Why Most Shopify Stores Are Losing Revenue

 

You can also listen on: 
Apple Podcasts | Spotify

 

More traffic doesn’t automatically mean more revenue.

In fact, many Shopify brands are leaking sales because of poor UX, confusing product pages, weak customer journeys, and an over obsession with conversion rate alone.

In this episode of Winning With Shopify, Nick Truman sat down with Adam Pearce, CEO and Co-Founder of Blend Commerce, to unpack the CRO strategies top ecommerce brands use to improve revenue per session, customer lifetime value, and long-term profitability.

Conversion Rate Isn’t the Goal

One of the biggest takeaways from the episode was simple:

Conversion rate alone is not the metric that matters most.

Adam explained that brands often focus too heavily on increasing conversion percentage while ignoring the bigger picture:

Revenue
Average order value
Retention
Customer lifetime value (LTV)

A higher conversion rate doesn’t always mean a healthier business.

Sometimes brands accidentally optimise for lower-value purchases, reducing profitability in the process.

The Real Goal: Revenue Per Session

Instead of obsessing over conversion rate, Blend Commerce focuses heavily on revenue per session.

This metric looks at how much revenue each visitor generates overall, creating a much clearer picture of business performance.

The framework Adam uses focuses on three key questions:

Do customers buy now?
Do customers buy more?
Do customers buy again?

That’s where real ecommerce growth happens.

Why CRO Fails in Most Businesses

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was around founder psychology.

Many founders become emotionally attached to how their website looks.

But great CRO isn’t about aesthetics alone. It’s about helping customers move through the buying journey as smoothly as possible.

Adam explained that some brands prioritise:

Beautiful design
Trendy layouts
Copying competitors

Instead of focusing on what customers actually need.

That disconnect often hurts revenue.

The Problem with “Beautiful” Ecommerce Sites

A website can look incredible and still perform badly.

The best-performing ecommerce stores are often the clearest and easiest to navigate — not necessarily the most visually complex.

Customers need:

Clear information
Easy navigation
Visible payment options
Strong filtering systems
Simple product education

When shoppers feel confused or overwhelmed, conversions drop quickly.

Why Product Pages Matter So Much

The product page is where many brands lose customers.

Adam shared examples of businesses hiding important information inside tabs, dropdowns, or difficult-to-find sections.

Customers shouldn’t have to work hard to understand:

Shipping
Sizing
Ingredients
Dimensions
Payment methods
Returns

The easier it is to understand the product, the easier it is to buy.

Heatmaps, Search Data & Customer Behaviour

One of the strongest CRO tools isn’t guesswork — it’s customer data.

Heatmaps and onsite search behaviour reveal exactly what customers are struggling to find.

For example, if customers constantly search for “ingredients” or “size guide,” that’s a signal the information isn’t visible enough.

The answers are often already hidden inside the data.

Why LTV Should Be Your North Star

Another major topic was customer lifetime value.

For subscription brands especially, LTV matters far more than one-time conversions.

Brands that understand retention and repeat purchases can spend more aggressively on customer acquisition because they understand the long-term value of each customer.

This changes how businesses think about:

Paid ads
Email marketing
Retention
Subscriptions
Customer onboarding

The Hidden Opportunity After Purchase

One of the most overlooked growth opportunities happens after someone checks out.

Adam and Nick discussed how brands should use the delivery window to educate customers and improve product adoption.

Most brands disappear after the sale.

But smart brands use that time to:

Teach customers how to use the product
Improve onboarding
Set expectations
Reduce returns
Increase repeat purchases

That post-purchase experience directly impacts retention.

Brands Doing CRO Well

Adam highlighted brands like:

Stubble & Co
Dr. Squatch
Amazon

These businesses understand that CRO isn’t a one-time redesign project.

It’s an ongoing process of:

Testing
Learning
Optimising
Adapting to customer behaviour

That mindset is what separates good ecommerce brands from great ones.

The Takeaway

The best Shopify brands don’t just focus on getting more traffic.

They focus on getting more value from the traffic they already have.

That means improving:

UX
Product pages
Retention
Customer education
LTV
Revenue per session

Because sustainable growth doesn’t come from chasing vanity metrics.

It comes from building a better customer journey.

 

Check out the full podcast here.
This episode was brought to you by Nick Trueman, Director of PPC & SEO Agency, Spec Digital.