What design choices actually drive sales when redesigning an e-commerce site?

Agencies usually aim for work that wins design awards, but as a merchant, you only care about revenue. When briefing the agency, don't define success as a 'modern look'—set measurable targets like 'mobile load time under 2 seconds' and 'reduced cart abandonment.' If a design doesn't serve those metrics, it's just an expensive digital painting.

Definitely write a mobile-first design clause into the contract. Review design approvals right on your phone, not on a desktop monitor. Smooth swipe galleries for product photos, text you can read without zooming, and form fields that trigger the right keyboard on tap will directly impact sales.

We went through a similar revamp with our home textiles store last year. We ditched the homepage sliders, added a sticky buy button on mobile, and implemented one-page checkout. Our conversion rate climbed from 1.2% to 2.1%. The jump in revenue paid off the 6,000 GBP agency fee within three months.

definitely skip the video stuff imo. we put one on our homepage once phones lagged so bad people bounced before it even loaded, took it down right away. fast-loading sites with clean photos always sell better.

Thinking a redesign alone will fix your conversion issues can be misleading. If your product pricing, shipping rates, or descriptions are lacking, even the prettiest UI on earth won't move the needle. Before committing 8,500 GBP to an agency have you run heatmaps to see where users currently get stuck or drop off before buying?

How much of your current 15,000 visitors are on mobile? If it's over 70%, don't even waste your breath on the desktop layout. Also, what's your average order value? Did you plan cross-sells or complementary product bundles in the design to bump up basket sizes?

Two years ago we paid top dollar to a designer for a super edgy, asymmetrical grid layout. Our friends loved it, but older customers couldn't figure out how to add plates to their cart, and sales dropped by half in the first month. We had to roll everything back to standard, conventional e-commerce patterns. Best not to break familiar shopping habits.

The consensus is clear: Avoid heavy videos, focus on mobile speed and a sticky add-to-cart button, make guest checkout standard, and hold the agency to speed and conversion metrics rather than just pretty visuals.

I'd appreciate it if you shared the outcome.

I felt relieved reading this answer so it's not just me. honestly merge instead of deleting; deleted content doesn't come back.

If you dont write this down from the start it leads to arguments later... Proven by experience.

Three different views emerged, they all complement each other. When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Saved. A page with low traffic might be reaching the right people. Look at where sales come from.

Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later. Proven by experience.

Thanks a lot, I'll try it today.

i'll argue the opposite, don't get mad. discussign numbers without verifying the measurement setup is a waste of time.

this is my opinion I'm not claimng it's absolute truth.

I'll try it.

Great work. The harder it is to reverse a decision, the slower you should make it.

This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

Quick summary for newcomers: Ranking is the result, search intent is the input. Look at intent first.

Internal linking is the cheapest and most neglected task. If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

I disagree with you on this point. Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Good luck with that.