How To Reduce Bounce Rates On Shopify
Every user who leaves a website before conversion is lost income for a business. However, it's easier and cheaper to retain them than to expand your reach and attract new traffic.
Let's find out what the bounce rate on Shopify is, how to reduce the bounce rate on Shopify, what mistakes to consider carefully, and what steps to take to improve the situation.
How the bounce rate is calculated on Shopify
The bounce rate on Shopify is the ratio of the number of sessions that ended on the first page of a site to the total number of sessions, expressed as a percentage. The formula used for the calculation is:
The indicator shows the share of visitors who were interested enough in the subject of the site to click on the link but did not use the commercial offer for some reason. To explain the reason, all refusals should be divided into three categories:
- Tough. A user closes the page in seconds, often without waiting for it to fully load. Sometimes, it's due to erroneous clicks, but more often, visitors are frustrated by slow speed, misleading headlines, or unpleasant design.
- Medium. Users study the page for a few seconds and even scroll through it but close the tab. This is usually because they either didn't find the right product, didn't find the commercial offer convincing enough, or didn't find quality content.
- Soft. A user explores the page and spends from 10 seconds to several minutes on the site but fails to make a conversion. They may refuse the idea because they want to compare your offer with competitors, are hesitant to spend a certain amount of money, or decide to postpone a purchase for later. These are refusals that are the easiest to work with. They can be turned into conversions, improving the company's financial results.
How to check the bounce rate on Shopify
The platform has its own analytics service, so you don't have to rely on additional services. The Shopify bounce rate report is available in all plans except Lite.
To use the report, follow these simple instructions:
1. Log in to your online store administrator account.
2. In the menu on the left, find Analytics and click on Reports.
3. Select the Acquisition report and click the Sessions over time option.
4. Select the dates for which you want to get the statistics.
5. Scroll down and click Edit columns.
6. Select Bounce rate from the drop-down menu.
Many users estimate the bounce rate on Shopify using alternative services like the free Google Analytics 4 app. Several paid services are also available — SE Ranking, Ahrefs, Moz, SpyFu, and many others.
Reasons for high bounce rates on Shopify
Let's look at the e-commerce-specific issues that cause a high Shopify bounce rate.
Inconvenient navigation system
When the assortment of an online store expands to several hundred or even thousands of items, the search for the right product becomes more complicated. If a user does not get clear instructions in the first few seconds, there is a high probability that a user will close the window.
Absence of CTA
A high bounce rate on Shopify is also found among stores with perfect business offers. The reason is poor customer motivation. To incentivize purchases, place highly visible calls to action on your sales pages:
- "Buy";
- "Order Now."
- "Go to catalog".
Mandatory authorization
High-profile scams related to information leaks cause people to worry about the safety of their personal data. Therefore, many customers refuse to buy if a store requires registration that involves filling out lengthy forms.
Example of authorization on the site
According to the CX Trends 2022 report, 60% of customers regularly contact online store support services. 81% of them name quality of service as a key factor that influences their purchase decision. By ignoring these facts, you're cutting off a large portion of your audience.
Lack of information
How much does shipping cost? When will the goods be sent? How to pay for the purchase? Are there discounts for wholesale customers? By answering these questions in a special section, you earn customers' trust, and by ignoring them — you lose potential conversions.
Lack of social validation
People know that advertising emphasizes a product's advantages and downplays its disadvantages. That's why they look closely at user-generated content, such as testimonials, reviews, and popularity ratings. Without them, bounce rates on Shopify will inevitably increase.
Non-adaptive design
Statista research shows that the mobile shopping market will grow to 2.2 trillion by the end of 2023. That's 60% of all online sales. Optimize your website for the compact screens of mobile gadgets and see your key metrics increase — conversion rates, sales, user engagement, and more.
Low security level
If you convince people to log in and promise them benefits when they sign up, be sure to emphasize the careful handling of their personal data. The mere presence of a cybersecurity section reassures people — even if no one ever opens it.
Hidden basket
The shopping cart access button should always be visible. You also need an indicator that confirms the presence of goods in it. If users don't see the cart, they will forget about the items added to it and won't complete the transaction.
Absence of unique offers
Customers will choose an online store that offers them something special, whether it's personalized appeals, a limited list item, or free same-day shipping. If your website is no different from your competitors, it won't generate leads and conversions.
