Shopify CRO Checklist: How to Increase Conversion Rate [68,903-Store Study]

TL;DR: We analyzed 68,903 Shopify stores to find what actually drives conversions. Key findings: 40% of mid-tier stores (50K-200K visitors) have no email marketing app. 67% have no reviews app. Only 0.9% use the full CRO stack (Klaviyo + Gorgias + Rebuy). High-traffic stores (1M+) average 3.2 apps vs 1.8 for smaller stores. Use this checklist to audit any store and find the gaps that matter.

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You've seen a hundred CRO checklists. They all say the same things:

• "Improve your page speed"
• "Add social proof"
• "Optimize your checkout"

That's not a checklist. That's a list of things everyone already knows. The problem isn't knowing what to do. The problem is knowing what matters for your store and whether you're behind or ahead of the curve.

Here's what those checklists are missing: benchmarks.

How do you know if having 2 apps installed is good or bad? How do you know if your email capture rate is competitive? How do you know if your store is missing something that 80% of successful stores have figured out?

You don't. Unless you have data.

We analyzed 68,903 Shopify stores to answer these questions. This guide gives you real benchmarks to compare against, organized by traffic tier and category. When you audit a store (yours, a client's, or a competitor's), you'll know exactly where it stands.

What this guide covers: The apps, pixels, and patterns that correlate with higher traffic and engagement. What high-converting stores have that others don't. And a prioritized checklist so you know what to fix first.

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How We Did This

Sample: 68,903 Shopify stores in the StoreInspect database

Categories: Fashion (17,802), Home & Garden (8,939), Food & Beverage (8,576), Beauty (6,192), Jewelry (5,219), Health & Wellness (3,752), and 10 more verticals

Traffic tiers:

• Under 50k monthly visitors: 29,031 stores
• 50k-200k: 8,547 stores
• 200k-1M: 29,768 stores
• 1M-5M: 741 stores
• 5M-20M: 760 stores

What we measured: Apps (detected via script patterns), tracking pixels, themes, Shopify Plus status, and category.

Methodology: We use browser-based detection to identify apps and pixels from public-facing JavaScript. This captures what's actually running on stores, not what merchants self-report.

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The Benchmarks That Actually Matter

Before diving into the checklist, here's what the data shows about store sophistication by traffic tier.

Average App Count by Traffic Tier

Key insight: High-traffic stores use nearly twice as many apps as smaller stores (3.2 vs 1.8). This isn't because apps cause traffic. It's because successful stores invest in optimization tools.

The 50K-200K tier shows the highest app density relative to size (2.5 apps). This is the "scaling" tier where stores are actively investing in CRO before they hit the big leagues.

What's the Actual Average Shopify Conversion Rate?

Based on industry data and our store analysis:

Where you stand:

• Under 1%: You have a significant problem. Focus on traffic quality or major UX issues.
• 1-2%: Average. Room for improvement with the tactics in this guide.
• 2-3%: Good. You're above average. Focus on incremental gains.
• 3%+: Excellent. You're in the top 20%. Optimize for AOV and retention.

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The CRO Gap: What Stores Are Missing

This is where the data gets interesting. We looked at what apps stores don't have and found massive gaps.

Missing App Opportunities by Traffic Tier

The shocking findings:

1. 40% of mid-tier stores have no email marketing app. These are stores with 50K-200K monthly visitors. Proven traffic, but they're leaving the highest-ROI channel untouched. Email marketing averages $36-42 for every $1 spent.

2. 67-77% of stores have no reviews app. Reviews can increase conversions by 270% or more. Yet only 23-37% of stores use them.

3. 98% of stores have no upsell app. Increasing average order value (AOV) is one of the fastest ways to improve revenue, but almost no one is doing it systematically.

4. Even at 1M+ traffic, 37% have no email app. These are established stores leaving significant money on the table.

For agencies: This data is your prospecting goldmine. Filter for stores without email apps at 10k+ traffic. They clearly have budget (proven by traffic) and obvious gaps you can fill.

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The Shopify CRO Checklist

Organized by category, with benchmark data so you know what "good" looks like.

1. Email Marketing (The #1 ROI Lever)

Benchmark: 41-63% of stores have an email app, depending on traffic tier. High-traffic stores are 1.5x more likely to have email marketing.

Checklist:

• Email capture is active — Popup app, embedded form, or exit intent (only 5% of stores run a dedicated popup app)
• Welcome flow is set up — New subscribers get immediate value
• Abandoned cart flow exists — Recover 5-15% of lost carts
• Post-purchase flow exists — Drive reviews and repeat purchases
• Browse abandonment flow exists — Re-engage window shoppers
• List is segmented — Different messages for different customers
• SMS is considered — 98% open rates vs 20% for email

Traffic tier benchmarks:

Quick win: If you don't have email marketing, Klaviyo is the most common choice for scaling stores (23.5% adoption). Mailchimp works for beginners but most stores graduate to Klaviyo as they grow.

