5 Growth Killers Impacting Your Prestashop Store

First things first. Do you know what made us write about eCommerce conversion killers (aka this blog)? Dog food. Surprised? But you read that right. One of our developers ran out of dog food and picked up his mobile phone to order it online. Unfortunately, he ended up being disappointed due to lack of payment options and ultimately had to abandon his cart.

When he shared his experience, we realized it’s time we raise the red flags for e-stores, from the consumer point of view, of course. It’s time online store owners recognize these to uncover opportunities for growth. As it is, only 2.86% of ecommerce website visits convert into a purchase. That means most visitors bail out either because of negative emotions like doubt, uncertainty and doubt or because they were window shoppers. Further, bad practices such as complicated checkout process, incomplete product details or fraud management can easily creep into a business. Whatever the reason be, it’s important to run regular diagnostics to identify common bad practices that, without proper management, can be detrimental.

Let’s dive into major areas to help you uncover clues of profit-killing activities. We hope by the end of this blog you learn how to increase conversions and run a successful online store.

Look for Friction in Your Checkout Funnel
Buyers today look for frictionless experiences when shopping online, especially when they’re shopping on mobile devices. Approximately 60% of all eCommerce visitors come from mobile, yet mobile still accounts for just 28% of eCommerce sales. This gap persists because of friction in the mobile experience.

It is, therefore, crucial to implement techniques to decrease friction and increase mobile conversions. Start measuring key performance metrics including revenue per visitor (RPV), product detail page (PDP) view rate, and/or cart abandonment rate. Based on the results, start optimizing the basic yet effective features such as improving website loading speed, decreasing image size, integrating a search bar or providing guest checkout.

Lack Of Or Not Enough Social Proof
Your products may be incomparable and of topmost quality but customers won’t risk buying them if they don’t get to read some reviews. And it is only natural because online shoppers are most comfortable buying stuff that others have bought too.

Now, one way of overcoming this lack of trust is to ask buyers for reviews/feedback and publish them on your site. These will serve as a social proof and convince buyers that they are investing in the right product. As it is, the average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision.

Insufficient, Weak Product Details
This is pure blasphemy! How do you imagine someone buying from you when you don’t have a compelling, detailed product description. Forget that. We have seen some websites that think it’s alright to avoid putting up quality photos. Did they forget that shopping online is already an impersonal activity? That the only way to lure a buyer to buy is through words and photographs!

So, if you too haven’t yet worked on product copies then do so right away! Make sure your website offers detailed product descriptions, clear images from every angle and high-quality videos so that customers can experience offline store-like shopping. In other words, visitors should have access to all the information they need. This not only will help them make an easy buy but a confident shopping experience as well.

Unavailability of Multiple Payment Options
Yet another deal-breaker for your customers. Just like our developer, several customers feel more comfortable purchasing from an online shop with multiple payment methods available.

In order to avoid an imminent leak in your sales funnel, reassure visitors by adding digital wallets like PayPal, Amazon Pay or Apple Pay that customers usually trust and use most often. Besides, it also makes the checkout process faster. Furthermore, to gain a competitive edge, it is a good idea to add access to new markets through local or preferred payment options.

Besides, remember adding multiple payment options just won’t shell out money if customers/visitors don’t see secure payment badges. In a survey, 48% of respondents said that trust seals assure them at the checkout stage. So, make sure you are doing the same.

Unclear Presentation of Discounts & Offers
No shopper ever wants to see an alluring sale, only to be surprised with additional fees later. A study reports that 25 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned because the product costs more than expected. If you post a tempting offer, make sure you follow through and don’t hike up the final price later.

Further, post your offer at a location that attracts the most attention. According to an analysis, people spend twice as much time viewing the left side of the page compared to the right. Visit the homepages of giants like eBay or Netflix: offers and discounts are displayed at the left side of the page.

Clear and highly visible offers can lure more consumers and help maximize your returns. Referral programs are also a great way to use your existing customer base to drive sales.

Are any of these present on your store? Kill them right away by adopting suggested solutions to make way for conversions, growth and ultimately success.

Facing any difficulties? Our PrestaShop experts are a click away.