9 ways to fix high bounce rates on Shopify
The platform is quite flexible and provides you with a large number of tools for site management. In addition, it has its own analytics service that allows you to track the results of your decisions. Therefore, you can experiment and test many hypotheses, reducing the Shopify bounce rate.
1. Stand out
It's not enough to keep up with your competitors — you need to stay ahead of them to win the hearts of your customers. Make your homepage more colorful and minimalistic at the same time. Showcase your company's unique selling points. Add pop-ups with exclusive offers and customized product selections. Offer customers and subscribers the chance to join a private club — test different options.
2. Simplify and optimize
The complex structure of the site often causes high bounce rates on Shopify. Revise your catalog categories. Make them more logical and clear for a user, even if it's inconvenient from the standpoint of your accounting or logistics services. Create a focus group and let the participants read the titles. If they are abstract and unclear, they will have to be rewritten. Do not require mandatory authorization, and reduce the number of fields in registration forms to a minimum.
3. Emphasize your CTA
Calls to action should catch the eye from the first millisecond. Make it so that a user's hand intuitively reaches for the buttons to go to the catalog and purchase or add the product to the cart. Highlight the CTA with contrasting colors — not necessarily bright, but noticeable against the general background. Carefully work out the inscriptions on the buttons — they should be attractive, clear, and motivating for immediate action.
4. Take a survey
Sometimes, the reasons why users leave the site are clear only to them. A marketer has only one way out — ask them directly. Claspo allows you to create pop-ups that are displayed when you try to close a browser tab. You have access to ready-made survey templates that you can customize to your company's needs by choosing the appropriate design styles and response options. The built-in statistics module will help you analyze the results and draw the right conclusions.
5. Add a chatbot
Not all companies can maintain a call center with dozens of employees. Artificial intelligence is the solution. It will answer simple questions from visitors, select the necessary goods in the catalog, and, if necessary, hold the client's attention until a specialist joins the conversation. Paying for a subscription to an intelligent chatbot is much cheaper than losing dozens of customers every day.
6. Use themes with adaptive design
Shopify offers many similar shells for online stores. And even if you don't find a suitable option, you can always order its development from one of the platform partners. Make sure that the site's interface is understandable for mobile users, gives a clear idea of the further course of actions, and does not block essential functions.
7. Increase the level of trust
Be very honest with your users. If you don't have free shipping or it's only available to premium subscribers, inform users about it. If you need 3-4 days to collect an order, don't keep it quiet. Make the terms of cooperation as transparent as possible — tell about them in the information sections and mention them on the commercial pages. It will not be superfluous to emphasize the company's high level of responsibility — create a cybersecurity section and place data protection icons in registration forms.
8. Add lead magnets
If you want to guide the customer down a specific buyer’s path, show the benefit of each of their actions. Promise an interesting newsletter in exchange for registration, a bonus for the first purchase, and access to a new collection of products when they go to the catalog. One of the best ways to showcase lead magnets is with pop-ups.
Claspo offers many ready-made templates with different lead magnets, including coupons and personalized discounts. You can choose one of them and customize it to your needs.
9. Use social proof
PowerReview research shows that 99% of users look at reviews or at least summarized product ratings before buying. And for 68%, a complete lack of social proof would be a good reason to refuse a purchase. Give customers what they want. Use widgets for comments, ratings, favorite products, and posts about recent purchases.
How to reduce bounce rate on Shopify with Claspo
Claspo is a universal tool that will help you optimize your marketing strategy in several ways:
- demonstrate attractive lead magnets;
- find out why users are leaving your site;
- showcase best-selling products;
- redirect visitors to high-conversion pages;
- inform about discounts and special offers;
- offer quick registration or authorization.
Claspo optimizes user and customer experience, generates leads and conversions, and improves key business metrics, including bounce rate. Thanks to its out-of-the-box integration solution, it can be connected to an online store on the Shopify platform in minutes. You don't have to write code or learn how to create a design — the visual editor allows you to change the order of elements in the widget by simply dragging and dropping them using a mouse.
Ready to increase the profitability of your online store? Try Claspo for free today. After testing the service, you'll be able to choose the perfect plan for your small, medium, or large business.
