Website traffic is growing, advertising budgets are shrinking, and sales are stagnating – this is a scenario familiar to many owners of online stores and B2B companies. The problem rarely stems from a lack of traffic.
Much more often, it's because the website isn't converting users into customers. This effectiveness is measured by the conversion rate (CRR) – a metric that directly demonstrates how much of the traffic generated translates into real actions: purchases, quote requests, or newsletter signups.
In this article, we explain what influences conversion rates in e-commerce and B2B, what CR values are considered good, and how to implement conversion optimization (CRO) to get the most out of your website without increasing your advertising spend.
What is conversion rate and how to measure it correctly?
Conversion rate is the percentage of users who, after visiting your website, completed a specific action. In e-commerce, this most often means placing an order, but a conversion can also include adding a product to a cart or signing up for a newsletter.
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In B2B, conversion takes other forms – it could be sending a contact form, downloading a PDF offer, arranging a conversation with a salesperson, or registering for a webinar.
E-commerce Conversion Rate Formula
The formula is simple : divide the number of completed actions (e.g., orders) by the number of sessions, and multiply the result by 100%. If 10,000 users visited your store in a given month and 250 of them placed an order, your conversion rate is 2,5%. Measure it consistently in a single tool.
What conversion rate values are considered good?
There's no single, ideal conversion rate that works across all industries. The average conversion rate in e-commerce worldwide in 2025 hovered between 2,5% and 3%, according to data from companies like Contentsquare, Dynamic Yield, and Smart Insights. Therefore, on average, 2-3 people per 100 online store visitors will make a purchase.
These averages, however, mask vast differences between industries. The food and beverage category sees conversions of 5–6% because shopping is habitual and basket sizes are low. The luxury segment (jewelry, premium watches) achieves only 0,8–1,2% because the decision-making process is lengthy and customers require significantly more touchpoints with the brand before making a purchase.
Differences are also visible at the device level: desktop converts at a rate of 3,5–4%, while mobile converts at a rate of between 1,8% and 2,5%, even though mobile traffic already accounts for 65–75% of visits in most stores.
B2B benchmarks
In the B2B model, a conversion is the acquisition of a lead—filling out a form, requesting a quote, or scheduling a demo. The median conversion rate on B2B websites is approximately 2,9%, according to an August 2025 Ruler Analytics report (data from over 100 million data points across 14 industries).
Financial services (fintech, accounting software) convert at a rate of 2–5%, while industrial production typically reaches 1,2–2,5%. However, it's worth remembering that in B2B, a lower conversion rate doesn't necessarily mean failure – if the average contract value reaches tens of thousands of zlotys, even a conversion of 1,5% generates a high return on investment.
Benchmarks aren't everything - track your progress
Industry benchmarks are a useful point of reference, but the most valuable information comes from analyzing your own historical data. If your e-commerce site was converting at 1,5% six months ago and is now at 2,8%, it's a clear sign that the implemented changes are having an impact.
Why is conversion optimization (CRO) more important today than ever?
Conversion optimization (CRO) is the systematic process of improving a website so that a higher percentage of visitors complete desired actions. In 2026, CRO is gaining additional importance for two reasons.
- First, organic traffic is harder to obtain. Google's AI Overviews are increasingly responding to user queries directly in search results, which is why in many industries, the number of clicks to website links is decreasing, even as page views are increasing.
- Secondly, the costs of paid advertising (Google Ads, Meta Ads) are systematically rising – CPC in many e-commerce categories has increased by more than ten percent year-on-year. In this environment, CRO acts as a multiplier: instead of paying more for traffic, you make existing traffic convert better. When conversion optimization is poor, companies compensate with advertising spend; when CRO performs well, advertising spend becomes a growth multiplier.
