How to Increase eCommerce Sales: 15 Strategies That Work

Online retail sales in the U.S. reached $340.2 billion in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Census Bureau. Still, many stores get steady traffic and few orders. A problem in the buying process usually stops the shopper, for example, a slow mobile page or a late shipping fee.

This guide explains how to increase eCommerce sales with 15 proven strategies. It also shows how to build a plan that puts the most important fixes first.

Why Your eCommerce Store Struggles to Make Sales

Low sales usually point to specific problems in the path from the first visit to a completed payment.

• Broad keywords and loosely targeted ads bring visitors with no plan to buy.
• Product pages get views but few add-to-cart clicks because key details are missing.
• Shoppers leave when checkout forces an account or adds a shipping fee at the end.
• Prices look high without any explanation of what value the buyer will get.
• New visitors hold back when reviews, return terms, delivery dates, or their usual payment method are missing.

Many of these issues come from how the store is built, and fixing them often requires eCommerce development services in addition to marketing changes.

The first step is finding which problem costs the most sales.

15 Proven Strategies to Increase eCommerce Sales

These strategies follow the order of a typical purchase, from initial browsing to repeat orders.

1. Understand Why Shoppers Are Not Buying

Any plan to increase eCommerce sales should begin with data. Changes based on assumptions can lead you to focus on the wrong pages or problems.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) shows how many visitors view a product, add it to the cart, start checkout, and buy. A sharp fall between two steps shows where shoppers leave.

Google Search Console lists the search terms that bring people to your store. Customer surveys and support tickets explain why orders were abandoned. Our guide to eCommerce analytics lists the reports worth checking each week.

If most visitors leave after viewing a product, the product page needs attention first.

2. Optimize Product Pages to Increase Conversions

Online shoppers cannot test a product in person, and the product page has to answer their questions. It is usually the first page to work on when you optimize eCommerce conversion rates.

• Describe what the product does for the buyer, along with its specifications.
• Show the product from several angles, with a short video and photos of it in use.
• Display star ratings near the product title.
• Place sizing, delivery estimates, and return terms near the Add to Cart button.
• Use one clear call to action and show related products below it.

On Amazon, the star rating appears below the title, reviews can be filtered by rating, and the delivery date changes with the shopper’s ZIP code. A smaller store can start with a delivery estimate and a review summary next to the buy button.

If your theme cannot support this layout, eCommerce website design services can rebuild product templates around buyer needs.

Each added image, video, and script also increases page load time.

3. Make Your Store Faster and Easier to Use on Mobile

Google PageSpeed Insights evaluates page performance on mobile and desktop and provides recommendations to help improve loading speed and the overall user experience. Check mobile results separately, because a page that loads well on desktop can still be slow on a phone. Product photos are often the largest files on a page, which makes image optimization a good place to start.

• Compress product images and use modern formats like WebP or AVIF.
• Remove unused apps and tracking scripts.
• Make buttons large enough to tap. W3C accessibility guidance sets a minimum of 24 by 24 CSS pixels.
• Keep mobile navigation short, and avoid pop-ups on the path to checkout.
• Test key templates on real iPhone and Android devices.

Load times also grow as new apps and scripts are added. Regular checks through eCommerce maintenance services keep the store fast after each update.

A faster site brings more shoppers to checkout, where a simple process becomes the next priority.

4. Shorten the Checkout Process to Reduce Abandoned Carts

Across 50 studies collected by Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate is 70.22%. Among shoppers who intended to buy, the top reason for leaving is an extra cost, for example, shipping or tax, shown late in checkout.

• Allow guest checkout, and ask about an account only after payment.
• Remove unnecessary form fields and add address autocomplete.
• Offer one-click checkout to returning customers with saved details.
• Show shipping costs, sales tax, and the estimated delivery date in the cart.
• Offer digital wallets such as Apple Pay and, where appropriate, buy now, pay later (BNPL) options that let eligible customers pay in installments.
• Track abandonment by checkout step and device.

Each new wallet or BNPL provider needs a payment gateway connection, handled through eCommerce integration services.

Consider a hypothetical store that requires an account and shows shipping only on the final step. Making the account optional and showing shipping in the cart removes two reasons to leave without changing the price.

Even a short checkout needs trust signals before shoppers enter payment details.

5. Build Customer Trust With Reviews, Policies, and Support

In a study by Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center, products with five reviews had a 270% higher chance of being bought than products with none.

• Ask for a review one to two weeks after delivery.
• Mark reviews from confirmed buyers and allow sorting by rating.
• Reply to negative reviews and fix problems that several buyers mention.
• Show return and refund terms on product pages and in the cart.
• Offer live chat and log support questions in a CRM to track common concerns.
• Keep stock levels and delivery estimates accurate.

