Ecommerce Website Audit
An ecommerce audit examines every step from product discovery to purchase completion. This includes how products are categorised, how search and filters work, how product pages present information, and how the checkout process handles payment.
Small friction points accumulate into abandoned carts. The average cart abandonment rate is 70%. The difference between top performers and the average is not traffic, it is experience.
What an ecommerce audit examines
Product pages
How products are presented - images, descriptions, variants, pricing, and trust signals.
Common issues
- Weak product imagery
- Incomplete descriptions
- Missing variant options
- No reviews or social proof
Category structure
How products are organised and whether customers can find what they need.
Common issues
- Too many click levels
- Illogical categorisation
- Missing breadcrumbs
- Poor mobile navigation
Search functionality
How internal search works - relevance, filters, autocomplete, and zero-result handling.
Common issues
- Irrelevant search results
- Missing filter options
- No autocomplete
- Poor zero-result experience
Cart experience
How the cart functions - adding items, updating quantities, persistence, and upsells.
Common issues
- Cart not persisting
- Difficult to modify
- No cross-sell suggestions
- Unclear totals
Checkout flow
The path from cart to confirmation - steps, forms, payment options, and error handling.
Common issues
- Too many steps
- Forced account creation
- Limited payment options
- Confusing error messages
Shipping and returns
How delivery options and return policies are communicated.
Common issues
- Unclear shipping costs
- Missing delivery estimates
- Hidden return policies
- Late disclosure of restrictions
Common ecommerce problems
Checkout friction
Forcing account creation, requiring too many fields, or not supporting preferred payment methods.
Impact: Each friction point costs 10-15% of potential conversions.
Product page weakness
Images that do not zoom, descriptions that do not answer questions, missing variant information.
Impact: Users leave to find better information elsewhere.
Mobile cart failures
Carts that are difficult to use on mobile, small tap targets, broken layouts.
Impact: Mobile users abandon at higher rates despite strong intent.
Search that does not work
Site search returning irrelevant results or failing to understand synonyms and misspellings.
Impact: Users with specific intent cannot find products.
Part of the wider Commercial Assessment
An ecommerce audit tells you where users drop off. It does not tell you whether you are selling the right products to the right audience at the right price.
- Ecommerce problems often have strategic causes: unclear positioning, wrong pricing, or inventory issues that no checkout optimisation will fix.
- Optimising the checkout without fixing product-market fit means converting more users who will return items.
- Some friction is necessary: verification steps, address confirmation, and fraud prevention protect the business.
The Commercial Assessment examines ecommerce alongside five other domains: channels and reporting, attribution, sales handoff, user experience, and team capability. Checkout conversion is one metric in a larger system.
Learn about Commercial AssessmentRevenue is in the details
If carts are being abandoned, that is worth understanding. But if you suspect the problem is systemic, not just checkout, you need a broader assessment.