Related: How to Get Shopify Store Owner Emails | Best Shopify Popup Apps [191,742-Store Study]

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2. Reviews & Social Proof

Benchmark: Only 23-37% of stores have a reviews app. This is the most overlooked CRO tactic in our dataset.

Checklist:

• Product reviews are displayed — On every product page
• Review collection is automated — Post-purchase email requests
• Photo/video reviews are enabled — 2x more persuasive than text
• Review schema is implemented — Stars appear in Google search
• Negative reviews are addressed — Shows authenticity
• Reviews are syndicated — Same reviews on Google Shopping

Category benchmarks:

Key insight: Beauty stores are 1.7x more likely to use reviews than Hobby stores. If you're in a low-adoption category, adding reviews gives you a competitive edge.

Quick win: Judge.me leads because of its free tier and solid functionality. Yotpo is more common in larger stores with complex needs.

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3. Customer Support

Benchmark: Only 6-23% of stores have a support app. This gap widens as you go down in traffic.

Checklist:

• Live chat is available — Visitors can get immediate answers
• FAQ page exists — Reduces support load
• Contact information is visible — Phone, email, or chat in header/footer
• Order tracking is self-service — Reduces "where is my order" tickets
• Returns are easy to initiate — Clear policy and process
• Support hours are stated — Set expectations

Traffic tier benchmarks:

Key insight: High-traffic stores are 4x more likely to have support apps than small stores. This isn't just about handling more tickets. It's about reducing friction that kills conversions.

Quick win: Gorgias is the direct-to-consumer (DTC) favorite because it integrates Shopify data directly (order lookup, refunds in the inbox). Tidio is a solid budget option.

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4. Upsells & Cross-sells

Benchmark: Only 2-10% of stores have an upsell app. This is the biggest missed opportunity for increasing AOV.

Checklist:

• Product recommendations exist — "You may also like" or "Customers also bought"
• Cart upsells are active — Add-ons suggested before checkout
• Post-purchase upsells exist — One-click offers after order
• Bundle offers are available — "Buy 2, get 10% off"
• Free shipping threshold is set — Encourages larger orders
• Frequently bought together is shown — On product pages

Traffic tier benchmarks:

Key insight: Even among 1M+ stores, only 10% have dedicated upsell apps. If you're not doing upsells, you're in the 90%. That's not a good thing.

Quick win: Start with Shopify's native product recommendations. Upgrade to Rebuy when you're ready for AI-powered personalization and post-purchase offers. See our full upsell app comparison for the complete breakdown by adoption, niche, and traffic tier.

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5. Tracking & Analytics Pixels

Benchmark: 77.9% of stores have Google Analytics 4. Only 12.6% have TikTok Pixel.

Checklist:

• Google Analytics 4 is installed — Basic traffic analysis
• Google Tag Manager is set up — Flexible pixel management
• Meta Pixel is installed — If running Facebook/Instagram ads
• Conversion events are tracked — Add to cart, checkout, purchase
• Enhanced ecommerce is enabled — Product-level data in GA4
• TikTok Pixel is considered — 87% of stores are missing this channel
• Heatmaps are used — Microsoft Clarity (free) or Hotjar

Pixel adoption by traffic tier:

Key insight: TikTok Pixel adoption is 2.5x higher for 1M+ stores (25%) vs small stores (10%). High-traffic stores are diversifying their ad channels while smaller stores are stuck on Meta-only strategies.

Quick win: Install Microsoft Clarity (free). It gives you heatmaps and session recordings without the Hotjar price tag.

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6. Theme & Performance

Benchmark: High-traffic stores are 1.4x more likely to use custom themes than small stores.

Checklist:

• Core Web Vitals pass — LCP under 2.5s, CLS under 0.1, FID under 100ms
• Mobile performance is optimized — 60%+ of traffic is mobile
• Images are optimized — WebP format, lazy loading
• Theme is not bloated — Unused apps removed, code cleaned
• Above-the-fold loads fast — Critical content visible in under 1 second
• No render-blocking resources — JS/CSS deferred appropriately

Key insight: The 50K-200K tier shows the highest paid theme adoption (49.5%). Stores at this level invest in brand before going custom. It's a smart middle ground.

When to upgrade from free:

• You're above 10K monthly visitors
• You need customization your current theme can't support
• Your bounce rate is above 50%
• Page speed scores are below 50 on mobile

Browse paid options in the Shopify Theme Store.