Many large retailers add a Q&A section below reviews, where past buyers answer questions about fit.

HTTPS on every page and a payment form that meets PCI DSS, the card industry’s security standard, are basic eCommerce security requirements.

Trust converts existing traffic, while SEO brings in more visitors who are ready to buy.

6. Use eCommerce SEO to Attract Buyers Who Are Ready to Purchase

eCommerce SEO takes longer than paid ads to show results. Unlike paid ads, organic search traffic does not incur a direct cost per click. Although SEO requires ongoing investment and results take time, strong organic visibility can attract relevant shoppers over the long term.

• Target product-specific search terms, for example, “waterproof hiking boots.”
• Write original product titles and descriptions instead of copying the manufacturer’s text.
• Add Product structured data from the schema.org vocabulary, including price, availability, and ratings. This makes listings eligible for rich results in Google.
• Link category pages to products, and publish buying guides that link to relevant categories.
• Fix crawl errors in Search Console. When filters create copies of one page, a canonical tag tells Google which version to rank.

Once SEO brings in the right visitors, promotions can encourage them to buy sooner.

7. Plan Promotions and Product Bundles That Protect Profit Margins

Promotions can generate short-term sales, but poorly planned discounts may increase revenue while reducing profit margins.

Set a free-shipping threshold slightly above the current average order value.

Bundle complementary products, for example, a camera with a memory card.

• Use single-use codes for first-order discounts.

• Run Black Friday and holiday campaigns with fixed end dates.

• Test volume discounts and gifts with purchase against a standard price reduction.

• Measure profit per order after each campaign, not only sales volume.

A skincare brand can sell a cleanser and moisturizer as a starter set. Product bundling works best with items that customers already buy together.

A bundle raises the value of one order. Upselling and cross-selling apply the same approach on product pages and in the cart.

8. Increase Average Order Value With Upselling and Cross-Selling

Average order value (AOV) is total revenue divided by the number of orders. An upsell suggests a higher-tier version of the product, for example, a 1TB laptop instead of the 512GB model. A cross-sell suggests a related item, for example, a laptop sleeve. Both depend on relevant product recommendations.

• Show a small number of relevant add-ons on the product page or in the cart.
• Suggest upgrades only when the price difference is reasonable.
• Remove recommendations that distract from the checkout button.

Amazon’s “Frequently bought together” feature uses item-to-item collaborative filtering, a method its researchers described in 2003. Amazon has not published revenue data for the feature, though the method itself works for smaller stores too.

Even with relevant recommendations, some shoppers leave items in the cart.

9. Recover Abandoned Carts With Email and Retargeting Ads

Automated cart recovery emails bring these shoppers back to the items they left in the cart.

• Send the first reminder within a few hours of the visit.
• Follow up on product views only with consent and within platform rules.
• Write separate messages for first-time visitors and past customers.
• Stop reminders once the customer buys, even in a store or on another device.
• Test timing and incentives, and save discounts for a later message.

Retargeting ads on Google and Meta show recently viewed products on other websites. Several U.S. states let consumers opt out of targeted ads, which means your privacy policy should cover this tracking.

Recovery messages work better when they reflect each shopper’s browsing history, which is the basis of personalization.

10. Personalize Product Recommendations for Each Shopper

Personalization uses browsing and purchase data to decide which products each shopper sees first. eCommerce personalization tools connect this data to the product catalog.

• Suggest products that match what the shopper has viewed or bought before.
• Show recently viewed items on the homepage and category pages.
• Reorder categories based on known preferences, for example, wide-fit shoes for a shopper who filtered for them.
• Review on-site search queries that return no results, since they show demand the catalog is missing.
• Measure conversion from recommendations and remove widgets shoppers ignore.

A loyalty program then gives first-time buyers a reason to return.

11. Improve Customer Retention With a Loyalty Program

When understanding how to increase eCommerce sales, retention is an important facet since returning customers already trust the store. A well-structured loyalty program gives them a clear reason to buy again.

• Reward repeat purchases with points instead of rewarding sign-ups alone.
• Offer member benefits like free shipping or early access to new products.
• Send refill reminders for consumable products.
• Use post-purchase emails to share setup and care tips.
• Measure how often customers return and how much each one spends over time, known as customer lifetime value (CLV).

Sephora’s Beauty Insider program is a well-known example. Membership is free; members move into the VIB and Rouge tiers as yearly spending grows, and points convert into Beauty Insider Cash.

Loyal customers also post photos and reviews that influence new buyers on social platforms.