What Kills Conversions? The Most Common Causes of Cart Abandonment
Before you begin implementing changes, it's worth identifying where you're losing users. Baymard Institute research (updated 2025) shows that the average cart abandonment rate in e-commerce is approximately 70%—7 out of 10 people who add a product to their cart don't complete their purchase. The most common reasons are:
- unexpected additional costs (shipping, taxes) appearing only at the summary – this is indicated by nearly 48% of those who abandoned the order,
- the need to create an account – approximately 24% of users give up when the store forces registration,
- too complicated checkout process – the average order form contains over 23 elements, while optimally there should be 12–14,
- lack of trust in the website – no security certificates, reviews or clear returns policy,
- slow loading – every extra second of waiting increases the risk of leaving the site.
Purchasing barriers in B2B e-commerce
In B2B, other barriers dominate: forms that request too much data, a lack of a clear value proposition on the landing page, and delayed response to inquiries. Data from 2025 indicates that responding to a lead within the first hour increases the chance of qualifying it sevenfold compared to responding after five hours.
How to improve your e-commerce conversion rate?
Now that you know where you're most likely to lose customers, it's time to take specific action. The changes below don't require a complete store overhaul —often, a few targeted adjustments are enough to noticeably increase your conversion rate.
Simplify your purchasing process
The fewer steps a user takes to complete their order, the higher the conversion rate. Implement guest checkout, minimize form fields, and display shipping costs as early as possible—ideally on the product page. According to the Baymard Institute, improving the checkout process alone can increase conversions by up to 35% in large online stores.
Take care of loading speed
Optimizing images (compression, WebP or AVIF formats), minimizing JavaScript and CSS styles, enabling server-side caching, and limiting external plugins – these are actions that can reduce loading times by dozens of percent. For diagnostics, it's worth using the free Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
Build trust and offer flexible payments
Include payment security certificates, a clear returns policy, verified customer reviews, and warranty information on your website. Adding digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) significantly increases conversions, especially for higher-priced items. The mere availability of multiple payment methods reduces the risk of cancellation at checkout.
Personalize your shopping experience
Dynamic website content tailored to browsing history, personalized calls-to-action (CTAs), and recommendations based on user behavior can significantly increase conversions. Tools like Dynamic Yield, Nosto, and built-in modules for e-commerce platforms (Shopify, Shoper, IdoSell) allow you to implement personalization without building your own algorithms.
How to improve your B2B conversion rate?
In B2B, the path to conversion is longer, and the purchasing decision usually involves several people on the customer's side, so optimization requires a slightly different approach than in e-commerce – what matters is the precision of the message and the speed of response to the inquiry.
Match your landing page to the user's intent
A B2B user lands on a website with a specific need—they're looking for an automation tool, comparing suppliers, or wanting to calculate ROI. Your landing page should address this need from the very first headline. Instead of general statements, showcase a specific benefit, such as "Automate your invoice workflow and reduce processing time by 60%."
Keep the form to a minimum and respond quickly
At the initial contact stage, three or four fields are sufficient: name, email, company, and a brief description of the need. The salesperson will complete the remaining data during the conversation. Speed of response is equally important – automated confirmation emails, chatbots that qualify leads in real time, and sales alerts shorten response times and keep potential customers engaged.
Use content as a conversion tool
Case studies, ROI calculators, downloadable industry reports, and webinar recordings build credibility while generating leads. Each such material should be paired with a clear CTA and a simple download form.
A/B testing – the foundation of conversion optimization
Conversion optimization without A/B testing is guesswork. A/B testing involves simultaneously showing two versions of the same element—a headline, button color, or page layout—to two groups of users and measuring which version generates a higher conversion rate.
The pillars of reliable A/B testing
For a test to yield reliable results, you need a sufficient number of visits, a clearly defined goal (e.g., "increase CTA clicks by 10%"), and patience. Tools like VWO, Optimizely, and AB Tasty allow you to conduct tests without involving the development team.
What to test first? The content and appearance of call-to-action buttons, headlines on product pages, product page layout, the number of steps in the checkout process, and the way prices are presented.
How do you measure progress and what else should you look at besides conversion?
