rate and higher average order value resulted in a 31% revenue increase without additional investment in traffic.

The key takeaway

The most profitable investment in e-commerce is often not more traffic, but more conversion from existing traffic. Every percentage point of additional conversion has the same effect as 25-30% more visitors — but costs a fraction of the advertising budget.

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Want to know what CRO could mean for your e-commerce revenue? Schedule a conversion audit call.