Part of: CRO
Conversion funnel optimisation
Finding where visitors drop out between product page, basket and checkout, and what to fix first.
Is this right for you?
Who it is for
Stores with steady traffic that are unsure where sales are being lost.
When it is not
Stores with very little traffic or very few orders, where a funnel is too thin to read, and stores whose tracking does not yet match their real orders, which need that fixed first.
What is included
- A check that your tracking matches your real orders, before any analysis
- A funnel report from collection or landing page, through product page, basket and checkout to order
- The same funnel split by device, new and returning visitors and traffic source
- A review of each step of the journey, on a phone and on a computer
- A ranked list of what to fix first, with the evidence behind each item
- A note on what can and cannot be changed in your Shopify checkout
Finding where sales are lost
A conversion funnel is the path from arriving on your store to placing an order. Conversion funnel optimisation measures how many visitors reach each step, finds where the biggest losses are and works out why. It suits stores with steady traffic that cannot tell whether the problem is the product page, the basket or the checkout.
The aim is simple: spend effort on the step that is costing you most, not the one that is easiest to change.
Who it’s for, and when it isn’t
It suits stores that have enough visitors and orders for the numbers at each step to mean something, and that are not sure where sales are going.
It is not the right first step if:
- the store has very few orders, so each step has only a handful of people in it
- your tracking does not yet match your real orders. We would fix that first, through GA4 setup and audits
- the problem is clearly upstream, such as traffic that was never likely to buy
What’s included
- A check that your tracking matches your real orders, before any analysis
- A funnel report from collection or landing page, through product page, basket and checkout to order
- The same funnel split by device, new and returning visitors and traffic source
- A review of each step of the journey, on a phone and on a computer
- A ranked list of what to fix first, with the evidence behind each item
- A note on what can and cannot be changed in your Shopify checkout
How we do it
1. Check the numbers. We compare GA4 with your Shopify orders. If they disagree, we find out why before reading anything into the funnel. A funnel built on broken tracking points you at the wrong problem.
2. Map the funnel. We agree the steps that matter for your store and measure how many visitors reach each one. For most stores this means collection or landing page, product page, add to basket, start of checkout, payment and order. GA4’s funnel and path explorations show the drop-off between steps. They only go back as far as GA4 keeps detailed data, which is 2 or 14 months on the standard version, so we set it to 14.
3. Split it. An overall drop-off figure hides most of the story. Mobile and desktop often behave very differently, and so do new and returning visitors, and visitors from different channels.
4. Look at each step with fresh eyes. Numbers show where people leave, not why. We go through each step ourselves and look for the usual causes.
- Collection pages: filters that do not match how people choose, sorting that is unhelpful, and losing your place when you go back from a product.
- Product pages: unclear variant choice, stock status that is hard to see, and delivery cost, timing and returns that need a click to find.
- Basket: totals that do not include delivery, hard-to-edit contents and a discount code box that distracts people into leaving to hunt for codes.
- Checkout: forced accounts, forms that ask for more than they need, address lookup that struggles with UK postcodes or Irish Eircodes, vague error messages and late surprises.
5. Bring in other evidence. Heatmapping and session recordings can show what visitors did on a step. UX research can ask real people why. We use them when a step needs more than numbers.
6. Rank and fix. We list the problems by likely effect and effort, make the clear fixes and re-measure.
Shopify checkout limits
Shopify’s checkout is well tested and familiar to shoppers, but how much you can change depends on your plan and on what Shopify currently allows. We check what is possible before we suggest anything, so you do not pay for a recommendation that cannot be built.
On every plan you can brand the checkout and add apps to the thank-you and order status pages. Apps inside the checkout steps, and deeper changes, need Shopify Plus. Branding settings, such as colours, fonts and logo, are available to everyone.
Shopify’s own testing tool, Rollouts, can test checkout settings on the Grow plan and above, and reports the checkout conversion rate.
If the store itself is the limit, a rebuild through Shopify development may do more than any adjustment.
What it costs
Our pricing page explains how we charge. The price depends mainly on how many funnels and traffic sources need analysing, and on how much fixing you want us to do.
We start with an audit. After that, the work runs in sprints (plan, test or implement), each priced and agreed in writing before it starts. See the pricing page.
What we measure
- the share of visitors who reach each step, by device and source
- the share who complete the order, and revenue per visitor
- how closely GA4 matches your Shopify orders
- checkout errors and failed payments, where we can see them
We report what changed, when, and what else was going on, such as sales, new campaigns or stock problems. We do not report results we cannot back up.
Related
Funnel work links closely to GA4 setup and audits, heatmapping and UX research. It is part of conversion rate optimisation.
How we do it
Every project is different, so timings depend on its size and complexity. You get a realistic timeline in writing before work starts, and we never promise results by a date.
Step 1: Check the numbers
We compare GA4 with your Shopify orders and fix or flag any gaps, because every conclusion depends on them.
Step 2: Map the funnel
We agree the steps that matter for your store, then measure how many visitors reach each one, split by device and source.
Step 3: Find the biggest losses
We look for the steps where the drop is largest or where one group does much worse than the rest, and test our ideas about why against what visitors actually did.
Step 4: Fix, then check
We rank the fixes, make the clear ones and re-measure. Where the answer is not clear and there is enough traffic, we suggest a test.
What it costs
Retainers start from £500 per month and cover our services only. They do not include your ad spend, or any software or other subscription costs. One-off optimisation projects are priced by current need or an agreed hourly rate. Our pricing page has the detail.
Questions people ask
What is a conversion funnel?
It is the path visitors take from arriving to buying. For most stores the main steps are a collection or landing page, a product page, the basket, checkout and the order. The funnel shows how many people reach each step.
How do you find where visitors drop out?
We use GA4 to count how many visitors reach each step, and split the results by device, new or returning visitor and traffic source. Then we look at the steps where the drop is largest, or where one group does much worse than the others, and ask why.
Why do so many people leave at checkout?
Often because of costs or steps they did not expect, such as delivery charges, a forced account or a payment method they do not use. It can also be a technical fault on certain phones. We look at the evidence before deciding which.
Can you change my Shopify checkout?
Only within what Shopify allows on your plan. Some changes are easy and others are not possible. We tell you what is realistic before suggesting anything. On every plan you can brand the checkout and add apps to the thank-you and order status pages. Apps inside the checkout steps, and deeper changes, need Shopify Plus.
Do I need lots of traffic?
You need enough orders for the numbers at each step to be more than a handful. With low traffic we use a simpler view, plus behaviour evidence and expert review, and we are clear about how uncertain the numbers are.
Will you promise a better conversion rate?
No. We find and rank the problems, fix what we can, and report honestly on what changed. A promise of a specific uplift would be a guess.
Ready to talk it through?
Get a free UX and conversion review of your website, focused on how your creative affects performance. A subject matter expert at Advent reviews it, and we aim to send it within 5 working days.