10 Genius Shopify Hacks to Elevate Your Ecommerce Game

No matter what kind of products you sell, there's no need for complex coding know-how or an ingenious tech background to take your e-Commerce business from good to great. With the right tools and some Shopify hacks, you can supercharge your online shop.

From setting up analytics and retargeting to SEO and pricing experiments, all these 10 Shopify tips will drive more customers through your virtual doors, leaving everyone happy after every transaction. Without further ado, let's dive right in.

1. Set up Google Analytics to track the store's performance

Setting Google Analytics up and using it can be the difference between an average eCommerce store and an outstanding one. It allows accurate data tracking to monitor customer flows and optimize your online store accordingly.

With Google Analytics, you'll get an in-depth look at how customers interact with your store. Like which pages they tend to view and what kind of products/collections generate more clicks—all the way down to full checkout rates. Once set up, you'll have access to data that'll help you hone in on areas of e-Commerce growth and profitability.

For example, do customers leave after browsing for a few seconds? That could indicate something is going on, and you can use this information to address the issue.

Check out this video on how to set up GA4 for Shopify with Google Search Console:

Note that on July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics properties will go away. That's why we recommend you to be familiar with Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

2. Upsell/cross-sell relevant related products

Have you ever heard of up-selling and cross-selling? Up-selling is convincing customers to buy more expensive or upgraded versions of products. Whereas cross-selling is when you encourage customers to buy extra, related products. Both strategies aim to make more money for the Shopify store while giving online shoppers a better experience. To grow your business online, you can use powerful Shopify auto discount apps, they will help you to streamline the process of upselling and cross-selling.

Unlocking the power of cross-selling and category-penetration techniques can drive sales by 20% and profits by an impressive 30% (McKinsey).

Imagine a restaurant. Upselling could look like offering onion rings instead of fries as a side dish. Or, at a clothing store, it might be suggesting an upgrade to a high-end brand when the customer is looking at mid-range options. Cross-selling is different. Like selling movie tickets with popcorn or adding a warranty when buying electronics. 

Here are some Shopify tips to use with the upselling and cross-selling app, EasyGift:

• Offer bundle discounts to entice customers to buy multiple related items at a lower cost. It's an effective way to cross-sell complementary products and boost sales.
• Use automated upsells by adding "addons" after customers select their desired item (before checking out).
• Leverage customer data to suggest products tailored to users' interests or needs. You can do this with personalized emails, retargeting ads, or even upsell notifications.

Learn more about upselling and cross-selling: Upselling vs. Cross-Selling: The Ultimate Guide.

3. Execute a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign

SEO efforts allow your online store product/collection pages and blog to gain better rankings on search engines, thus making it easier for customers to find and purchase your products online. And at least 43% of all eCommerce traffic comes from Google's organic search.

A lot of factors come into play when implementing SEO:

• Keyword research – Finding relevant keywords people use to search for your products.
• Information architecture – Structuring your site in an easy-to-navigate way for visitors.
• On-page SEO – Optimizing pages with keyword-rich text and visual content.
• Off-page SEO – Increasing presence with backlinks from other sites and social media.
• Content marketing – Creating quality content like blog posts to attract your audience. To learn more about eCommerce blogging read our article Ecommerce Blogging: The Essentials Every Shopify Seller Needs to Know.
• Link building – Building relationships with other sites to get links to yours.
• Technical SEO – Adjusting page speed, URLs, schema markup, robots.txt file, etc.

You can find thousands of examples of Shopify store SEO by typing any product on Google. For example, Fangamer is a store that ranks #1 on the search engine results page (SERP) for the keyword "video game shirts". This could be your site too.

Take a look at The Definitive Guide to Ecommerce SEO. This piece covers all the basics of e-Commerce SEO. It includes keyword research, web content creation, link-building introduction, product page optimization, and more.

4. A/B test different pricing strategies to refine your offering

Split-test pricing to come up with an offering that works for you and your customers. What happens is that you compare price points only after you've gauged customer response. Among all the Shopify hacks, this one lets you adjust pricing to maximize profits and customer satisfaction. A winning combination that all Shopify stores strive for.

The idea is that you run experiments to see which prices lead to more sales.

And use those insights to inform your pricing strategy.

Want to A/B test on your Shopify store? Here's how:

• Start with a standard price, then test different variations (e.g., discounts).
• Create packages with various prices and monitor which ones are more popular.
• Offer discounts based on purchase frequency to see if customers convert more often.
• Run promos and compare performance against each other or non-promotional periods.

How can you use Attrac to create multiple campaigns?

Make the most of your A/B testing with Attrac announcement bars and banners to discover how customers respond to discounts, offers, and promotion experiments. Put your pricing strategies to the test and determine which ones yield the most sales and engagement.

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Assuming you've installed Attrac's free version, there's a $6 upgrade to the Plus plan. It activates a message rotation feature to A/B test as many messages and customization as you want on the same banner/bar. The best part? You can analyze performance afterward.

5. Retarget audience with Google Ads and Meta Ads

Retargeting is a type of marketing that shows people ads based on their past behavior (i.e., interest either in your site or one of your products). This technique helps your Shopify store connect with someone most likely to become a customer.

Consumers click on retargeted ads because A) they like the product shown (37%), B) it's a convenient way to visit a site that users already intended to visit (28%), or C) there's a desire to learn more about the product in the ad (21%) – Signifi Media.

It's all about how you capitalize on intent-filled users. How? Through the right channels at strategic times. The combination of Google and Meta Ads ensure messages are perceived positively, thus increasing sales and re-engaging existing audience with promos and discounts.

In the case of Google Ads, you can display ads for recently viewed products, targeting those who've shown interest in a product and reminding them to complete their purchase.

