How Moving to Shopify Can Increase Your Conversion Rate and Average Order Value: An Evidence-Based Guide

If you’re considering migrating to Shopify, you’ve probably heard claims about better conversion rates and higher order values. How much is marketing, and how much holds up?

The honest answer: “Shopify will automatically boost your sales by X%” is too simple. But there is real evidence. A 2023 BCG and Shopify study analyzed over 1 billion data points across 220,000 sites, and the findings suggest that platform choice genuinely affects performance—when you implement it properly.

Here’s what the research actually shows, where your business might fit, and what improvements are realistic.

Understanding conversion rate and average order value

Conversion Rate (CR) is the percentage of visitors who buy something. If 100 people visit and 3 buy, that’s a 3% conversion rate.

Two types matter:

• Overall conversion rate = Total orders ÷ Total sessions
• Lower funnel conversion rate = Completed checkouts ÷ Checkouts started

The lower funnel rate is particularly useful because it measures how many people who’ve already started checkout actually finish.

Average Order Value (AOV) is the average spend per transaction. £10,000 from 200 orders = £50 AOV.

Industry benchmarks: where do you stand?

BCG and Shopify’s research found significant variation by industry:

Overall conversion rates:

• Software and Media: 3.8%
• Business and Industrial: 3.3%
• Health and Beauty: 2.9%
• Apparel and Accessories: 2.9%
• Electronics: 2.0%
• Home and Garden: 1.9%
• Furniture: 1.4%

Lower funnel conversion rates:

• Software: 54.8%
• Media: 53.0%
• Business and Industrial: 48.1%
• Health and Beauty: 44.6%
• Apparel: 45.6%
• Electronics: 43.9%
• Furniture: 39.6%

These benchmarks matter for context. A 2% conversion rate might be excellent for furniture but worrying for software.

AOV varies widely too. Shopify’s data puts global AOV around $145, but luxury and jewelry often exceed $300, while beauty and personal care averages between $15-$90.

What the research shows about platform performance

Platform choice affects results

Not all platforms deliver the same outcomes. BCG and Shopify’s research compared like-for-like samples across platforms and found that custom-built solutions often underperform despite the investment required to build and maintain them. One leading platform outperformed competitors by an average of 15% in conversion rates.

Why the gap? Modern platforms like Shopify provide:

• Continuously updated infrastructure you don’t have to maintain
• Built-in optimisations based on data from millions of transactions
• Integration with payment systems and apps
• Mobile-optimised experiences

Checkout optimisation has the biggest impact

Here’s the most compelling finding from Baymard Institute’s research: the average cart abandonment rate is 70%. Seven out of ten shoppers who add items to their cart leave without buying.

But Baymard’s usability testing found that better checkout design alone can increase conversions by up to 35%. That’s based on documented, fixable problems identified through thousands of hours of testing.

The top abandonment reasons reveal where platforms can make a difference:

• 48% abandon due to unexpected extra costs (shipping, taxes, fees)
• 26% abandon because the site required account creation
• 22% cite a checkout that’s too long or complicated
• 18% don’t trust the site with payment information

Shopify’s checkout addresses these directly:

• Transparent pricing throughout
• Guest checkout as standard
• Streamlined, mobile-optimised flow
• Trusted payment badges
• One-click payment options (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay)

How Shopify’s architecture supports better performance

1. Page speed: every second matters

Multiple studies confirm that page speed directly affects conversion. Research by Deloitte and Google found that a 0.1-second improvement in load time leads to:

• 8.4% increase in ecommerce conversion rates
• 9.2% increase in average order value
• 3.6% increase in luxury sector conversions

A Portent study showed even more dramatic effects:

• Sites loading in 1 second have conversion rates 3x higher than sites loading in 5 seconds
• Sites loading in 1 second have conversion rates 5x higher than sites loading in 10 seconds

Shopify’s hosted infrastructure provides:

• Global CDN for faster asset delivery
• Optimised code that reduces page weight
• Automatic image optimisation
• Fast, secure checkout hosted on Shopify’s servers

This matters especially for mobile users. The BCG/Shopify study found that roughly 70% of ecommerce transactions now happen on smartphones.

2. Mobile optimization

Mobile commerce accounts for 57% of global ecommerce sales, yet mobile conversion rates typically lag behind desktop—averaging 2.85% on mobile versus 3.85% on desktop.

That gap is an opportunity. The BCG/Shopify research found that while mobile shows lower conversion rates overall, the difference shrinks as AOV increases. More importantly, when sites are properly optimised for mobile, the gap narrows.

Shopify’s responsive themes and mobile-first design help by providing:

• Touch-optimised interfaces
• Simplified mobile checkout
• Mobile-native payment options (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay)
• Faster mobile page loads

3. Trust signals reduce purchase anxiety

Research shows that trust signals can improve conversion rates by up to 20%:

• 49% of consumers view the absence of trust badges as a red flag for fraud
• 31% cite credit card theft concerns as their top worry when shopping online
• 70% of online shoppers look for trust signals before completing a purchase

Shopify integrates trust signals throughout:

• SSL certificates (HTTPS) as standard
• Recognised payment provider logos
• Security badges in checkout
• Clear return policy placement
• Customer review integrations

What drives conversion rate improvements

Streamlined checkout flow

The BCG/Shopify research found that simplifying the path to checkout can increase checkouts started by up to 18.9%.