Related: How to Detect What Shopify Theme a Store Is Using

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7. Loyalty & Retention

Benchmark: 7-16% of stores have a loyalty app, increasing with traffic.

Checklist:

• Points program exists — Reward purchases, reviews, referrals
• VIP tiers are defined — Bronze/Silver/Gold or similar
• Referral program is active — Customers recruit customers
• Points are easy to redeem — Clear value, simple process
• Program is promoted — Visible on site, in emails

Traffic tier benchmarks:

When to add loyalty:

• You have repeat purchase potential (consumables, fashion)
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is rising and you need to maximize lifetime value (LTV)
• You're above 50K monthly visitors

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What High-Converting Stores Do Differently

We looked at app combinations to identify patterns among sophisticated stores.

Common CRO Stack Patterns

The Premium CRO Stack (0.9% of stores):

Only 545 stores out of 68,903 use the combination of:

• Klaviyo for email/SMS
• Gorgias for support
• Rebuy for upsells

This 0.9% represents the most sophisticated operators. They're investing in all three legs of the CRO stool: customer retention (email), trust and friction reduction (support), and revenue optimization (upsells).

The Scaling Stack (5% of stores):

Klaviyo + Gorgias is more common (2,912 stores, 5%). These stores have figured out that email without support leaves gaps. Customers have questions, and if you can't answer them, you lose the sale.

The Baseline Stack (17.4% of stores):

Klaviyo + Reviews (any review app) is the most common combination. This is the minimum viable CRO stack: email to capture and nurture, reviews to convert.

If you're not in the 17.4%, you're behind the baseline. Start with Klaviyo + Judge.me.

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CRO Priorities by Traffic Tier

Based on the data, here's what to prioritize at each stage:

Under 50K Monthly Visitors

Your gaps: 59.5% have no email, 77.1% have no reviews

Priority order:

1. Email marketing — Klaviyo free tier or Omnisend
2. Reviews — Judge.me free tier
3. Basic analytics — Google Analytics 4 + Microsoft Clarity (both free)
4. Theme upgrade — If still on Dawn or Debut

Don't bother with yet:

• Expensive support tools (use email for now)
• Advanced upsell apps (native recommendations work)
• Loyalty programs (not enough repeat customers)

50K-200K Monthly Visitors

Your gaps: 40% have no email, 67.4% have no reviews, 86.8% have no support

Priority order:

1. Upgrade email — Paid Klaviyo tier, add SMS
2. Add reviews — Photo reviews, automated collection
3. Add support — Gorgias or Tidio
4. Pixel expansion — Add TikTok Pixel if not present (only 18% have it)

Consider:

• Cart upsells (free shipping threshold, bundles)
• Paid theme upgrade
• Basic loyalty program

200K-1M Monthly Visitors

Your gaps: 46.6% have no email, 71% have no reviews, 90.5% have no support

Priority order:

1. Full email automation — Advanced flows, segmentation
2. Dedicated support — Integrated with Shopify data
3. Upsell program — Rebuy or similar
4. Review optimization — Syndication, user-generated content (UGC) gallery

Consider:

• Loyalty program
• A/B testing tools
• Personalization

1M+ Monthly Visitors

Your gaps: 36.6% have no email (yes, really), 63% have no reviews

Priority order:

1. Close the basics — If you're in the 37% without email, fix it now
2. Advanced personalization — AI-powered recommendations
3. Full upsell suite — Pre-cart, in-cart, post-purchase
4. Attribution tools — Triple Whale or similar

Invest in:

• Custom theme development
• Advanced analytics (BI tools)
• Server-side tracking

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Quick Wins vs. Long-Term Investments

Quick Wins (Implement This Week)

Medium-Term (This Month)

Long-Term Investments (This Quarter)

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CRO by Category: Where Your Industry Stands

Email & Reviews Adoption by Category

What this means:

• Beauty leads — 60% email adoption, 42% reviews. If you're in Beauty without both, you're behind.
• Hobby lags — Only 36% email, 18% reviews. Massive opportunity for differentiation.
• Fashion is competitive — 51.5% email adoption means you need email just to keep up.
• Food & Beverage — 53% email but only 26% reviews. Reviews matter for consumables.

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FAQ

What is a good Shopify conversion rate?

The average Shopify conversion rate is 1.4%. A good rate is 3.2% or higher, which puts you in the top 20%. The top 10% of stores convert at 4.7%+. This varies by industry. Beauty and Food stores typically convert higher than Fashion and Electronics.

Why is my Shopify conversion rate low?

Based on our data, the most common reasons are:

1. Missing email marketing (40-60% of stores)
2. No reviews or social proof (67-77% of stores)
3. Poor mobile experience (60%+ of traffic is mobile)
4. Slow page speed (directly impacts bounce rate)
5. Traffic quality issues (wrong audience from ads)

Use the checklist above to audit your store and identify gaps.

