The Shopify Conversion Checklist We Run on Every Store
Thirty-one checks across product page, cart and checkout, ordered by the revenue impact we typically see. Most stores fail at least eight of them.
Key takeaways
- Product page and cart account for most recoverable revenue. Homepage redesigns are usually the wrong first move.
- Shipping cost surprise remains the single largest cause of cart abandonment.
- Every app you install has a performance cost. Audit them quarterly.
- Test one thing at a time or you will learn nothing you can reuse.
We run this list on every store we audit. It is ordered roughly by the revenue impact we see, not by how easy each item is to fix.
Product page
- Price, variant selector and add-to-cart are visible without scrolling on a 375px viewport.
- Shipping cost and delivery estimate appear on the product page, not first at checkout.
- At least five images including scale, detail and in-use context. Video where the product benefits from it.
- Reviews visible above the fold with a total count, not just a star average.
- Variant selection never causes a layout shift or a full page reload.
- Stock and back-in-stock messaging is honest. Fake urgency measurably erodes repeat purchase.
- Return policy is one tap away, not buried in the footer.
- Size and fit guidance is inline for apparel, not in a modal nobody opens.
Cart and checkout
- Cart drawer instead of a full page redirect, unless your AOV depends on a considered review step.
- Shipping threshold progress is shown if you offer free shipping over a value.
- Express payment options appear above the form, not below it.
- Guest checkout is available and is not visually subordinate to account creation.
- Discount code field is present but not prominent enough to send people hunting for a code.
- Address autocomplete is enabled. Manual entry on mobile is a meaningful drop-off point.
- Error messages are inline, specific, and do not clear what the customer already typed.
Performance
- Mobile LCP under 2.5 seconds in field data, not lab data.
- Fewer than fifteen apps installed, with every one justified by revenue.
- No render-blocking third-party scripts in the head.
- Images served in modern formats at correct dimensions with explicit width and height.
Trust and merchandising
- Contact details and a real returns address are findable in under ten seconds.
- Product recommendations are rule-based on real affinity, not a generic bestsellers block.
- Bundles reflect how people actually buy, verified against order data.
- Post-purchase upsell exists and is relevant to what was just bought.
Most stores do not need a redesign. They need eight specific fixes and the discipline to test them one at a time.
Want this applied to your account?
We will run the same analysis on your channels and send back what we find — free, and yours to keep whether or not you hire us.
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