12. Use Social Commerce and User-Generated Content to Drive Sales

User-generated content (UGC) is any photo, video, or review that customers create about a product.

• Publish short product demonstration videos on TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• Ask customers to share photos with a branded hashtag, and request permission before reposting.
• Use shoppable posts that tag products and link straight to the product page.
• Partner with creators whose audiences match your customers, even small ones.
• Measure product page visits and purchases from each post, along with likes.

Gymshark built early reach through fitness creators. Its help center states that the invite-only Gymshark Athlete program picks creators by content quality and audience engagement, with no minimum follower count. In the U.S., creators must disclose paid partnerships under FTC endorsement rules.

Social proof can make a price feel fair, and the way that price is presented matters as much.

13. Price Products Competitively and Explain Their Value

Shoppers compare a product’s price with the value they see on the page.

• Compare prices with the competitors your customers check, including shipping.
• Explain what justifies a premium price, for example, better materials or a longer warranty.
• Use dynamic pricing rules for slow-selling stock or peak demand, with limits that protect margin.
• Test good, better, and best product tiers.
• Plan discounts on a fixed calendar to avoid training customers to wait for sales.
• Evaluate each price change by conversion rate and contribution margin, which is revenue minus the relevant variable costs, such as product, shipping, fulfillment, and payment costs.

For example, an $89 coffee grinder can appear next to a $129 bundle with a scale and a cleaning brush. Listing what the extra $40 buys makes the choice easier.

Business buyers expect volume pricing and account-specific price lists, which B2B eCommerce development adds to the catalog and checkout.

Selling on more than one channel makes it harder to keep these prices the same everywhere.

14. Sell on More Channels Where Your Customers Shop

Marketplaces and social storefronts reach buyers who may never visit your website. Each one also brings its own fees and extra work for your team.

• Use headless commerce development to connect one product catalog to the website, mobile app, and in-store screens.
• Sell on the marketplaces and social storefronts your customers already use.
• Sync pricing, inventory, and orders across channels in one order management system to avoid overselling.
• To host other sellers, add vendor accounts and commission rules through eCommerce marketplace development.
• Offer in-store pickup if the business has physical locations.
• Compare fees, margins, and customer acquisition costs for each channel before expanding.

After years of focusing on its own channels, Nike reported a 20% decline in NIKE Brand Digital revenue for fiscal 2025, which ended May 31, 2025. It has since rebuilt wholesale partnerships, including selling through Amazon in the U.S.

More channels also produce more sales data to analyze and test.

15. Use Analytics and A/B Testing to Keep Improving Sales

In an A/B test, half of your visitors see the current page and half see a changed version. Compare the results after collecting enough data to determine whether the change improved performance. Consider conversion rate, revenue, and profit rather than choosing a version based on sales volume alone.

• Track conversion rate, add-to-cart rate, average order value, and revenue per visitor every week.
• Segment results by traffic source, device, and new or returning customers.
• Test one change at a time, for at least two full weeks to cover weekday and weekend behavior.
• Review returns and profit, since a winning test can still reduce margin.
• Prioritize ideas based on expected impact, effort, and supporting evidence.

Each of these measures is defined in our guide to eCommerce metrics.

The final step is turning these strategies into a clear order of work.

How to Create an eCommerce Sales Improvement Plan

Knowing how to grow eCommerce sales is useful only when changes happen in the right order.

• Identify the largest source of lost sales using funnel data and customer feedback. When internal data is limited, eCommerce consulting services can audit the funnel and estimate the revenue impact of each issue.
• Fix critical checkout, mobile, and product page issues first, since they affect every visitor.
• Test one or two high-priority marketing improvements, for example, cart recovery emails or a starter bundle.
• Record baseline numbers for conversion rate, AOV, and revenue per visitor. Review tests weekly and slower work, like SEO, monthly.

New stores with little data should focus on complete product pages, a short checkout, and accurate tracking from launch, often set up through eCommerce implementation services.

Established retailers have enough traffic to test changes with confidence. Their most profitable gains usually come from repeat customers, higher order values, and reduced checkout abandonment, depending on their data.

In both cases, measure each change against the baseline before starting the next.

Conclusion

Online sales grow when the right people visit, find the details they need, check out without trouble, and have a reason to come back. Each strategy in this guide supports one of those steps. A faster checkout, for example, turns more of your current traffic into orders.

Let your own data decide where to start. Find the point where most shoppers leave, fix it, and compare the results with your baseline. Repeating this process gives you an answer to how to increase eCommerce sales that is tailored to your own customers.

If your store needs development work to put this plan in place, you can hire eCommerce developers from our team.

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