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Shopify UX Audit

Shopify UX Audit

Your Shopify store is leaking revenue. Not because your product is wrong. Because your store has UX problems specific to how Shopify works that a generic audit won't catch.

20 years of UX experience. ADIDAS, LEGO, ANWB. Toptal Top 3%. CXL Certified in CRO for Ecommerce Growth.

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Why Shopify stores leak conversions

Shopify is a great platform. It removes enormous amounts of technical complexity. But that simplicity comes with constraints, and those constraints create specific, repeatable UX problems that cost Shopify stores real money every day.

The Dawn theme, which powers a majority of Shopify stores, has known issues with product variant selectors when multiple options are combined. Customers click a color, the size options update, but the selected size appears available when it isn't. Add to cart. Error. Frustration. Exit.

Since Shopify introduced Checkout Extensibility, the checkout flow has become harder to customize without Shopify Plus. Standard stores are locked into a specific checkout structure that may not match how your customers want to buy. And third-party apps installed to compensate for this often inject JavaScript that conflicts with each other, slowing the page and creating errors that only appear for specific browser and device combinations.

For European stores, these problems multiply. iDEAL is used in 60-65% of all Dutch online transactions, but the default Shopify checkout buries it under credit card options. GDPR cookie consent banners layer on top of product pages and interfere with session recordings. VAT-inclusive pricing display is legally required in the EU but Shopify's default pricing behavior was built for US markets.

These aren't abstract issues. They are specific, findable, fixable problems that show up in session recordings, in GA4 funnel data, and in checkout abandonment rates.

Common Shopify UX problems we find

Variant selector confusion

Dawn theme edge cases where out-of-stock variants appear selectable. Customers hit errors at add-to-cart. High frustration, immediate exits.

App JS conflicts

Review apps, upsell apps, loyalty apps, and chat widgets all loading scripts on the same page. Result: slow load times and unpredictable behavior across devices.

iDEAL visibility in checkout

For Dutch stores, iDEAL buried under credit card options is a direct revenue problem. Over 60% of Dutch online payments use iDEAL.

GDPR consent layer blocking UX

Cookie consent banners that obscure product information, overlap with sticky add-to-cart bars, or block the checkout flow entirely on certain mobile viewports.

VAT display inconsistencies

Prices shown excluding VAT on product pages but including VAT at checkout. EU law requires inclusive pricing in B2C contexts. This mismatch erodes trust and triggers cart abandonment.

Mobile checkout field issues

Wrong keyboard types triggered for postal code fields. Address autocomplete that breaks on Dutch addresses. CTA buttons placed below the fold on smaller screens.

Slow product page loads

Too many apps loading non-essential scripts above the fold. Core Web Vitals failures that hurt both user experience and Google search rankings.

Checkout trust signal gaps

No visible security badges, missing return policy summary, no trust-building content near the payment step where anxiety peaks.

Collection page filter usability

Filter options that don't reflect actual stock, multi-select filters that clear without warning, mobile filter panels that are hard to close.

What the audit covers

Homepage and navigation

Value proposition clarity, navigation structure, category findability, and mobile menu behavior. We check whether first-time visitors can understand what you sell and find it within seconds.

Product pages

Product photography, variant selectors, size guides (where applicable), add-to-cart behavior, product descriptions, reviews placement, and cross-sell relevance. This is where most purchase decisions are made or lost.

Collection pages and filtering

Filter functionality, sorting options, product grid layout, pagination vs infinite scroll behavior, and mobile usability of filter UI.

Cart experience

Cart visibility, item summary clarity, shipping cost transparency, upsell placement, and the path from cart to checkout initiation.

Checkout flow

Full checkout audit including payment method display, form field behavior, error messages, order summary visibility, and trust signals. We specifically test iDEAL visibility and GDPR consent interaction for EU stores.

Mobile experience

Full mobile review across iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch targets, keyboard behavior, scroll behavior, sticky elements, and performance.

