You have a PrestaShop store, you're getting traffic, but sales aren't growing as they should? The problem usually isn't a lack of visitors — something is stopping them from clicking "Buy now". Here are proven ways to increase your conversion rate.
1. Speed Up Your Store
Speed is fundamental. Google research shows that 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load. In PrestaShop you can improve this by:
- Enabling cache (Performance → CCC in the admin panel)
- Compressing and combining CSS/JS files
- Optimising images — use WebP format
- Choosing fast hosting (VPS instead of cheap shared hosting)
- Using a CDN for static assets
2. Simplify the Checkout Process
Every extra step in the purchase process is a place where a customer can drop off. The gold standard is checkout in 3 steps: cart → details → payment.
- Enable guest checkout (no registration required)
- Reduce required form fields to the minimum
- Add more payment methods (PayPal, cards, local options)
- Show a progress bar during checkout
- Don't hide shipping costs — show them early
3. Optimise Your Product Pages
A product page is your "salesperson on the internet". It needs to convince customers without them being able to touch the product.
- Images — at least 4–6 high-quality photos with zoom
- Description — not just "what it is", but "why buy it"
- Reviews — customers trust other customers more than product descriptions
- Stock urgency — "Only 3 left in stock!" triggers scarcity
- CTA — the "Add to cart" button must be visible without scrolling
4. Recover Abandoned Carts
Statistically, 70% of carts are abandoned. That's a huge loss you can recover:
- Abandoned cart reminder module (email after 1h, 24h, 72h)
- Exit-intent popup with a discount when the user tries to leave
- Retargeting via Google Ads or Meta Ads
5. Build Trust
A customer who doesn't know your store needs to trust you first. Help them:
- SSL certificate (padlock in the address bar) — absolute minimum
- Clear returns policy information
- Company details visible in the footer (VAT number, address, phone)
- Google or Trustpilot reviews
- Payment security badges (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal)
6. Optimise for Mobile
More than half of online purchases happen on smartphones. Check that on mobile:
- Buttons are large enough to tap (min. 44px)
- Product images load quickly
- The checkout form is easy to fill in
- Navigation is intuitive and doesn't cover content
7. SEO for Products and Categories
Customers need to find you first. In PrestaShop ensure:
- Unique meta titles and descriptions for each category and product
- Friendly URLs (e.g. /sports-shoes/ instead of /id=123)
- Alt attributes for all product images
- Schema.org Product markup (ratings, prices in Google results)
- Internal linking between related products
Increasing your conversion rate by 1% with 1,000 daily visitors means 10 extra orders — every single day.
Where to Start?
Don't try to do everything at once. Start with a speed audit (PageSpeed Insights) and simplifying checkout — these typically give the fastest results with the least effort.