What apps do high-traffic Shopify stores use?

Stores with 1M+ monthly visitors average 3.2 apps vs 1.8 for smaller stores. The most common apps among high-traffic stores are:

• Klaviyo (23.5%) — Email marketing
• Judge.me (12.4%) — Reviews
• Gorgias (4.8%) — Customer support
• Smile.io (5.9%) — Loyalty
• Rebuy (2.0%) — Upsells

The "premium CRO stack" (Klaviyo + Gorgias + Rebuy) is used by only 0.9% of stores.

How many apps should a Shopify store have?

Based on our data:

• Under 50K visitors: 1-2 apps is typical
• 50K-200K visitors: 2-3 apps is typical
• 200K-1M visitors: 2-3 apps is typical
• 1M+ visitors: 3-4 apps is typical

Quality matters more than quantity. Having the right apps (email, reviews, support) is more important than having many apps. Too many apps can slow your store and cause conflicts.

What percentage of stores use Klaviyo?

23.5% of stores in our database use Klaviyo, making it the #1 email marketing app for Shopify. Adoption is higher among mid-to-large stores. Among stores with 50K-200K traffic, email marketing adoption is 60%, with Klaviyo being the most common choice.

Should I use a free or paid Shopify theme?

Based on our data:

• 36.7% of small stores (Under 50K) use free themes
• 25.1% of 5M+ stores use free themes
• 49.5% of scaling stores (50K-200K) use paid themes

Paid themes become the norm as stores scale. If you're above 10K monthly visitors and still on Dawn or Debut, consider upgrading. The 50K-200K tier shows the highest paid theme adoption. Stores invest in brand before going custom.

What tracking pixels should I install?

At minimum, install:

• Google Analytics 4 (77.9% adoption)
• Google Tag Manager (62.3% adoption)
• Meta Pixel (53.4% adoption) — if running Facebook/Instagram ads

Consider adding:

• TikTok Pixel (only 12.6% adoption) — 87% of stores are missing this channel
• Microsoft Clarity (8.8% adoption) — free heatmaps and session recordings
• Klaviyo pixel (24.1% adoption) — if using Klaviyo for email

How do I know if a store is using specific apps?

Use the free Store Inspector extension to detect apps, themes, and pixels on any Shopify store. Or use StoreInspect to browse thousands of stores by app, category, and traffic tier.

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How to Use This Checklist

For Your Own Store

1. Audit your current stack — What apps do you have? What's missing?
2. Compare to benchmarks — Are you above or below average for your tier?
3. Prioritize gaps — Email and reviews first, then support and upsells
4. Set implementation timeline — Quick wins this week, bigger projects this month
5. Measure results — Track conversion rate, AOV, and email revenue

For Client Stores (Agencies)

1. Run a quick audit — Use Store Inspector to detect their stack
2. Identify gaps against benchmarks — Show them where they're behind
3. Quantify the opportunity — "40% of stores your size have email, you don't"
4. Propose solutions — Specific apps and implementation plans
5. Track improvement — Measure lift to prove ROI

For Competitor Research

1. Analyze their stack — What are they using that you're not?
2. Identify their advantages — Are they ahead on email? Reviews?
3. Find their gaps — What are they missing that you can exploit?
4. Learn from their choices — Why did they choose Klaviyo over Mailchimp?

Related: How to Analyze Shopify Competitors

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Summary: The CRO Checklist

The Baseline (do these first):

• Email marketing app installed (Klaviyo or similar)
• Reviews app installed (Judge.me or similar)
• Google Analytics 4 and Tag Manager set up
• Meta Pixel installed (if running paid ads)
• Core Web Vitals passing

The Scaling Stack (50K+ visitors):

• Paid email tier with automation
• Photo review collection
• Live chat or support app
• TikTok Pixel installed
• Paid theme or custom development

The Premium Stack (200K+ visitors):

• Full email automation (browse abandonment, win-back, etc.)
• Upsell/cross-sell app
• Loyalty program
• Advanced analytics
• A/B testing program

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Audit Any Store Instantly

Free option: Install the Store Inspector extension to analyze any Shopify store's apps, theme, and pixels.

Full database: Use StoreInspect to search 68,000+ stores by category, traffic tier, and tech stack. Filter for stores using specific apps, or stores missing them.

Browse Top Stores by Category → | Get the Free Extension →

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Related guides:

• How to Audit a Shopify Store [40,928-Store Study]
• What Apps Do Top Shopify Stores Use? [500-Store Analysis]
• How to Detect What Shopify Theme a Store Is Using
• How to Analyze Shopify Competitors
• How to Qualify Shopify Leads [Agency Playbook]