We’ve run a conversion rate optimization audit on dozens of online stores, and honestly, the same patterns keep coming up. The good news? They’re very fixable.
Over the past few months, we’ve had the chance to look closely at many e-commerce stores, both our clients’ and some of their competitors’. And while every store is different, a handful of the same issues tend to pop up again and again, quietly getting in the way of sales that should have happened.
We thought it’d be useful to share what we found along with some practical ways to think about each one.
1. Upsells that feel random. The “maybe something sticks” approach
Picture this: a customer adds a pair of Adidas sneakers at $150 to their cart. The upsell section then shows them… three other pairs of Adidas sneakers, at the same price.
It’s easy to see how this happens; the logic feels reasonable at first. But from the customer’s perspective, it just introduces doubt. Suddenly, they’re wondering if they picked the right pair. And that moment of hesitation? It’s often enough to lose the sale entirely.
A good upsell feels like a helpful suggestion, not a distraction. Things like a shoe care kit, matching accessories, or a protection plan are items that genuinely complement what’s already in the cart.
✦ A simple starting point: look at which products are most frequently bought together and build your upsell recommendations from there. Real purchase data beats guesswork every time.
2. Newsletter pop-ups competing with the checkout
We’ve seen stores with two pop-ups appearing at the same time, both pushing roughly the same newsletter benefit, including on the checkout page itself.
Growing your email list matters. But it’s worth remembering that a completed purchase is always the most important conversion on your site. Once someone is at checkout, they’re this close to buying, and anything that pulls their attention elsewhere is working against you.
The checkout experience works best when it’s calm and focused. No pop-ups, no side offers, nothing that isn’t directly helping the customer finish their order.
✦ A great place for newsletter sign-ups? The order confirmation page. The customer is happy, the sale is done, and they’re much more likely to want to stay in touch.
3. Discount pop-ups on pages that are already on sale
If a product is already marked down for a clearance or end-of-stock sale, showing a discount pop-up on top of that can actually do more harm than good. It adds visual noise, and over time, it teaches customers to always hold out for more discounts even when there isn’t one coming.
Pop-ups work really well in the right context: think first-time visitors, full-price products, or high-intent pages where a small nudge can make a real difference. Using where the pop-up shows more selectively, it tends to perform much better.
✦ A simple rule: suppress discount pop-ups on any page where prices are already reduced. It keeps the experience cleaner and protects your margins.
A few things worth focusing on instead
- Make sure shipping costs, return policies, and payment options are easy to find. Your customers shouldn’t have to hunt for this
- Genuine customer reviews go a long way. They’re one of the most effective trust signals you can have on a product page
- Let purchase data guide your upsell strategy. Look for natural product combinations rather than placing items at random
- Keep checkout as clean and simple as possible. If something isn’t helping the customer pay, it probably doesn’t need to be there
What a conversion rate optimization audit actually reveals
Most stores don’t really have a traffic problem; they have a trust and friction problem. A conversion rate optimization audit is useful precisely because it helps you see your store the way your customers do: the small moments of confusion, hesitation, or distraction that you’ve stopped noticing because you know the site too well. Fix the three things above, and you’ll already be in much better shape than most stores in your space. There’s a good chance you’ll feel the difference quickly.