Customers not coming back? Take care of your UX!
You have traffic. You have products. But sales are still too low…
Repeat purchases and customer loyalty are the foundation of a profitable e-commerce business. Yet many companies invest huge budgets in advertising campaigns while losing the most right after the user lands on their site. The reason? Poorly designed user experience. Instead of guiding users through the purchasing journey, it drives them away.
The issue isn’t the product – it’s the experience
We often meet clients whose stores seem to be working fine, but retention is poor. The store has traffic, products are competitive, yet customers don’t return – or don’t even complete their first purchase. Once we start analyzing data and user journeys, the answer is usually the same: a lack of thoughtfully designed user experience architecture. If UX doesn’t work – neither does sales.
UX is not about aesthetics. It’s about strategy
User experience is not about making things pretty. It’s a strategy to design user paths that are simple, clear, and user-friendly – with the user’s behavior, needs, and obstacles in mind. If someone can’t find the “add to cart” button on mobile, or the registration form feels like a loan application – they won’t come back. And they won’t recommend your store either.
A good store leads the way
Good UX begins far earlier than the interface. Strategic decisions are key: what are we offering, to whom, how are categories structured, which features truly add value, and which ones just “look nice”. Integrations with external systems are a great example – they can make the customer’s life easier (e.g. checking order status without logging in), but poorly implemented, they only create confusion.
The customer wants control, not chaos
From our experience, the key to returning customers is not price – it’s the sense of control and ease. A customer who smoothly goes through the full process – from product search to details, to fast checkout and delivery confirmation – feels empowered. That experience decides whether they return or seek out a simpler store elsewhere.
Before you design – ask what’s not working
When we implement Shopware-based platforms, we always start by asking: what experience do we want to deliver to the end customer? You can’t answer that without data. We analyze heatmaps, clicks, abandoned carts, time on site, and critical drop-off points. Did they get stuck during product search? Was the return form too complex? Did the page load too slowly on mobile? All of this lets us create experiences that work not just technically – but in reality.
Consistency builds trust
UX is often where inconsistency arises. A brand promises convenience, but the interface demands logins and multiple clicks to access basic information. That creates dissonance – and dissonance breaks trust.
Don’t forget accessibility – your users won’t
Digital accessibility is more important than ever – not just due to regulations, but because more users rely on assistive tools. A store that isn’t screen-reader friendly, scalable when zoomed in, or navigable via keyboard is excluding customers. And excluded customers won’t return – even if your offer was perfect.
UX = Sales. Literally.
That’s why UX must be seen as a core element of your sales strategy – not an optional visual touch. It’s an investment that pays off: returning customers cost less than new ones, happy users share their experience, and confident users buy more – and more often.
Don’t guess – analyze
If your conversion rate is dropping despite growing traffic, if customers don’t finish purchases or keep asking “where do I click?”, the problem isn’t marketing or your product. It’s UX.
At CREHLER, we help solve that by designing stores that truly work – and guide users through the entire experience. Instead of guessing – we analyze. Instead of copying templates – we design around real user behavior.
Thanks to Shopware and our team’s experience, we build e-commerce platforms that are intuitive, fast, and comfortable – because users return to places that made them feel good. Take care of UX – and watch your customers return.