Shopify’s checkout does this through:

• ShopPay offers one account, and one sign-in to be used across multiple online stores
• Guest checkout as the default (avoiding the 26% who abandon when forced to create accounts)
• Autofill for known customer information
• Progressive disclosure (showing only relevant fields)
• Single-page checkout option

What to expect: If your current platform requires account creation before checkout or has a multi-page process with 15+ form fields, migrating to Shopify’s checkout could yield 10-20% improvement in lower funnel conversion. Sites with already-optimised checkouts will see smaller gains from this.

Accelerated payment methods

The BCG/Shopify study showed that accelerated payment methods can increase lower funnel conversion by up to 50% compared to traditional guest checkout.

Even just offering these options helps. The study found that Shop Pay’s presence in the checkout flow generates roughly 5% conversion uplift, even for customers who don’t use it—because it signals speed and trustworthiness.

Shopify natively integrates:

• Shop Pay (Shopify’s one-click solution)
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• PayPal Express
• Amazon Pay

Keep in mind: The improvement depends on your current checkout. If you already offer Apple Pay and PayPal, adding Shop Pay will provide a smaller lift than if you currently only accept card payments.

Reducing cart abandonment through design

Baymard Institute research identified specific design elements that reduce abandonment:

Remove friction:

• Don’t use CAPTCHA in checkout (reduces conversion by 15-23%)
• Avoid discount code fields that trigger “wait, I need to find a coupon” behaviour
• Make guest checkout the most prominent option
• Display security badges near payment information

What to expect: If your current site uses CAPTCHA and requires account creation, removing these barriers could improve lower funnel conversion by 20-30%. If you’re already following best practices, expect more modest gains (5-10% from platform-level optimisations)

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What drives average order value increases

Upselling and cross-selling

Shopify’s research shows that well-placed upsells and cross-sells can boost AOV, but they need to be relevant and well-timed.

The BCG/Shopify study found that:

• Carts containing 6-10 items show 21-24% higher lower funnel conversion compared to 1-2 item carts
• Larger carts have higher order values (obviously), but they also convert better—which suggests that encouraging basket building increases both AOV and CR

Shopify supports AOV growth through:

• Product recommendations on product and cart pages
• Post-purchase upsells (effective because they don’t risk disrupting the initial purchase)
• Bundle apps for creating product packages
• Volume discounts for larger quantities

What to expect: The impact varies by product type and price point. Fashion and accessories brands often see 15-25% AOV increases from effective upselling. High-consideration purchases (furniture, electronics) see more modest improvements (5-10%) because customers are more deliberate.

Free shipping thresholds

Setting a free shipping minimum just above your current AOV encourages customers to add items. Baymard Institute research shows this works well when the threshold feels attainable.

The strategy works best when:

• The threshold is 20-30% above your current average order value
• It’s prominently displayed (“£15 more for free shipping”)
• The shipping cost saved is meaningful relative to the threshold

What to expect: Well-implemented free shipping thresholds typically increase AOV by 10-15% and can also improve conversion by reducing the “unexpected shipping costs” abandonment trigger (the #1 reason at 48%).

Checkout customisation and upsells

This is where Shopify’s tiers matter. Basic upselling is available on all plans through apps, but sophisticated checkout customisation requires Shopify Plus (the enterprise tier).

The BCG/Shopify research found that checkout customisation shows greater impact for higher-revenue stores:

• Stores under £50,000 revenue: Minimal measurable impact
• Stores with £1-10 million revenue: 2% improvement
• Stores over £10 million revenue: 6% improvement in lower funnel conversion

Checkout customisation enables:

• Post-purchase upsells (effective because they don’t disrupt the sale)
• Product recommendations in checkout
• Dynamic shipping upsells
• Gift options and add-ons

A note on pricing: These advanced checkout features require upgrading to Shopify Plus (starting at £1,800/month). That said, many businesses achieve significant AOV improvements using apps and pre-checkout upsells available on all plans.

Setting realistic expectations

What your business sees will depend on several factors:

Factor 1: Current site condition

Factor 2: Product type and price point

Low-consideration, repeat-purchase products (beauty, supplements, fashion basics):

• Stronger impact from AOV optimisation (15-25% improvements more common)
• Conversion improvements from speed and mobile optimisation particularly valuable
• Post-purchase upsells work well

High-consideration, expensive products (furniture, electronics, luxury items):

• More modest AOV improvements (5-10%)
• Conversion improvements come primarily from trust signals and information clarity
• Longer customer journey means technical performance matters more

Digital products and subscriptions:

• Among the highest beneficiaries of platform optimisation
• Can see 30-50% improvements when moving from a poor platform
• Checkout speed and payment options are particularly important

Factor 3: Current revenue and traffic

The BCG/Shopify research showed clear patterns:

Revenue impact on features:

• Smaller stores (under £50,000 revenue): Focus on core platform features, not advanced customisation
• Mid-size stores (£50,000-£1 million): Maximum benefit from standard Shopify features
• Large stores (£1-10 million): Start seeing value from advanced features
• Enterprise (over £10 million): Checkout customisation and Plus features show strongest ROI

Traffic volume impact:

• Higher traffic stores see conversion gains compound into larger revenue increases
• Lower traffic stores should prioritise conversion over AOV initially
• Very low traffic (under 1,000 monthly visits): Platform migration alone won’t solve fundamental traffic or market problems

Important considerations

Improvements aren’t automatic

Platform migration provides the foundation for improvements, not automatic results. You’ll still need to:

• Configure your store properly
• Choose and install appropriate apps
• Test and optimise checkout flows
• Create compelling product pages
• Build trust through reviews and clear policies

Think of Shopify as providing a high-performance vehicle. You still need to drive it well.

Some features require Shopify Plus

Be clear about which features require the enterprise tier:

Requires Shopify Plus:

• Checkout customisation (upsells, custom fields)
• Checkout scripts for complex logic
• Launchpad for scheduled events
• B2B commerce features
• Multiple stores from one admin

Available on all plans:

• Shopify Payments and alternative gateways
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Discount codes and automatic discounts
• Product recommendations (via apps)
• Basic checkout flow
• 100+ payment gateways

Workarounds on standard plans: Many “Plus-only” features can be partially replicated through apps, though with some limitations. For example, post-purchase upsells can be achieved through apps like ReConvert or Zipify OCU on standard plans.

Implementation quality matters

A rushed, poorly executed migration can actually hurt performance. What matters:

• Theme selection: Choose a fast, well-coded theme optimised for conversion
• Image optimisation: Compress and properly size all images
• App selection: Every app adds code; choose carefully
• Data migration: Ensure customer data, order history, and URLs migrate cleanly
• Testing: Thoroughly test checkout flow, payment processing, and mobile experience

Poor implementation can negate the platform’s advantages.

Timeline for results

Don’t expect overnight transformation. Typical timeline:

• Weeks 1-4: Initial setup and migration
• Months 2-3: Optimisation and testing; initial improvements visible
• Months 4-6: Settled performance; stable baseline established
• Ongoing: Continuous testing and optimisation for incremental gains

The BCG/Shopify research also found that store maturity matters—sites that have been operational for 2-5 years show optimal performance, suggesting that time to learn and optimise the platform matters.

What the data shows in context

Some findings from the BCG/Shopify research across 220,000+ stores:

On page speed:

• Sites with time to interactive under 3.8 seconds show 15% higher overall conversion than slower sites
• Mobile users are particularly sensitive—even 1-second delays significantly affect conversion

On payment methods:

• Stores offering accelerated checkout see 12-50% higher lower funnel conversion (varying by AOV)
• Shop Pay availability alone provides roughly 5% lift even when not used

On checkout complexity:

• Average checkout has 23.48 form elements
• Ideal checkout can function with as few as 12-14 elements
• 22% of customers abandon due to “too long/complicated” checkout

On mobile:

• 70% of ecommerce traffic now comes from mobile devices
• Desktop still converts 23% higher on average
• The gap is closing as mobile experience improves

These findings show that while Shopify provides solid infrastructure, your specific results depend on how well you implement and optimize the platform for your business.

Conclusion

Moving to Shopify can increase both conversion rates and average order values, but the size of improvement depends on:

1. Where you’re starting from: Bigger gaps in current performance mean bigger potential improvement
2. Your product and industry: Some categories benefit more than others
3. Implementation quality: Proper setup and optimisation are essential
4. Ongoing work: Migration is just the beginning

What the evidence suggests:

• Businesses migrating from underperforming platforms can see 25-40% conversion rate improvements
• Those moving from functional but unoptimised platforms typically see 10-20% gains
• AOV improvements of 10-25% are achievable through upselling and free shipping thresholds
• Results typically materialise over 3-6 months, not overnight

Platform selection matters, and modern platforms like Shopify provide architectural advantages that translate to measurable business outcomes. But success requires more than migration—it demands thoughtful implementation, ongoing optimisation, and realistic expectations for your specific situation.

Migration is an investment. Done properly, with realistic expectations, the evidence suggests it can deliver meaningful improvements to your bottom line.

Want to explore how your business might benefit from a Shopify migration? Get in touch to discuss your current site’s performance and what realistic improvements might look like for you.

Sources and further reading

• BCG & Shopify: Leading Online Shoppers to the Finish Line (2023) – Analysis of 1 billion+ data points across 220,000 ecommerce sites
• Baymard Institute: Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics – Checkout usability research
• Shopify: Average Order Value Guide – AOV strategies and industry benchmarks
• Deloitte/Google: Page Speed Research – Impact of load times on conversion
• Portent: Site Speed Impact Study – Analysis of 27,000+ landing pages
• Baymard Institute: Checkout UX Best Practices – Checkout design guidelines