/ Ecommerce
What's a good ecommerce conversion rate?
UK ecommerce averages 1.8–2.5% site-wide, 2.5–4% for established stores, 4–7% for top-quartile brands.
/ 01
The short version
Ecommerce conversion rate is heavily category-dependent. A luxury sofa retailer converts at 0.5% and does fine; a low-price supplement brand needs 5%+ to survive.
/ 02
Benchmarks by category (UK)
- • Fashion: 1.5–3%
- • Health & beauty: 3–5%
- • Home & garden: 1.5–3%
- • Food & drink: 3–6%
- • Electronics: 1–2%
- • Furniture: 0.5–1.5%
- • Sports & outdoors: 1.5–3%
/ 03
What separates 2% stores from 5% stores
Fast mobile experience. Guest checkout. Free shipping (or clear thresholds). Multiple payment options (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Klarna, PayPal). Real product photography. Reviews on every product page. Clear returns policy. Post-purchase email flows that build trust for the next order.
/ 04
Where to look first if yours is low
Mobile checkout — 70% of failures happen here. Product page load speed. Checkout field count (kill everything non-essential). Trust signals near the buy button. Cart abandonment email flow.
/ 05
Where RIOT fits in
We're a small Colchester studio helping UK SMBs get your ecommerce conversion right without agency waste or freelancer flake. If you've read this far and you want a second opinion on your specific setup, book a 20-minute call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth doing anything at all.
We work with clients across Essex, Suffolk, London and the wider UK — and remotely with brands abroad. No lock-in, no monthly retainer minimums, no pretending your problem is bigger than it is.
/ FAQs
Common questions
Is Shopify's checkout better than custom?
Almost always yes. Shopify has spent 10 years optimising checkout — custom rebuilds rarely beat it.
Should I offer free shipping?
Yes above a sensible threshold. It's the single biggest lever on ecommerce conversion.
Still not sure?
Book a free 20-minute call — we'll answer your specific version of this question with no sales pitch.
Book a call →