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In the case of Meta Ads, the setup works this way: Place a tracking pixel on your Shopify store to create a custom audience based on people who've visited or interacted with specific pages. Then, you can target customers with ads related to the page they viewed or interacted with, such as an offer for an item they looked at before.

Save both videos on your Shopify learning playlist. You'll have to revisit them from time to time.

6. Integrate a chat app to accelerate customer support

Chatbot acceptance rates may vary from industry to industry. But in a Comm100 case study, they found that chatbots resolve 91% of live chats without hiring more agents. This is one of those Shopify hacks to deliver faster and more efficient customer service.

With a live chat, customers get real-time answers to queries, leading to higher satisfied customers and retention rates. Meanwhile, the chatbot – a computer program designed to stimulate conversations – can handle simple requests with minimal involvement, such as product inquiries or order information, freeing up you to focus on more complex tasks.

When it comes to the live chat/chatbots on the Shopify app store, try Tidio or Shopify Inbox.

At the end of the day, having both features shows potential customers that you're there when they need help. That makes a difference in the online shopping experience.

7. Ask for glowing buyer reviews to showcase social proof

As counterintuitive as it may sound, asking for reviews, testimonials, or someone's thoughts on a product isn't rude. It's normal. Picture this, you go to a new restaurant in your neighborhood. The food was delicious, and the overall service was fantastic. Once you pay for your meal, the restaurant invites you to leave a review on Google, so you do.

Why not spread the word about a good new place? Well, there's no difference with a product online. Plus, 72% of people read reviews before taking any kind of action.

For Shopify store owners, reviews serve as social proof to build authority, trust, and awareness. But it also helps identify not-so-good experiences to make future improvements. It's a win-win.

If you're looking for ideas to boost customer reviews, this Shopify article is worth a read: A Retailer's Guide to Getting More Customer Reviews. It outlines frameworks to collect more feedback.

8. Build a referral program to get referral customers

A referral program is one of the most powerful Shopify hacks when looking to boost sales. This strategy encourages existing customers to spread the word and entice new customers to make a purchase. With a referral program, merchants incentivize shoppers with discounts, rewards, or even exclusive products for referrals.

One of the most prominent reports in the last decade from Nielsen on Customer Trust in Online, Social, and Mobile Advertising states that 92% of consumers trust family and friend recommendations over other forms of advertising.

To create a customer referral program on Shopify:

• Decide on the terms – The terms of your referral program should specify how much credit each referring customer will receive when someone uses their link (e.g., 10% off), how long the offer will last (i.e., expiration date), and any other relevant details.
• Promote it – Once your terms have been set, it's time to start promoting your referral program so that potential referrers are aware of it and can start sharing it with their friends and family members. This could include emails, blog posts, social media, etc.
• Track referrals – Depending on the Shopify integration you use (Referral Candy, UpPromote, or BixGrow), there'll be features available to track who has referred people as well as who have signed up via those referrals.

Although establishing and maintaining a program requires investment and commitment, conversions and customer loyalty returns can be favorable. Think about it: if your loyal followers are eager to let family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances know about your business, you'll have already made a great first impression on those potential customers.

9. Collaborate with industry/niche influencers of all sizes

When you partner up with influencers – regardless of the fan base size – you tap into established audiences, accessing potential customers with high purchase intent.

Not to mention a coveted stamp of approval from highly trusted names on the Internet.

Shopify store owners that work alongside these content creators benefit from insights they may not gain elsewhere while communicating their message at scale and sharing authentic stories.

It's important to note that good results aren't limited only to Kardashian-popular accounts. Instead, by going with micro and nano-influencers, there's also room for impactful results.

Here's an example with men's fashion content creator Tim Dessaint and athletic clothing brand Vuori. On this TikTok, Tim recommends Christmas gift ideas from the promoted store.

Make sure you set realistic expectations and clear guidelines throughout the process. All this influencer marketing hack takes is creativity, research, and strategic planning.

Bookmark: 23 FREE Influencer Marketing Tools to Find Influencers for your Shopify store.

10. Run a Google Grow My Store report to analyze your store

Who thought some extra help from Google would be a hack? Google Grow My Store is a tool with advice for Shopify store owners like you to enhance the site's performance.

The report looks at things like site structure, user experience, product performance, traffic sources, and more factors to identify areas for improvement. It includes a site analysis, practical recommendations, tailored insights, and guidance and support.

Everything is easy to understand and with clear instructions.

Bonus: Build an affiliate & referral program

An affiliate and referral program can increase exposure, lower marketing costs, improve credibility, boost conversion rates, and enhance customer loyalty for a Shopify store.

An affiliate program is a marketing strategy that allows you to partner with other businesses, influencers, or individuals who promote your products or services in exchange for a commission. On the other hand, a referral program incentivizes your existing customers to refer their friends and family to your store by offering them rewards or discounts for successful referrals.

There are many Shopify apps that can help you build your affiliate & referral program. We recommend UpPromote Affiliate & Referral, an all-in-one app that can power your affiliate, referral, or loyalty program. It's suitable for all business sizes, and they have a free plan.

Catapult your Shopify store conversions with Attrac

When done right, these Shopify hacks give you the competitive edge to pave your way to a successful Shopify store. Joining forces with relevant influencers, integrating chatbots, setting up retargeting campaigns, and upselling and cross-selling products are excellent Shopify tips to improve online store performance and ultimately gain more sales traction.

But remember other details – like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and running pricing strategies through A/B testing. And why not introduce promotions and special offers? Use Attrac for free Shopify announcement bars and banners to catapult your conversions.

Go ahead and start optimizing your online store.