Improving conversion rates is a marathon, not a sprint. A realistic goal is to increase them by 0,5–1 percentage point per quarter. In addition to the main metric, it's worth tracking micro-conversions: cart additions, call-to-action (CTA) clicks , time on product page, and scroll depth – these smaller metrics can more quickly signal whether changes are going in the right direction.
Also, remember segmentation. A global conversion rate of 2,5% may mask the fact that email marketing traffic converts at 5% and paid social media campaigns at less than 1%. Segmentation by traffic source, device, and user type (new vs. returning) allows you to precisely pinpoint the greatest potential for growth.
Conversion rate alone, however, isn't enough to assess effectiveness. High conversions with a low average order value (AOV) may indicate that discounts are attracting only occasional buyers. Low conversions with a high AOV—typical of luxury or B2B e-commerce—doesn't necessarily indicate a problem if each acquired customer generates significant revenue.
For this reason, CRO should be combined with analysis of revenue per session, customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV), and cart abandonment rate. Only such a comprehensive picture allows for making informed decisions and investing in areas that truly impact the company's bottom line.
Conversion Rate FAQs
Conversion rate is a key website performance indicator that measures the percentage of website visitors who complete a specific, desired action (e.g., make a purchase or submit a contact form). It is calculated using the following formula:
Conversion rate = (number of conversions / number of users) x 100%
A low rate usually indicates problems with the website’s usability (UX), a mismatch between the target group, or technical errors in the purchase path.
Simplifying the signup or purchase process drastically reduces the risk of a potential customer changing their mind while filling out their details. Limiting the number of fields in contact forms (especially in the B2B lead generation segment) and eliminating unnecessary steps in the shopping cart are some of the simplest and most effective conversion rate optimization (CRO) measures.
People are more likely to make a transaction with a brand that others trust – as many as 89% of consumers check online reviews before making a purchase. To motivate visitors, it's worth implementing product ratings, reviews, testimonials, and social proof-based messaging on your website, which give the recipient a sense of security.
The call-to-action button should be bold, visible, and written with strong benefits (e.g., "Download for free" instead of the usual "Submit"). It's also crucial to place the CTA high on the page—if it appears only at the bottom, some users will leave the site before they even get there.
A visitor scans a website in just a few seconds, making a decision to buy or leave in that time. To avoid losing their attention, it's crucial to remove unnecessary external links, pop-ups, and any other elements that distract from the main goal at key stages of the funnel. All the most important messages must be presented on a silver platter.
A website's loading speed is crucial to its success, especially on smartphones. Studies show that 40% of people abandon a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Furthermore, on mobile devices, just a 1-second delay in website response can reduce conversion rates by 7%.
Instead of accepting the loss of a customer, it's worth utilizing automated marketing. Email campaigns dedicated to users who have abandoned their carts can effectively remind them of unfinished purchases. To encourage them to return, you can offer a small bonus, such as free shipping or a discount code.
In the online world, customers don't have the opportunity to physically touch the product. Including high-quality, detailed photos and videos on your website allows you to precisely present the product. This allows buyers to know exactly what they're buying, building trust and preventing disappointment upon receiving the package.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- Conversion rate (CR) measures a website's effectiveness in converting visitors into buyers, and its optimization (CRO) allows you to increase a company's profits without increasing advertising expenses.
- The average conversion rate is around 2,5–3% in e-commerce and 2,9% in B2B, but the optimal value depends on the specific industry, device type, and analysis of your own historical data.
- Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is crucial in 2026 because it allows you to increase profits from existing website traffic in the face of rising advertising costs and the difficulty of acquiring search engine traffic.
- The main barriers to conversion are hidden costs, complicated forms, registration requirements, and slow website or customer service response times.
- To improve conversion rates in e-commerce, you need to simplify the purchasing process, speed up the website, ensure trust and flexible payments, and personalize the offer for the customer.
- Improving B2B conversions is achieved by tailoring landing pages to user needs, shortening contact forms, responding quickly to inquiries, and offering valuable content that builds trust.
- A/B testing is the foundation of CRO, but measuring progress effectively requires patience, tracking micro-conversions, segmenting data, and combining conversion rate with other business metrics.