App conflict check

Review of installed apps and their JavaScript loading behavior. Identification of conflicts, redundancies, and performance impact.

Analytics review

GA4 funnel analysis, exit rates by page, add-to-cart rate benchmarking, checkout abandonment by step, and device segment comparison.

How it works

The process is straightforward. You get a clear deliverable, not an open-ended engagement.

1

Discovery call

30 minutes to understand your store, your current metrics, and what you've already tried. Free, no obligation.

2

Access and data review

Read-only Shopify admin access, GA4 access, and session recording access (Hotjar, Clarity, or equivalent). We review your actual data before we look at the design.

3

Full store audit

5-7 business days of structured analysis covering all sections outlined above. Shopify-specific issues are flagged with implementation notes.

4

Prioritized report and walkthrough

You receive a full written report with findings ranked by revenue impact and implementation effort. A 60-minute walkthrough call explains every finding and answers your team's questions.

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What this kind of work delivers

ANWB, the Dutch automotive and travel organization with one of the Netherlands' largest e-commerce operations, worked with us on a structured UX audit and redesign of their online store. The result: €2.8 million in annual savings through reduced support contacts, higher conversion, and lower return rates.

For ADIDAS, we worked on global e-commerce UX across multiple storefronts, identifying checkout friction points and product page issues that affected conversion across markets. For LEGO, we analyzed the product discovery and purchase flow to improve how customers found and bought sets online.

The scale of your store doesn't determine whether a UX audit is worth it. The conversion rate gap does. If your store converts at 1.5% and the benchmark for your category is 2.5%, a structured Shopify UX audit is the fastest way to close that gap.

26 client reviews. 5.0 rating. No long retainers. Just a clear deliverable that pays for itself.

"The audit gave us a clear list of exactly what to fix and in what order. We implemented the top 5 recommendations in six weeks and saw checkout completion improve significantly."

Further reading

The Complete Guide to Shopify CRO

A detailed walkthrough of conversion optimization strategies specific to Shopify stores.

 Shopify UX Audit for European Stores

EU-specific Shopify UX issues including iDEAL, VAT display, GDPR compliance, and European checkout expectations.

Find out what's holding your store back

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll look at your store together and discuss where the biggest conversion opportunities are. No pitch, no obligation.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a Shopify UX audit different from a general CRO audit?

Yes, significantly. Shopify has platform-specific constraints that affect conversion in ways a general audit won't catch. The Dawn theme has documented edge cases with product variant selectors. Checkout Extensibility limits what you can customize in the checkout flow. iDEAL payment display, GDPR cookie consent layering, and VAT-inclusive pricing are EU-specific issues that require knowing the platform deeply. A general CRO audit might recommend checkout changes that simply aren't possible in Shopify without a Shopify Plus plan.

Do you audit Shopify Plus stores?

Yes. Shopify Plus stores have more customization options in checkout, which means more to audit. We check custom checkout scripts, checkout UI extensions, B2B features, and multistore setups. Plus stores also tend to have more apps installed, which means more opportunities for JS conflicts and performance issues.

How long does a Shopify UX audit take?

Typically 5-7 business days from access to delivery. We need read-only access to your Shopify admin, GA4 or equivalent analytics, and optionally Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity session recordings. The audit report includes prioritized findings with implementation difficulty ratings so your team knows what to tackle first.

Will I need a developer to implement the fixes?

Some fixes require Liquid template editing or app configuration changes, so a developer will be needed for those. Others, like content changes, collection structure adjustments, or basic theme settings, can be done by your store manager. The report clearly separates no-code and dev-required fixes.

Can you audit a headless Shopify store?

Yes. Headless Shopify (using Hydrogen, Next.js Commerce, or other frontends) has its own set of UX issues, particularly around cart state management, page transitions, and SEO. The checkout still runs on Shopify, so Checkout Extensibility constraints still apply. Headless audits typically take slightly longer due to the additional complexity.